The teacher union representing over 2,000 teachers in the Salem-Keizer School District is asking members to authorize a strike after nearly a year of contract negotiations with the school district.
A teacher strike could begin after spring break and would be the first in district history. It would close schools for 40,000 students, though families could still pick up to-go meals and some high school sports and extracurricular activities would continue.
Community organizations that provide before and after school child care could continue using school buildings in the event of a strike. But the school district is not planning to provide child care for students.
The union will take a strike vote next week, Salem-Keizer Education Association President Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg said, with results by Friday, March 22. Union leaders are looking for about 85% approval from members before going on strike.
“It needs to be an overwhelming majority,” she said.
A strike could begin as early as April 1, when schools return from spring break, though Scialo-Lakeberg said they’re looking at a start date later that week or the second week of April.
District and union leaders have continued to meet with a state mediator since mid-February, when teachers declared an impasse in negotiations. An impasse is a formal declaration, and is the first step on the road toward a strike under state law.
The definition of a full-time teacher, which governs how teachers are paid for giving up preparation time to teach extra classes, remains a major sticking point.
Teachers are also seeking a contract that spells out ideal class sizes and establishes a committee to review data and address larger classes. District leaders have resisted defining class sizes in contract. They’ve proposed a committee to address larger classes only in elementary schools.
Another mediation session is scheduled for March 20.
Union leaders spoke at Tuesday’s school board meeting, saying they remain hopeful the contract can be settled without a strike.
“We do not want to close schools and send children home. We want to work and serve our students,” Maraline Ellis, the union’s vice president, said. “But we can’t accept less than what is fair, reasonable and helpful to our students.”
The district would not pay teachers on strike, but the Oregon Education Association pays members who are striking.
“In the wake of last week’s tragedy, we are focusing our energy on school safety and supporting our community,” Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said in a statement, referring to the March 7 shooting that left one student dead and two others wounded in Bush’s Pasture Park.
The planned strike vote in Salem-Keizer comes after Portland Public Schools teachers went on an 11-day strike in November, securing higher pay and more planning time for elementary and middle school teachers. The district, Oregon’s largest, is making substantial budget cuts over the life of the contract. Salem-Keizer is also facing tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts, which will likely lead to hundreds of layoffs next school year.
The Portland strike kicked off a larger discussion about education funding in Oregon, with Gov. Tina Kotek saying the state needs to revisit its funding formula for K-12 schools. She expects that to be the focus of the 2025 legislative session.
Castañeda and union leaders have both supported that aim, saying Oregon now expects schools to provide far more services than they can afford to students and families who have greater needs than ever before.
Correction: This article originally reported that Portland teachers secured additional overage pay for larger classes following their strike. The contract made some changes to caseload limits for other school employees, but did not pay teachers more for larger classes. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
