Hello Educators,

As we near the end of the year, where Spring Break is just around the corner, take a deep breath. Congratulations to everyone for making it to the last quarter of the year!

Many of you are experiencing the difficult choice of deciding where to work next year (some by choice, others by unassignment), and I wish you all the best of luck. I know our union and bargaining team will continue to fight for the conditions that will keep you in our district serving our students. Thank you to all educators who filled out the personnel survey and spoke your truth. Thank you to all educators who wake up and come to work every day.

It is also a time for our Union advocacy work to ramp up. Shout out to all educators, union partners and community members who attended the PPS School Board meeting at McDaniel HS on Tuesday March 7th! 

We will continue to take actions to show management that the path we are going down is the wrong one. As I stated during my testimony, there are things profoundly wrong with our district and how those with power acknowledge and treat us. Unless we change our direction and culture, we will continue to fail our students, community and educators. We have said this before, but I want to make sure we make it clear: Educators want to feel like the work they do is sustainable, equitable, and stabilizing. We want to feel like the work is actually possible. Educators want to love working for PPS. 

Solidarity Forever

The beauty in our struggle is that we are not alone. Right now, we have several locals in the state and across the country going on strike or taking action in support of a strong contract and safe, equitable and sustainable public schools. We stand in solidarity with our Union Siblings in Silver Falls (SFEA) and Woodburn (WEA), who are also fighting for class size and caseload relief. We take great inspiration from their struggle and recognize their success is part of our bargaining struggle. We are appalled that the Woodburn administration would give themselves a 16 percent raise and offer teachers 3 percent. Shame on them! 

I just want to say: Don't stop until you win. When the time comes to stand with your community on the picket line for the schools your students deserve, Portland Teachers will be with you! Together, we can win the future we know is possible for our schools, students, and educators.

Keep an eye out for more PAT actions coming up, including the Bargaining Campaign Petitions we have sent to each school site. Please encourage your colleagues and non educator friends to sign on and show the district we have support behind us!

Take Care,
Angela Bonilla
PAT President

The El Rancho Residents' Committee has been fighting for their rights for a year and now several residents have received unfair eviction notices.

This Sunday, March 26th, 2:00-5:00 PM, come hear their stories, join their struggle, and put pressure on the owner to stop the evictions!

El Rancho Mobile Home Park, 7265 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, 97218.

Here is an amazing opportunity to influence state funding for special education! 

House Bill 2895 proposes to remove the cap on state funding for special education. 

What: Public Hearing on House Bill 2895

When: Monday, March 27th @ 3:00 PM

Where: Capitol Building, 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301, Hearing Room D, Salem

If passed, this could be the first time special education has been fully funded in Oregon.

Join OEA to learn more about how recent changes may impact your student debt, and resources available through your NEA Member Benefits to help you navigate the system.

Register today to reserve your place. See our flyer below.

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 29 from 4:30-6:00 p.m., on Zoom

Cost: Members $0, free as a benefit of OEA membership. This is a members-only event.

• April 4th, 2023 11am-7pm @ PAT office

• April 13th, 2023 11am-7pm @ PESC office

Set your reminders to watch and show your solidarity! Wear your buttons, Blues, and a cap with a bargaining button on it!

On Tuesday, April 4th, Take a photo with staff before or after school (or during lunch) and send to [email protected].

Wear any cap- put a bargaining button on it! Let’s show that we’re united for smaller class sizes.

Post your own photos & selfies:  Tag us @PDXteachers on Facebook, instagram, Twitter and TikTok

When posting: Use hashtags #PPSClassSizeMatters #PATbargaining #BluesdayPPS #BluesdayPAT

Join the Oregon Historical Society and the Japanese American Museum of Oregon to learn about classroom-ready curriculum and other resources to teach about the experiences of Japanese Americans in Oregon. Click here to register.

Saturday, April 15th

• Educator Workshop 12:30-2:00 PM
• Public roundtable discussion with Yasui family members and historians 2:00-4:00 PM

Columbia Center for the Arts: 215 Cascade Ave, Hood River, OR 97031

PDU credits available

OHS is offering $150 stipends to a limited number of teachers who register for and attend the entire event.

Join us at the PAT office for a discussion on where we’ve been and where we are going with racial equity.  More details to come.

The Labor Notes Troublemakers School is coming back to Portland! PAT is co-sponsoring this event 9:00 AM-4:00 PM Saturday, May 6th at McDaniel High School. This is FREE for PAT members! Come learn from other labor activists and members about organizing, representation, direct action, and contract campaigns. PAT will be heavily featured and we look forward to our members coming to learn and teach. Register today.

RSVP Today

• Substitute Committee, Tuesday, April 4th, 4:30-6:30 PM 
• Advocacy Committee*, Wednesday, April 5th, 4:30-6:30 PM 
• Internal Organizing, Monday, April 10th, 4:30-6:30 PM
• ELD Sub-Committee, Moved to April 11th!, 4:30-6:30 PM (register HERE for Zoom link) 
• Legislative Committee & PAT PAC, Tuesday, April 11th, 4:30-6:30 PM 
• Bargaining, IPD, Racial Equity+ Committees, Wednesday, April 12th, 4:30-6:30 PM
• External Organizing & SJCO Committee, RSVP (New form to include parents/guardians) Thursday, April 13th, 4:30-6:30 PM

*Marks closed committees +Marks affinity space for BIPOC educators 

For all upcoming events, please see the PAT calendar and OEA calendar.

The PAT office will be closed for Spring Break, March 27th-31st.

PAT has a process for contract exceptions to allow professional educators at a worksite to apply for an exception to the terms and conditions of the Agreement (Article 1.9).  

Contract exceptions are due Friday, May 12th, 2023 and must be approved by the PAT Advocacy Committee and the District, prior to implementation. 

A contract exception is valid only for the school year for which it was approved. 

The Contract Exception Form and FAQ’s can be found at pdxteachers.org "Know Your Contract" page.

The Advocacy Committee will host a virtual meet to offer support with the process in April, date TBA.