Teacher union, district hopeful Salem-Keizer can reach contract without a strike

Teachers and Salem-Keizer School District leaders say they’re optimistic they can resolve a months-long labor dispute without a strike after making progress with a state mediator.

The third state mediation session between the two sides, which lasted 12 hours on Tuesday, produced no new tentative agreements, but the teacher union lowered its ask for pay raises to 16% over two years, down from a September ask of 26%.

The district has not presented any new pay offer in mediation. Its most recent offer in September was a 7% raise over two years.

Both sides described progress Tuesday as positive.

Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg, president of the Salem-Keizer Education Association, said they’re close to an agreement with the district on school safety and student behavior, an issue many educators say is top of mind this school year.

Two more mediation sessions are scheduled for January 11 and 31.

“I’m hoping that we can get there,” Scialo-Lakeberg said in a Wednesday interview. She said union members will need to see movement on safety, class sizes, teacher preparation time and pay to vote for a new contract.

Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said mediation sessions were “very promising.”

“I am so grateful for the way both teams showed up,” she said.

The district’s 2,000 teachers have been in negotiations for a new contract since last April, amid a hot labor market where educators around the Northwest have fought for significant cost of living raises.

Castañeda filed for mediation in September over objections from union leaders, saying it would help speed resolution of the contract. Under state law, mediation must take place for at least 15 days, after which either party can declare an impasse. 

Following a 30-day cooling off period, workers can then go on strike. Scialo-Lakeberg said the union has not asked teachers to authorize a strike vote.

In November, Portland teachers went on an 11-day strike, the first in district history, after reaching an impasse during state mediation. The strike ended with teachers negotiating higher raises, more planning time and extra pay for teachers who have larger classes. Portland district leaders said they’ll have to cut about $130 million from the budget over the next three years to pay for the contract.

Castañeda announced $31 million in budget cuts and spending reductions before winter break and has said tens of millions more in cuts will be needed to balance the 2024 budget. 

Over 100 educators and supporters rallied Tuesday outside the school district offices in a show of support to the union mediation team, which was inside negotiating.

Several said that while they wanted raises to keep up with inflation, issues like school safety and planning time were bigger priorities in negotiations.

Teachers said being able to remove violent students from class and having adequate time to review students’ behavior plans and mental health needs would help address repeated behavioral problems from a small minority of students who have an outsized impact on the classroom.

“They’re not learning and they’re preventing others from learning,” said Kammie Rivera, a third-grade teacher at Cummings Elementary School in Keizer.

Melissa Thiel-Stinson, a fifth-grade teacher at Cummings, said she was sexually harassed by a student last year.

“It doesn’t make you feel good about coming to work,” she said.

She reported it and said her school handled it as best they were able to, but she said students who repeatedly act out need smaller classes and specialized help so they can learn the social skills needed to succeed in class.

The union has proposed requiring meetings between the classroom teacher, parents, a school administrator and behavior staff when a student begins exhibiting behavior showing they’re in crisis. The goal is to make sure the student has a behavior plan and to keep it updated so educators can be proactive.

“There needs to be some attention given and evaluate what resources need to go to that child,” Scialo-Lakeberg said. “It won’t be an absolute cure until our state helps us with more resources.”

The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration reviewed the district’s practices surrounding assaults by students at the request of district and union leaders. In an October report, the agency said some Salem schools have injury rates three times national and state averages. 

Reviewers found a lack of placement options for some high-needs students and inconsistent training and communication among district employees about how to handle student behavior.

The union is also seeking extra pay for teachers whose classes are over a certain size, and for counselors and other workers with larger caseloads.

The district is also heading to mediation with its classified employee union, the Association of Salem-Keizer Education Support Professionals, which represents classroom assistants, bus drivers, janitors and other support workers. An initial mediation session is scheduled Dec. 28.

Correction: This article originally misstated the total cost of living raise the teacher union is now seeking. It is 16% over two years, not 18%. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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