PAT News

Standing Up for Educators

Jan 13, 2022

Dear PAT Members,

We’ve received an overwhelming number of inquiries about yesterday’s message from the District, accusing educators of misusing sick leave.

Rather than recognizing our extraordinary efforts to support our students in the face of untenable conditions, or acknowledging their own failures to prepare for this latest COVID surge, District leaders are now accusing PAT members of engaging in illegal activity. Their message appears to be an attempt to intimidate anyone organizing to assert their rights under Oregon law and our union contract, following the guidelines of OHA to stay home when they are sick or have symptoms of COVID, or shouldering the responsibility to care for their own family members who are sick or who need to quarantine.

This response demonstrates how out of touch PPS administration is with what’s happening in our schools, and lands as an attempt to blame educators for the District’s own failure to honestly and proactively address the current staffing crisis and public health emergency.

This message from PPS is off-base, demoralizing to all educators, and an insult to our profession.

We are nearly two years into this pandemic, and in the face of the Omicron surge, PPS leaders still have no plan to provide sufficient testing, or maintain the staffing levels needed to follow COVID-19 safety protocols. They have no plan to mitigate the enormous burden that educators are carrying as they show up every day to fill the gap between what our students need and deserve, and the egregious lack of staff and resources that the state and the District are providing.

Educators have gone above and beyond this year, doing everything possible to create a positive and supportive learning environment for students in this year of chaos. Educators continue to grade student work, plan lessons, and communicate with parents while out on sick leave. Educators are substituting in other classrooms during their planning periods, or in addition to their crucial duties as counselors, TOSAs, mentors, social workers, ELL teachers, specialists, and instructional coaches. Educators are taking on the duties of paraeducators, education assistants, and custodians, to keep students and classrooms safe when schools are short critical staff.

Our schools are operating right now only because educators are going above and beyond every single day, and often into the night and over the weekend.

Rest assured, PAT will aggressively push back on any attempt by the District to intimidate or harass educators from using their own sick time to deal with COVID infection or other illness.

We have been raising the red flag all year about dangerously low staffing levels in so many of our schools, and that the shortage would likely get worse if the District refused to address the underlying reason that educators are leaving the profession. The latest COVID surge has pushed a precarious situation over the edge.

With Omicron raging in our community, it is predictable that so many staff and students will need to stay home. In the longer run, we know the staffing shortage will only get better if we address the crushing and impossible workload driving educators out of the profession, and build a culture of respect for the professional educators and staff who work every day to support and inspire students. We will continue to press the District for much-needed workload relief, both for this year, and for the years to come. The future of our profession depends on it.

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Thiel, PAT President

Gwen Sullivan, PAT Vice President

Portland Association of Teachers

The Advocate, January 12, 2022

Jan 13, 2022

The Advocate, January 12, 2022

The Advocate, December 15th, 2021

Dec 15, 2021

The Advocate, December 15, 2021

The Advocate, November 17th, 2021

Nov 16, 2021

The Advocate, November 17th, 2021

The Advocate, November 3rd, 2021

Nov 03, 2021

The Advocate, November 3rd, 2021

The Advocate, October 13th, 2021

Oct 12, 2021

The Advocate, October 13th, 2021

The Advocate, September 29th, 2021

Sep 29, 2021

The Advocate, September 29, 2021

Rally to Support OFNHP Kaiser Permanente Workers

Sep 28, 2021

Please come out on Tuesday to support Kaiser Permanente Healthcare workers fighting for safe staffing levels and fair wages. Wear you PAT BLUE to show our union support.

Rally to Support OFNHP Kaiser Permanente Workers

September 28th, 6 – 7:30 pm

Kaiser Permanente Building (500 NE Multnomah St, Portland)

Facebook event: Click here

More about the struggle:

Like educators who advocate for students, healthcare workers are patient defenders. Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professional members are the frontline to ensure our community gets the healthcare it needs to stay healthy. The frontline healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente are fighting for safe staffing levels and wages to attract and retain workers.

When our community wins great staffing and conditions that retain experienced staff, we save lives. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need this more than ever, and we also need the voices of both patients, union members, and care providers.

