Salem-Keizer Education Association members stand on the Oregon Capitol steps during the March for Our Students, February 18, 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Salem-Keizer School District will close schools two-and-a-half hours early May 8 because of the large number of teachers and educators planning to attend a teacher walkout at the Oregon Capitol.
The Oregon Education Association has planned a “Day of Action” at 1:30 p.m. to advocate for more funding for K-12 education in response to the legislature’s proposed education budget.
That budget increased school funding over the previous biennium, but not enough to offset the rising costs of health care and pension benefits, forcing many districts to cut staff.
Superintendent Christy Perry said district officials made the decision because a large number of teachers and educators planning to attend the walkout.
She said regular bus routes would likely have to be modified or delayed if schools stayed open because of the thousands of people traveling to and from Salem from other parts of Oregon that afternoon.
Because staff don’t have to travel far to the capitol, Perry said the district was able to keep schools open for the majority of the day while still allowing staff to attend.
“We want funding, but we also want to do what’s right for kids,” Perry said.
Other districts in western Oregon, including Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro, have announced plans to close school for the day.
In Salem-Keizer, school buses will run on a modified schedule, and after school care will have extended hours, the district said in a news release.
Scheduled district activities, including field trips, outdoor school and Advanced Placement exams, will mostly go on as planned.
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.
