Hello educators! Only 2 more Tuesdays until the end of the year. You all got this!

I have been reflecting about our work as a union as I approach the end of my first year as your PAT President. This year, together, PAT and our community has:

• Completed 143 days of bargaining
• Elected 2 former educators to our PPS School Board
• Trained over 100 educators during our Fall Rep Retreat
• Elected new leaders to our PAT Executive Board
• Presented and spoke at over 80% of the General PPS School Board Meetings for the 22-23 School Year
• Added new chairs and co-chairs to 80% of our PAT Committees and increased membership in at least 70% of our current committees
• Held 4 Community Listening sessions in schools in NE, N, SE Portland
• Held an impromptu rally of over 200 educators when bargaining was canceled
• Had our sites sign Bargaining Petition Posters pledging to fight for Safe, Sustainable and Equitable Schools
• Received training and input through larger labor organizations like Bargaining for the Common Good, Casa Común, Leaven Community Coalition, NEA’s Strategic Campaign Institute, Labor Notes, and with UTLA/NEA Vice President Alex Caputo-Pearl and Organizer and Author Jane McAlevey
• Held several actions and rallies at the PPS Board Meetings with over 900 educators attending over the course of the year
• Held our first ever All Representative Summit with almost 200 member-leaders coming together to prepare for the next steps in our Bargaining Campaign
• Had over 100 educators observe our Bargaining Session in May
• Organized and advocated for increased school funding through testimony in Salem, submitting written statements and emails, and won an increase in the State School Fund allocation from $9.9B to $10.2B
• Strengthened our coalition with fellow PPS unions with the goal of building sustainable, safe and equitable schools
• Built connections & held information sessions with school PTAs and community organizations across the city, kick starting the conversation around repealing the Kicker
• Held our first Contract Action Team Meeting in June with over 50 educators ready to help us win Great Public Schools for all PPS Students

And last, but not least, educated, mentored, supported and cared for the 45,456 students attending Portland Public Schools this year!

Give yourselves a PAT on the back (pun intended)! 

All of this is a reminder: WE are the heart of Portland Public Schools. Our students, their families, our communities, anyone who lives in and loves this city, who is here for the long haul, is Portland Public Schools. We will not stop until Portland Public Schools is a place where everyone wants to work and learn. 

The next step is to continue to build and demonstrate our power to win the most ambitious contract proposal of our lifetimes at PPS. It will take all of us to win. Your work this Hot Labor Summer is to wear blue, stay cool, get ready for the fight of our careers this fall. As we chanted during our Representative Retreat this fall:

It is our duty to fight for our freedom.
It is our duty to win.
We must love each other and support each other.
We have nothing to lose but our chains.

Keep an eye out for Summer Editions of the Advocate. And in case no one told you today, you are awesome and you are loved.

In Solidarity,

Angela Bonilla

President, Portland Association of Teachers

BUILDING AND CLASSROOM MOVES - ARTICLE 19 OF OUR CONTRACT

The PAT Advocacy Committee reminds you that Article 19 provides compensation for packing and unpacking if your move is due to a District reconfiguration or change. Within your building, you are entitled to payment if your administrator directs you to move classrooms/offices after the school year has begun or for the second year in a row.

If your move is the result of typical Spring unassignments because of a reduction in positions in your building or program, or is the result of your voluntary decision to apply for a transfer, payment is not required.  See the FAQ on Building and Classroom Moves and Article 19 of our contract for specific information. 

**Update**

Hello Educators,

Thank you for your patience as we try to better understand the contract language for summer pay and advocate for educators. As I shared in the last Advocate, Article 12.5.2.7 states that the “rates of pay for professional educators for each half-day session of Summer School shall be 3.2 times the base salary daily rate”. My understanding was that each “half-day session” meant a half day. I asked for clarity from PPS through email, text, and at our Contract Admin Meeting before the end of the school year. Thank you all for your emails and communication, as it truly pushed this concern to the forefront for PPS as well.

On Friday, June 23rd, PPS HR responded and shared their interpretation of the language after going back about 30 years in PAT-PPS Collective Bargaining Agreements. They have asserted that the term “session” refers to the entire week-long summer academies. The language has changed over time, and it seems they may be correct in their interpretation due to language that is present in our contract from 1980. Our talented associate staff are working to dig deep into our contracts to verify the past CBA language PPS has shared with us. For now, educators will be paid the rates they were offered this summer by PPS.

If this interpretation is correct, those offered summer positions are offered an hourly pay rate of $44.46/ hour. According to PPS, that rate is based on the summer rate set forth in Article 12.5.2.7 divided by the number of hours worked for the week-long half-day session:

• $260.52 (base salary daily rate) x 3.2 (per Article 12.5.2.7) = $833.66 (summer rate) 
• 3.75 hours (½ day) x 5 days = 18.75 (hours worked for the week-long half-day session)     
• $833.66 (summer ½ day rate) / 18.75 = $44.46 hourly rate

If this interpretation is incorrect, we will continue to advocate for members to be appropriately paid. I will consult with staff and legal to ensure we fully understand the language and on our next steps.

Thank you again for your patience and advocacy. We will share more updates as we get them.

Take Care,
Angela Bonilla

***

A reminder: all school team/committee leader positions are VOLUNTARY AND PAID. You should be paid your hourly rate for the loss of planning time or for extended hours. This is under Article 16.2 in our CBA.

PPS has moved away from the Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) model by unassigning over 50 educators. With the elimination of TOSA positions, a lot of work that would have been supported by these experienced educators is now being put on to the plates of educators in the buildings.