Join the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals at 6:00 pm on September 28^th at the Kaiser Permanente Building (500 NE Multnomah St, Portland) to raise the voices of both frontline healthcare workers and community members who are fighting for healthcare justice. We will be showing our support for safe staffing, a fair union contract, and a voice for both patients and care workers. Union nurses and health professionals will speak out as well as labor leaders, community organizations, clergy, and patients.

Here are a few links with some additional information:

Interested in Joining the PAT Bargaining Committee?

Sep 10, 2021

PAT’s Bargaining Committee is both different from and crucial to our PAT Bargaining Team. Under PAT Bylaws, the Bargaining Committee "shall assist the collective bargaining teams in research and the development of the Association’s proposals under guidelines established by the Executive Board" (Bylaws, ARTICLE 10, Section 3). The Committee does the leg work to help us be more informed, efficient and effective during bargaining.

We are currently seeking new members for the Bargaining Committee. We are looking for a racially diverse group of members who also hold a diverse array of positions within the district. The more perspectives we add to the table, the better solutions we can find. Space will be limited to ensure no one position or community is given undue representation.

If you are interested, please fill out this Bargaining Committee Interest Form.

The Advocate, September 8th, 2021

Sep 08, 2021

The Advocate, September 8, 2021

Tentative Agreement Reached on Safety

Sep 01, 2021

Dear Educator,

On the eve of the first day of school for our students, we are writing to give you the latest update on our safety agreements for this fall. First, I want to acknowledge the enormous challenge that educators are all facing as we are tasked with doing the impossible -- to open our schools safely, at full capacity, during the height of a global pandemic.

As you know, PAT has been working throughout August to secure additional safety measures for the start of the school year. While PPS hoped to start the year without any safety agreements besides those contained in our regular contract, this was a non-starter for PAT. On August 6, we informed the District that our Spring 2021 Safety Letter of Agreement (LOA) would remain in effect unless they met with us to update it, and the District agreed.

Our aim has been to maintain the strong safety and mitigation measures we fought for and won last spring, to update the agreement to comply with current state mandates, and to implement new recommendations from ODE and the CDC.

The process was not as quick as we hoped, but your PAT bargaining team has been working throughout the last 3 weeks to secure updated language and keep our classrooms safe.

Tonight, around 9 pm, we reached a tentative safety agreement for the school year.

While there is no agreement that can alleviate the stress, chaos, and uncertainty of opening schools in-person during the worst moment of the pandemic in Oregon, we believe that we were able to secure safety terms that make in-person instruction possible under these admittedly difficult conditions.

Many of you have been writing to the School Board and District leaders to amplify our demands for specific mitigations for any classroom that is not able to maintain 3 feet of distance, ensuring that the District accommodate all students who signed up for the Online Learning Academy, and creating remote positions for educators who are medically unable to be vaccinated. Your advocacy and organizing made a huge difference.

The Tentative Updated LOA maintains much of what we fought for in the spring including:

HEPA filters in every space where educators meet with students
Masking for all students and educators unless there is a documented exemption
Remote assignments prioritized for educators who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical condition
Notifying professional educators and the wider community of any COVID infection in the building
Safety Committees at every school
No educator can be directed to teach remotely and in person at the same time

The updated agreement also includes new provisions, some of which have already been put in place:

Re-opening registration for OLA (with over 20 additional remote educator positions to accommodate students who signed up)
Educators re-assigned to OLA may return to their original assignment
Creating new remote positions to assist students who must work remotely.
Implementing the OHA Covid Asymptomatic Screening testing program
KN95 masks available to any educator who requests one

Physical Distancing

Physical Distance requirements have remained a sticking point to the end. We wanted to get a guaranteed minimum of at least 3 feet per student, instead of the ODE recommendation of “3 feet whenever possible.”

Over the last few weeks, it has become clear that because of the size and number of our classrooms, the number of students in some grades and some schools, and the state mandate that physical distancing not preclude full-day in-person instruction for all students, there was not a path to achieving this goal before students returned.

