Portland School District nearing agreement with teachers union

Published 12:00 am Monday, March 15, 2021

Students are pictured here on the last day of school before last year's shutdowns. Portland Public Schools is nearing an agreement with its teachers union that would see kids return to school starting April 1.

Even as Portland Public Schools prepares to fully reopen campuses, negotiations with its teachers union were still in the works, until now.

The school district announced Monday, March 15, that a tentative agreement with the Portland Association of Teachers has been reached to begin hybrid in-person learning, starting April 1.

Portland’s youngest students in preschool through first grade will be brought back first, under a plan that would allow them on campus four days per week, for morning or afternoon class sessions.

“Alternating class schedules are necessary to accommodate Oregon Department of Education-mandated physical distancing and cohort size requirements,” a Portland Public Schools media release states.

The plan would see grades two to five come back to campus Monday, April 5, and students in grades six to 12 returning Monday, April 19. The agreement is awaiting approval from union members and the PPS school board.

Families who prefer their students to remain in distance learning may do so under the plan, which aligns with state guidelines.

“I am grateful that as a result of these discussions, as well as the input and feedback from families, we have a strong plan for safely returning students to schools,” PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero said. “Our teams have been diligent, thoughtful and thorough in planning for the reopening of our schools. It is now time to welcome our students back in larger numbers.”

PPS campuses have been mostly closed to students since last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.