PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

If teachers strike: School informationThis guide will continually be updated as new information is available. Go to www.pps.net. February 6, 2014The labor union representing PPS teachers has authorized a strike. The school district continues working with the teachers’ union to reach an agreement on their labor contract. If agreement is not reached, the union will call for teachers not to report to work Thursday, Feb. 20.Until then, schools continue to operate as usual.Should a strike occur: PPS cannot replace the essential role of our teachers. Our goal is to keep schools open and to continue to support students and families. Our highest priorities will be to continue to provide a safe and secure environment for our youngest students and to ensure that students have access to meals at school so that children are not hungry. Detailed school schedules will be provided.

Bus transportation will continue. Most before- and after-school programs and child care offered by community partner organizations would operate, but school-sponsored activities and athletics would not.

What to expect at school if a strike occursWill schools be open during a strike? If teachers proceed with a strike February 20, PPS will prioritize opening elementary, middle and PK/K-8 schools with high schools to follow, putting the needs of our youngest students first and supporting the ability of most families to not have sudden child care concerns.

Following is our anticipated schedule. Updates will be provided in a timely manner:

Monday, Feb. 17 President’s Day, no schoolTuesday, Feb. 18 Regular school day

Wednesday, Feb. 19Scheduled late start is cancelled (with or without strike). Instead, school dismisses 2 ½ hours early, after-care providers will accommodate early dismissal, except for SUN schools*

Thursday, Feb. 20 Teachers’ strike begins, schools closed for training of staff.Friday, Feb. 21 Schools closed for staff training

Monday, Feb. 24 Schools closed for staff trainingTuesday, Feb. 25 Prioritize opening elementary, middle and PK/K-8 schools with high schools to follow

*See page 2 for item about before- and after-school care.

How will schools be staffed during a strike? We are recruiting replacement teachers, PPS substitute teachers, and substitute education assistants because they have the most experience supporting and engaging students. Support staff, administrators and central office staff will also work together at the schools to support students.

Why open schools at all? The job of a school district is to educate students but we are also an institution that provides safety, security and support for children during the day. We cannot replace the specialized role of our teachers. Our goal is to keep schools open and provide meaningful activities in order to serve the day-time support needs of students, especially our youngest and most vulnerable, as well as the ability for families to work. Every day PPS provides students across the city with 11,000 breakfasts and 21,000 lunches. We want to make sure that students still have access to meals.

Can I keep my child home if I wish to? Families can choose to keep their student home during a strike.

Updates• 2/11: PPS Community Hotline

new launch date, page 4• 2/12: Class Size, page 3• 2/12: Early Dismissal, 2/19, page 1• 2/12: Focus classrooms, page 3• 2/14: After-school activities, page 2• 2/14: Special Education Focus

Classrooms, page 3 • 2/14: Make up days, page 2• 2/14: School sports, page 2• 2/14: SUN School childcare

update, page 1, 2

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How will bus transportation work? Our goal is that PPS buses for general and special education students will operate as normal.

What level of security will be offered at schools? Security personnel will be present at schools to ensure that students, parents and staff can come and go from the school safely, while also acknowledging the right of teachers to picket off of school grounds. PPS will tightly control access to the school. Visitors must check in at the front office and may not be permitted elsewhere in the school.

Will before- and after-school child care continue? PPS is working with community partners (including SUN and all other partners) to continue to provide before- and after-school care or programs on days when school is open. Some may choose to offer full-day care on days when school is closed. Your childcare provider will inform you. PPS will work to share information about a range of childcare options with families for days when schools are closed. NOTE: SUN Schools will NOT be able to provide care during the 2 ½ hour early dismissal on Wednesday Feb. 19. You will receive more information from your principal.

Will students still be able to receive meals? Our goal is that PPS Nutrition Services will continue to provide all meals as usual to students. We will place top priority on children not going hungry.

What will be offered in schools during a strike? PPS is planning a range of educational and social activities focused on the needs and grade levels of students.

What about recess? Supervised recesses will continue according to the school’s modified schedule and staffing.

Will a strike impact high school students’ ability to graduate or younger students’ ability to advance to the next grade? PPS will work with students as well as with state education officials to keep students on track to advance to the next grade or graduate, rescheduling tests or creating plans for making up work where necessary.

Will missed school days have to be made up in the summer? PPS will wait to determine plans for makeup days until the number of missed instruction days is known. PPS will work with the state to determine the proper remedy if a strike goes forward.

What about after-school activities? All before- and after-school activities are canceled during a strike. This includes clubs, PTA, plays and play practice, enrichment classes, choir performances. See item about before- and after-school care above.

What about sports? PPS hopes to continue varsity sports at the high school level. Teams will be informed of schedules. All other sports and after-school activities will be cancelled in the event of a strike.

Can parents or community members volunteer at the school during a strike? Each principal will decide how best to use volunteers. Only approved volunteers with already completed background checks will be permitted to assist in schools.

Specialized services Special Education Services

Programs & services that WILL operate in the event of a strike: Focus Classrooms – Behavior, Communication/Behavior and Intensive Skills Classrooms If there is a strike, Focus Classrooms in elementary, middle and PK/K-8 schools will open Monday, Feb. 24 to give students and staff an opportunity to get settled before the general education students arrive Tuesday, Feb. 25. You will be notified if your student is in one of these classes that will open on Monday, Feb. 24. Focus classrooms in the high schools will open when high schools open. PPS will communicate with high school families about timing.