The reality is that not all our classrooms will be able to maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance per student. However, we have insisted on clear mitigation measures and full transparency for educators, students, and parents in every classroom where it is not possible. We have also secured a guarantee that neither medically fragile educators nor students who cannot wear masks will be placed in classrooms with less than 3 feet of physical distance.

For classrooms that do not meet a 3 feet physical distance minimum, the District is required to explore ways to create more usable classroom space, such as by removing furniture or switching rooms. And in cases where this is not possible, the District must notify families and implement enhanced safety requirements such as doubling the number of HEPA purifiers and measuring the air exchanges in affected classrooms.

The District is also required to enter into talks about COVID-related working conditions. We know there are a large number of issues we need to address with the District, including how students in quarantine will be supported.

Next Steps

Although we consider this an update to our already-ratified agreement from the spring, we know these changes are significant. We will bring these new terms to the full membership for a ratification vote. More information, including the actual updated Letter of Agreement and a ratification timeline, will be coming soon.

In the meantime, please proceed as if these agreements are IN PLACE, including making sure your Safety Committee is up and running.

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Thiel, PAT President, and the PAT Bargaining Team

The Advocate, August 25, 2021

Aug 24, 2021

The Advocate, August 24, 2021

PAT Supports Vaccine Mandate for Educators

Aug 18, 2021

Dear Educator,

Today PPS made the announcement that PPS employees will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, or to submit to regular testing. PAT supports this important step towards keeping our school communities safe in this ongoing pandemic and ensuring our students experience as little disruption this fall as we are able to manage.

Vaccination is our most powerful tool to get our students back to in-person learning, and to restore the interaction and personal connection that is such a crucial part of learning.

In our recent survey of PAT members, almost 98% of members reported that they are already vaccinated, and the majority of the remaining members reported that they have a medical or religious reason for exemption. So while PAT members have overwhelmingly already met this mandate, it is an important first step towards ensuring that everyone in our school communities are vaccinated, if they are able to be.

Under state law, employers have the right to mandate vaccines for their employees, and unions have a right to bargain the impact. PAT fully supports the right of all our union siblings to bargain the impact of this mandate, including making sure there are alternatives for those with a legitimate reason to not be vaccinated.

Our survey also shows that PAT members overwhelmingly support vaccine mandates for both PPS employees and students.

Vaccine mandates are effective because, in addition to protecting the individuals who are vaccinated and reducing spread of disease, they create an environment of “herd immunity” which is necessary to protect our most vulnerable community members who are not able to get vaccinated.

Of course, the vast majority of our school population is students, so to reach “herd immunity” we need our students to be vaccinated as well (more on that below).

In addition to vaccination, we will continue to fight to maintain all the crucial safety measures that we won in our Spring MOU.

As we continue to navigate this pandemic, there are no simple or straightforward solutions. We will continue to work together to find the best path to meet the needs of our members, our students, and our communities. We are so grateful for your continued dedication to our students and support for your colleagues as we will manage another difficult year together.

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Thiel, President, Portland Association of Teachers

What does it take to get a vaccine mandated for students?

This is a question we have been working hard to get a clear answer to. Our best understanding is this:

First, the vaccine needs to gain full approval by the FDA (currently it has emergency authorization). This is expected to happen in the next month.
After that, the Oregon Health Authority has a process to review vaccines to consider adding them to the list of required vaccines, through the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They use this criteria to make decisions.
Once a vaccine is recommended by the ACIP, the state Legislature, the Governor, or a local school district make a vaccine mandatory.

The Advocate, June 9, 2021 - Portland Association of Teachers

Jun 10, 2021

The Advocate, June 9, 2021

The Advocate, May 19, 2021 - Portland Association of Teachers

May 19, 2021

The Advocate, May 19, 2021

Apply to be on the PAT Advocacy Cadre Team!

May 12, 2021

Dear Educator--

PAT is seeking members to serve on next year’s Advocacy Cadre. To apply, fill out this application form by June 4th.

What is The PAT Advocacy Cadre?

This small group of members will work closely with UniServ Consultants to become experts on our contract, and will provide member to member support.