One such way is the Instructional Leadership Teams: PPS Management is asking Principals to recruit volunteers to lead the Instructional Leadership Team and adding more responsibilities to those roles. These responsibilities include a 2 day training in August before the work year begins and 8 hours per month of additional responsibilities.

When this was presented to PAT at the Instructional Practices Council, we asked, “Many educators are overwhelmed by their workload. What if no one volunteers in a building?” One district leader responded, “Let’s not catastrophize”. :Deep breath to not lose it: We explained that this is not catastrophizing, this is our REALITY. Their response: “Well, the Principals are instructional leaders and will figure it out”.

This is not a plan. This is a guarantee that educators will continue to carry more on their backs. If you do not feel you have the capacity, skills, or want to take an extra responsibility, THAT IS OK. You can say no. In fact, several educators have already let us know that as a school team they have refused to accept this increase in workload. It is up to you. Just remember, we need PPS to understand: We can't squeeze blood from a stone. Educators are at the limit, and we refuse to run ourselves ragged to uphold a raggedy system.

A reminder: all school team/committee leader positions are VOLUNTARY AND PAID. You should be paid your hourly rate for the loss of planning time or for extended hours. This is under Article 16.2 in our CBA.

PPS has moved away from the Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) model by unassigning over 50 educators. With the elimination of TOSA positions, a lot of work that would have been supported by these experienced educators is now being put on to the plates of educators in the buildings.

One such way is the Instructional Leadership Teams: PPS Management is asking Principals to recruit volunteers to lead the Instructional Leadership Team and adding more responsibilities to those roles. These responsibilities include a 2 day training in August before the work year begins and 8 hours per month of additional responsibilities.

When this was presented to PAT at the Instructional Practices Council, we asked, “Many educators are overwhelmed by their workload. What if no one volunteers in a building?” One district leader responded, “Let’s not catastrophize”. :Deep breath to not lose it: We explained that this is not catastrophizing, this is our REALITY. Their response: “Well, the Principals are instructional leaders and will figure it out”.

This is not a plan. This is a guarantee that educators will continue to carry more on their backs. If you do not feel you have the capacity, skills, or want to take an extra responsibility, THAT IS OK. You can say no. In fact, several educators have already let us know that as a school team they have refused to accept this increase in workload. It is up to you. Just remember, we need PPS to understand: We can't squeeze blood from a stone. Educators are at the limit, and we refuse to run ourselves ragged to uphold a raggedy system.

We are in the middle of discussions with the District’s team today. Click here to get the latest updates from your Bargaining Team from the May 30th meeting. An update from today's discussions will be available soon. Our live and previous sessions are all available to watch on our YouTube channel.

The PAT Interim Election was held during the last Rep Assembly on May 17th. Per PAT Bylaws, reps in attendance elected candidates for interim positions for one-year terms. The Nominations and Elections Committee would like to congratulate the individuals who were elected to represent PAT members:

PAT Interim Executive Board Director: Langston Hamilton

PAT Interim Secretary: Brian Halberg

Thank you to all the candidates who participated in our democratic process by running for office!

Do you have unused sick leave hours? Please consider donating before the end of the school year to help support PAT members facing serious health issues for next year. Members may donate up to 40 hours of sick leave annually. 

Are you retiring or resigning this year? Employees who have already submitted their notice of resignation are exempted from this maximum limit, and may contribute as many hours as they would like. 

The PAT Sick Leave Bank (see PAT/PPS contract Article 17.2.1.2) provides aid for colleagues who have exhausted their accumulated leave balances and are unable to work due to extended or recurring personal illness. With the help of the Sick Leave Bank, they are able to avoid the additional hardships of lost salary and lost insurance coverage during their illness. 

You can donate hours using this online form, or go to our website for additional information.

Come join us on Thursday, June 15th at 3:45 PM (or anytime after school) at Laurelhurst Park to help celebrate the end of the school year! Come and enjoy some live music, (courtesy of substitute educator Greg Burill’s band Gumbo Americana) and a DJ (provided by Roosevelt educator Chris Schwizer). We’ll have fun, food, and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), to help kick off the start of summer! Please feel free to bring your families, too! RSVP here today!

SJCO meets monthly with our PPS partner union leadership to build relationships and learn how we can support mutual goals. We compare bargaining notes and action strategies. When we organize together, we win together! We are collaborating to host a PPS School Board Candidate Forum on April 30th, at 2:30 at the PAT office. Check with your building rep for more information!

Hot Labor Summer! Wear your blue and join your fellow union siblings at one of these fun summer events: 

• June 10-Teach Truth Day of Action
• June 16-17 & 19- Juneteenth Week of Service with Don’t Shoot PDX 
• June 20-  The Workers’ Ride, Pedalpalooza 

More details and events to come as the summer heats up. Check back at Hot Labor Summer page for more soon.

Do you know about our PPS Union Coalition? SJCO meets every month with other PPS union leaders to elevate what we’re fighting for, how to elevate the needs of each other, and to strategize solidarity actions. You can be a part of this by simply making connections in your buildings with nutrition and custodian workers, the folx who come to fix your drain or rehang that map that fell to the floor and nearly took out some students. Talk with the folx who work tirelessly on your thermostat that needs to be replaced. Ask what their local is and what their biggest need is. SEIU has created a petition to the school board to prioritize essential workers over admin bloat. Everyone can sign it and customize the message as they like: Invest in essential workers for safe and healthy schools. If you are interested in a banner like the one pictured (awesome solidarity over at Maplewood!), please reach out to [email protected] and [email protected].