Pioneer Programs – Holladay/Youngson/Annex Pioneer Programs will continue to operate following the schedule of the other schools. Holladay and Youngson will open when PK-8 level schools open. Annex will open when high schools open. Students will follow their normal schedules. All compensatory services will be made up in summer 2014.

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Programs & services that WILL NOT operate in the event of a strike: Students who normally receive the following services will instead follow the same class schedule as their grade-level peers. Any services missed beyond 10 school days will be made up in the summer.

Adaptive Physical Education Home Instruction Learning Centers Related Services – Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language TherapyCommunity Transition Program: This community-based program for 18-to 21-year olds will not operate during a strike.

Columbia Regional Program: • Specialists will provide limited services for itinerant students.• Deaf and hard of hearing classrooms: Following the brief, district wide shutdown for training substitute staff, these

classrooms will then be open for students.• All other services will continue. Buses will run on normal routes and schedules. Nursing, safety and behavior support

protocols will continue for students attending school.• Making up services: Any lost service or class time will be made up.

Alternative education programs:The following Multiple Pathways to Graduation programs will continue to operate:• Charter Schools (Arthur Academy; Emerson K-5; LEP High School; LeMonde Immersion; Opal K-5; Portland Village K-8; SEI

Academy (6-8); Trillium K-12)• Community-Based Alternative Schools (DePaul, Helensview, Mt. Scott, NAYA, New Avenues for Youth, Open Meadow,

Outside In, PCC, Portland Youth Builders, Rosemary Anderson POIC, SE Works, Youth Employment Institute, Youth Progress Association)

The following Multiple Pathways to Graduation programs will not continue to operate in the event of a strike until further notice:• Alliance Alternative High School (Meek and Benson campus programs) • Portland Evening Scholars • The Reconnection Center • Teen Parent Services and PPS Child Care Centers

Day and Residential Treatment (DART) Schools will work individually with partner agencies to coordinate treatment and academic services.

Dual Language Immersion: All instruction will be offered only in English during a strike due to staffing limitations.

English as a Second Language Services: Students will remain in their regular classrooms and would not have ESL instruction. Where possible, PPS will have bilingual education assistants supporting students in classrooms.

Head Start Pre-School: Head Start pre-schools will be open for students.

What is the status of the teacher contract negotiations? The District and the PAT have worked for 10 months to reach a contract agreement but no agreement has been reached. The district has a mediation proposal on the table and is continuing to work toward a settlement.

What is PPS doing to address class size? PPS shares teachers’ concerns about class size and recognizes the significant challenges when a teacher has a large number of students. To address class size, PPS has proposed using 100% of the additional funds allocated from the Legislative special session to add 88 K-12 teaching positions as part of the contract agreement. In addition, PPS will propose adding more teachers for next year as part of the public budget process, involving the entire community, for 2014-15. PPS has also proposed to create a joint PPS/PAT committee on workload relief that teachers with specific hardship situations can appeal to for workload relief. This committee will also pursue longer-term approaches for addressing workload concerns. PPS is

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also working in contract talks to offer an appropriate pay raise that does not compromise the ability to hire more teachers to further address workload. The average class size in PPS schools is lower than most Portland metro area school districts.

The school district’s mediation proposal includes:• Adding 88 new teaching positions across the district grades K-12. • Adding three school days for high schools and two for K-8 schools. • Steps (approximately 3.5 percent each year) plus 2 percent salary increase each year over 3 years. Plus 1.05 percent (per

diem rate) for 2 additional days. This increases teacher pay by 7 to 17 percent over three years. • No change in the current contract agreement on health benefits. Teachers maintain current share at 7 percent (about

$117 per month) and PPS maintains current share at 93 percent (about $1,397 per month). • Using a clear definition of competence when making teacher layoff and transfer decisions. • A hiring process that allows PPS to offer and compete for high-quality external teacher candidates in the same time

frame as other districts by reducing the internal transfer process to one step. • Phase out early retirement program. For retirement eligible employees, phase out health insurance payments over the

three years of the contract (District paid premiums for 60, 48 or 36 months depending on early retirement date). For retirement eligible employees who have 15 consecutive years of district service by June 30, 2014 eligibility for a $425 monthly stipend upon retirement (up to age 62).

• Go to www.pps.net and click on the “Labor Relations” button to learn more.

Stay informed and learn morePlease make sure you have up-to-date contact information on file with your school office. PPS will use Rapid Broadcast phone calls to communicate key information to families in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Somali and Russian.

If you have questions:• A PPS Community Hotline will be available starting Thursday, Feb. 13 weekdays in all supported languages from

7:30 am to 6 pm at 503-916-3260. Questions can also be emailed to ppshotline@pps.net.• Community meetings for ESL and multilingual families will be:

› Feb. 12, 6:30 to 8:00 pm: Harrison Park School, 2225 SE 87th Ave. › Feb. 13, 6:30 to 8:00 pm: Cesar Chavez School, 5103 N. Willis Blvd.

• Families can choose the meeting most convenient for them. Information will be presented in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, Somali, Arabic, Oromo and Hmong.

For updates and more information you can also:• Visit the PPS website (www.pps.net) or the PPS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pps.homepage) or follow us on

Twitter @PPSConnect. • Talk to your school principal.