This year, building moves will be staggered due to the school closures. Educators should have access to their classrooms one day this week, in addition to Thursday, while students work asynchronously. If you have safety concerns and can't reach your building representatives, please contact your UniServ Consultant. 

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 after the school year has begun or for the second year in a row.  Here is a link to our moving FAQ: 

http://www.pdxteachers.org/building_and_classroom_moves_article_19

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our retiring PAT/PPS educators. This is not the retirement you deserved: unable to see your students and unable to celebrate with your colleagues.  

In recognition of your years of service, the PAT Membership Committee will be personally delivering potted plants to your homes throughout the week - so please don’t be alarmed if you see a stranger on your porch! 

This is not a farewell newsletter, this is our attempt at saying, “welcome back!” You have now graduated from PPS/PAT educator to PPS/PAT retired educator and you are now eligible to join the PAT retiree group- PMAE-Retired (Portland Metro Area Educators- Retired). If you are interested in joining, please contact Ray Johnson, the Vice-President of PMAE-Retired, at [email protected].

On behalf of all your fellow union members at the Portland Association of Teachers, we wish to thank you for all your years of service. You have enriched the lives of our Portland Public School students and families. Thank you again, and best wishes for your retirement.

What will our return to school in 2020-21 look like? Will we be doing distance learning again? Will we be doing some kind of hybrid or blended model of brick and mortar school and distance learning? What about those of us that are worried about our health and afraid to return in the fall? 

We know that these questions are on the minds of all PAT members as we wrap things up this year. 

All that we can say at this point is that PAT will continue to bring the voices of our members into the planning processes with District leadership. The District is obligated to bargain over our working conditions and many of the changes that will likely need to take place to ensure a safe return to school for students and staff will need to be negotiated with PAT.

But the District is only at the beginning stages of developing a plan for the fall, and has committed to having PAT members involved in the different planning committees that they have recently formed. 

Please stay tuned for updates on how you can share your perspectives on what a safe return looks like and on how you can make sure that whatever happens in the fall, the health and safety of students and staff are front and center. 

PAT proudly endorses Universal Preschool NOW campaign, and we need everyone’s help to make sure it gets on the ballot. Do this now! It will only take 5 minutes of your time.

We need 22,686 signatures to get universal preschool for Multnomah County on the ballot. Go to upnow2020.org/sign to download, print, sign, and return your individual signature sheet. 

No printer? No Problem! Just sign up to have one sent.

Preschool in Multnomah County costs as much as rent, and there are only enough spots for 43% of our kids. Meanwhile, preschool teachers and other child care workers aren’t paid enough to live on. 

Universal Preschool NOW is a grassroots campaign to create free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in Multnomah County, with an $18/hour starting wage for all workers, funded by a small tax on the highest 5% of income earners. 

Can you help UP NOW get on the ballot in November? Just download, print, sign, and return the sheet at upnow2020.org/sign.

NEA is calling on educators around the country to help end police brutality that disproportionately harms communities of color. Both OEA and NEA have endorsed a new congressional resolution, introduced by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), which condemns police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force while preserving civil rights, liberties, and protecting all people from police abuses. As a first step, we are urging our legislators to support House Resolution 988. NEA makes it easy, with an email template that goes directly to your representatives. What are you waiting for? Take action today!

Link to NEA action to end police brutality 

We believe in the power of collective action, freedom of speech, and the right to protest. For the last two weeks, Black youth across our city have been leading demonstrations and demonstrating the power that collective action can have in winning real change; change that uproots racial injustice and moves us closer to achieving true social justice and equity. These young people are making history, and have already won significant reforms to Portland policing. 

We know many of you are participating in the demonstrations and marches. But we also want to remind you all that you have a legal right to participate in these protests and that you should not have any fear that doing so will in any way put your career at risk. Your union has your back. We encourage you to always be a proud PAT member by wearing any PAT t-shirts you may have while exercising your civic right. We are sorry we don’t have more BLM shirts, but we will get more. We also encourage you to work with your colleagues to show up together. Be creative. Be courageous. Be PAT.