The Advocacy Cadre will run a Zoom Advocacy Hotline, where Reps and other members can get immediate answers to questions about the contract and support to resolve problems in their buildings.

In addition, the Advocacy Cadre will provide support with Rep Training, answering member emails to [email protected], and creating materials to help members better understand contract issues.

You can read about this year's Advocacy Cadre here: www.pdxteachers.org/pat_advocacy_cadre

Cadre Members Commit to:

2 days Advocacy Training August 17-18, 2021. (This will be held either live, or remotely, depending on safety recommendations at that time.)
1 Zoom Hotline shift a week, during the school year, Mondays, 4:30-6:30pm at PAT.
In addition to answering the hotline, this time may include ongoing training and other advocacy work with Uniserv Consultants. Additional dates may be added depending on need.
This is a 1-year opportunity and commitment, paid at the OEA cadre-rate ($33/hour).

Responsibilities:

Assist members who come to Zoom Advocacy Hotline;
Respond to emails and calls from members;
Be a knowledgeable resource about the PAT contract and PAT systems for supporting members in different situations;
Follow procedure to inform UniServ Consultants of issues, determining next steps;
Potential additional release time/ pay for ongoing training or representation work;
Potential to shadow UniServ Consultants on assignment.

Qualifications:

Active membership;
Experience as a PAT building rep or other similar union experience preferred;
Interest in continued union advocacy work;
Special consideration given to applicants with an interest in pursuing work as a UniServ Consultant;
Special consideration given to applicants with characteristics that help create a group that represents the racial diversity of our membership, and of the job-types that our members hold.

Goals for PAT:

Build capacity among members to enforce our contract, support member rights, and organize and problem solve in buildings;
Develop leadership within PAT that represents the diversity of our membership demographics and workforce positions;
Create a pathway toward UniServ Consultant work for interested members.

To apply:

Fill out application form by June 4th.
Interviews to be scheduled in mid June.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Students 16+ and Families

May 04, 2021

Starting this week, PPS high school students 16 and older, and PPS families, will have the opportunity to sign up for a COVID vaccine appointment through a simplified process.

Appointments will be at the Oregon Convention Center on Wednesdays. To make sure students and families can access this opportunity, PPS will be running bus shuttles from 3 locations: Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Roseway Heights.

PPS is still finalizing the sign-up process and translating communications into all supported languages, but I wanted to make sure you had this information now, so you can share it with students on Tuesday.

If you teach students 16 or older, or know of PPS families who would benefit from support accessing the COVID vaccine, please tell your students about this opportunity, and let them know that a link to sign up will be emailed to the families of high school students, and sent through Remind.

Here is a slide to share with students with some basic information and to the sign-up.

The message below is being sent by PPS to families of PPS High School students, and has some additional information.

The Advocate, April 28, 2021

Apr 28, 2021

The Advocate, April 28, 2021

The Advocate, April 14, 2021

Apr 14, 2021

The Advocate, April 14, 2021

Safety Committees and Semester 2 Overages

Apr 03, 2021

We wanted to share some information regarding Safety Committees and Overage Claims.

Understanding COVID-Related Safety at Your School

Every school shall have a Safety Committee, with 1-2 PAT members appointed by members at your school.

The safety committee will tour the building to ensure that all of the provisions on safety and health protections in the PAT-PPS MOU on returning to hybrid instruction are in place. The initial walk through for K-5 should have been done by March 19, 2021. Middle and High School Safety Committees should complete their walkthroughs prior to hybrid starting on April 19, 2021.
Safety Committees should use the Building Environment Checklist for these tours, and to make sure all of the required supports are established in buildings.
Make sure you know who is on your school’s safety committee. After the walkthrough, your safety committee members should inform your staff what the outcome was of the evaluation, and what steps were taken to address any issues.

Similarly, all in-person educators should use the Daily Classroom/Workspace Checklist everyday to ensure that they are working in a space that meets all of the safety requirements.

If the requirements are not met, this is the protocol:

Notify your administrator/principal and building rep. Ask administrator for a timeline for resolution.
If not resolved right away, contact your custodian.
Contact [email protected]
If safety concerns are still not met, the space should not be used for instruction.

MOU Section I.f. - “After student instruction begins, if a room does not meet the agreed upon safety protocol and changes cannot be made within a reasonable amount of time, the room will not be used for in-person instruction until safety conditions are met.”

Please then inform your building rep and your principal that you need a new space for instruction.

If, after following the steps above, your administrator is unable or unwilling to adhere to the MOU, please contact your UniServ Consultant and Area Superintendent.

If you have questions about these protocols, please come to the Advocacy Cadre Zoom meeting, Monday, April 5 at 5:00 pm, to go over this protocol and get your questions answered. You can also email questions or concerns to the Cadre at [email protected].

You can find the MOU, Safety Checklists, and more resources on our website.

Overage Payments for Second Semester

Article 8 in the 2019-2020 PAT Agreement has language that defines workload “thresholds” for class-size, teaching load, caseload, and the number of unique course preparations. PPS is required by this contract language to pay educators whose workload exceeds those thresholds that were reviewed and calculated by PPS between February 16 and March 2, 2021.

Staff receiving stipends should have received a separate check on the March payday. The type of stipend will be reflected on the check as “Class Overload Stipend” and “Over 3 Prep Stipend.”

If you did not receive the pay you anticipated, please submit those questions and any documentation to PPS immediately and a PPS HR representative will review your information and respond about whether or not they will make any corrections.

Overage for Educators working under a “4x4” Schedule in High Schools

With respect to overage payment for educators that work in high schools doing a temporary 4x4 schedule, we have major disagreements with the District’s implementation of our contract language.

While PPS believes the language in the CBA is based on case-loads and unique preparation numbers per-semester, PAT believes that the overages numbers in the contract are directly linked to year-long courses.

It is our belief that high school educators working under a 4x4 schedule may not have been paid the proper overage payments if overage payments were not based on 160-student per year threshold. Further, we believe the threshold of “3 unique preparations” applies to the number of preparations over the course of the year.

PAT already has an “overage” grievance filed last year regarding seven different types of overage violations. One of the PAT positions is that the District failed to pro-rate student overage numbers by the number of courses an educator teaches. That grievance is currently in settlement talks with a state mediator. In addition, PAT filed a new grievance to correct the overages we believe resulted from the 4x4 schedule.

For now, please fill out the PPS form if you believe you are owed overage payments that you did not receive.

Schedule in K-8 Schools

Apr 03, 2021

We have had a lot of questions about the schedule for 6th through 8th grade students at K-8 schools. Here are some clarifications:

K-5th grade will follow the elementary schedule, and 6th-8th grade will follow the middle school schedule. (You can see the PPS example middle school schedule here.)
That means, all 6th-8th grade students should have all their classes remotely in the morning, and can attend hybrid in-person instruction in the afternoon during the “asynchronous” time.
At a K-8 school, the timing of the afternoon in-person session for middle school students should match the timing for the K-5 afternoon in-person session, so that students in all grades can access transportation together.

Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Violence

Mar 19, 2021

PAT condemns anti-Asian violence and stands with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, colleagues, and their families. Please read the complete statement below, written by Karen Liao and Tiffany Koyama Lane, Project Leaders of PAT's upcoming Asian and Pacific Islander American History Month.

Then, please take some time with the accompanying resources to find ways to take action now, and on an on-going basis.

To Our Community of Educators:

The Portland Association of Teachers condemns anti-Asian violence and stands with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, colleagues, and their families. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an exponential rise in anti-Asian violence. A recent study revealed that hate crimes decreased overall by 7 percent in 2020, but “those targeting Asian people rose by nearly 150 percent.” Stop AAPI Hate’s newest report recorded 3,795 anti-Asian hate incidents between March 2020 and February 2021. Over 500 were recorded in 2021 alone.

In one weekend in January 2021, here in Portland, 11 Asian-owned businesses were targeted and vandalized. There are endless accounts of Asian Americans being verbally and physically attacked going through everyday life: taking a walk, grocery shopping, eating at restaurants. Some of these hate crimes are reported, but many are not. Though this is happening nationwide, there is scant mainstream media coverage of these attacks, though fear has been roiling through AAPI communities. Let’s be clear: Anti-Asian violence is not new. It has only been heightened by recent xenophobia and racist rhetoric such as “the China virus” and the “Wuhan flu,” which has blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on Asians. The United States has a long-established history of racializing disease, particularly against Asians. The Chinese community was accused of spreading the bubonic plague, which was seen as a “Chinese” disease. Chinatowns were burned; Chinese people were quarantined.

Our AAPI students, teachers, staff, and their families feel vulnerable. The PPS enrollment demographics for 2020 by race and ethnicity report that 6.2% of our students identify as Asian, 4.9% identify as multi-racial Asian/White, and 0.8% identify as Pacific Islander. Our own Asian students and community members are racially-targeted on a daily basis-- facing harmful stereotypes like the “model minority” and “perpetual foreigner”. Some deal with the generational trauma of immigration, as families came to the U.S. seeking safety from imperialism, war, and political and religious persecution. Shame and embarrassment around language and culture stigmas limit student self-confidence and engagement. Many regularly endure the pain of cultural appropriation, exoticization, facial slurs, fetishization, and microaggressions from non-Asian peers, teachers, and school staff. Our students, teachers, and staff deserve to feel safe in and out of the classroom.

PAT strongly denounces the xenophobic rhetoric, abuse, harrassment, assaults, and murders of Asians while acknowleding how intersecting identities such as class, immigration and citizenship status, and gender affect those who are targeted. Standing in solidarity with our AAPI community needs to be more than words of kindness and support. We must take action swiftly. Please review this Google Doc for ways to take action now and on an ongoing basis.

In solidarity,

Karen Liao and Tiffany Koyama Lane,
PAT Asian and Pacific Islander American History Month Project Leaders

Portland Association of Teachers
http://www.pdxteachers.org/

Updates and Clarifications on the Tentative Agreement

Mar 18, 2021

Hello PAT Members,

We want to take a moment to thank all of you for the amazing job you’ve done to continue educating and supporting students during these unprecedented and challenging times. We also want to again thank the amazing work of the PAT Bargaining Team (Steve Lancaster, Emy Markewitz, Francisca Alvarez, Andre Hawkins, Charity Powell, Thea Keith, and John Berkey). Without this team and the collective power of over 3,500 PAT members we could not have reached an agreement that included HEPA Air Purifiers, enshrining the requirement of 6ft of social distancing in learning spaces, adequate educator directed time, and so much more.

We know this is important to our members. Over 3,000 of you attended our All-Member Meeting to present the Tentative Agreement and to answer questions. While we were able to answer many of your questions, we could not get to all of them. Therefore, we have continued to add questions to our FAQ document. Please find the link to our Updated FAQ and some other clarifications:

Updated FAQ
Tentative Agreement
Our team is continuing to review hundreds of questions from you. If you have any more questions, please send them to [email protected].
Please remember that BALLOTS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 4:00 p.m. TODAY, THURSDAY, MARCH 18, to be counted.

Here are some important time-sensitive clarifications:

PK-5 Planning and Preparation Days

There was an inconsistency in the language of the TA that does not meet the agreed upon intent of PAT and PPS. Here is a clarification:

Students will continue to receive some asynchronous instruction during professional development/ preparation days, provided by the office of teaching and learning.

Planning/preparation days schedule for PK-5 Specialists:

Friday, March 19

No Specials for PK, K, 1
Specials as normal for 2-5

Monday March 29- Wednesday March 31

No Specials for PK-5

Thursday April 1

No Specials for 2-5
Specials for PK, K, 1, AM Cohort

Friday April 2

No Specials for 2-5
Specials for PK, K, 1, PM Cohort

Safety Committees

Safety Committees in every building will ensure spaces are suitable for students and teachers, with enforceable safety standards.
By March 19, 2021 Safety Committees that include at least two PAT members, shall tour all K-5/K-8 buildings to ensure that all provisions of the agreement pertaining to health & safety are in place.
MS/HS Safety Committees will tour their schools prior to student occupation of these spaces.
Please use the following Safety Checklists:

Remote assignments

If you have a need to work remote only that has not already been accommodated, follow these steps:

Tell your building admin about the desire and reason to work remotely, based on a medical reason for the member or someone in their household. If there are remote positions at the school, the admin will prioritize moving that member into one. The District must make every reasonable effort to effect the availability of positions.
SIMULTANEOUSLY, complete the PPS Educator Preference and Request for Reassignment form by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19.
If you are not provided a remote assignment within your building, then HR will review the request made by the educator through the centralized form and will try to place the person in a remote assignment if possible.

If no remote assignment is available:

Apply for FMLA/OFLA leave, if eligible.
Apply for (and be granted) unpaid leave if you require one.

Portland Association of Teachers

PAT Tentative Agreement Process

Mar 15, 2021

Dear PAT Educator,

For almost all of us, this has been the most challenging year of our educational career. While we are so excited to finally see our students next month, we know that reorganizing every aspect of how we teach, again, as the new hybrid model is being built, and keeping everyone safe as the pandemic continues, will be an incredibly difficult task.

While we certainly did not choose these conditions, our union is committed to making sure we do everything we can to support our members through it, and to make sure that safety, stability, and equity for students and educators guide our work. Since August, our PAT Bargaining Team has been negotiating over safety protections and how to teach given the arrival of a vaccine and the welcome decline in COVID cases. Early this morning, we reached a tentative agreement (TA) on terms for beginning in-person hybrid instruction in our schools.

The Governor’s Executive Order seemed designed to circumvent our bargaining process and force schools to reopen, ready or not, on March 29th. Nevertheless, our Bargaining Team was unwavering in its insistence that educators have the time to properly prepare for and serve our students, that we have enforceable safety language, and that we protect our colleagues who are still vulnerable to COVID-19, or who live with people who are.

The agreement we reached, and that we will bring to you for approval this week, will not make this spring easy. But our Team has been able to negotiate terms that honor the priorities of our members. I cannot overstate the commitment and dedication of our PAT Bargaining Team throughout this entire process, so a big thank you to Steve Lancaster, Emy Markewitz, Francisca Alvarez, Andre Hawkins, Charity Powell, Thea Keith, and John Berkey.

This week we will bring this agreement to you for ratification. Here is an outline of the process:

Monday evening: PAT Executive Board reviews Tentative Agreement, and makes recommendation to the PAT Membership.
Tuesday, 4:30: All-Member Meeting. The PAT Bargaining Team will present the Tentative Agreement and answer questions. (REGISTER HERE)
Tuesday-Thursday: PAT Members vote via electronic ballot on whether to ratify the TA.
Thursday evening: PPS School Board votes on whether to ratify the Tentative Agreement, if it is approved by PAT members.

We look forward to sharing the complete agreement with you on Tuesday.

I know many of you have been following bargaining closely, and already have a good idea of what is in the agreement. Here are some important areas where we reached agreement over the weekend:

Safety Committees in every building with enforceable safety standards, to ensure spaces are suitable for students and teachers, including:
- 6 feet of space between persons in all classrooms
- Proper ventilation, with HEPA filtration systems in every space where students meet with educators
- Access to respiratory protection and other PPE where needed
- Student screening protocols
- On-site rapid testing for students and educators
Planning days before students begin:
- 5 days for PK-1 educators, with students starting hybrid on April 1 or 2
- 5 days for grades 2-5 educators, with students starting hybrid on April 5
- 3 days for grades 6-12 educators, with students starting hybrid on April 19
Weekly educator-directed minutes that are significantly more than called for in the collective bargaining agreement:
- 810 minutes a week for PK-5th grade educators
- 905 minutes a week for 6-8th grade educators
- 900 minutes a week for High School educators
Remote assignments prioritized for educators with a medical need, or who live with someone with a medical need. The District will make every reasonable effort to effect the availability of the positions.
Leave options for the duration of the school year for educators who otherwise cannot return to in-person instruction.
Childcare stipend
The ability for educators to work remotely when they are not providing in-person instruction.

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Thiel

Portland Association of Teachers

The Advocate, March 10, 2021

Mar 10, 2021

The Advocate, March 10, 2021