'Conceptual agreement' reached in Portland teacher contract talks
By Max Barr, KATU.com Published: Feb 18, 2014 at 6:17 AM PST Last Updated: Feb 18, 2014 at 1:26 PM PST
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This photo, posted on the Portland Association of Teachers Facebook page, shows the union bargaining team at work during Monday's 23-hour negotiation session.
PORTLAND,
Ore. – Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers
reached a "conceptual agreement" on a new teacher contract after a
23-hour bargaining session that lasted until early Tuesday morning.
Both sides agreed to meet again later Tuesday
to put the agreement in writing in the form of a tentative agreement.
When the tentative agreement is signed, the teachers union will suspend
the strike planned for Thursday.
The school board told its bargaining staff to put the agreement in writing after a two-hour executive session Tuesday morning.
PPS spokeswoman Christine Miles said both sides were "very focused on an outcome that's best for our students."
"We're
building the foundation for both sides for a good future and a good
education for our students, so I think we should all be very proud that
both sides stayed at the table," Miles said. "They could have walked
away at any time but they didn't."
Superintendent Carole Smith said she looked forward to finalizing the tentative agreement later Tuesday.
"After
10 months of difficult negotiations and hard work by both sides, I am
very pleased that PPS and PAT have reached a conceptual agreement," said
Smith.
The teachers union announced the agreement Tuesday morning on its Facebook page:
"Your
bargaining team has reached a conceptual agreement with the district!"
the post read. "Given that the teams have been bargaining for 23
straight hours, we will come back together later today to iron out the
details and put it in writing in the form of a Tentative Agreement. When
we have a signed Tentative Agreement, the strike will be suspended
pending ratification by PAT membership and the Board."
Details of the agreement will not be released until the PAT approves the contract.
The school district also announced school will begin at the regular time Wednesday, but will release two-and-a-half hours early.
An
agreement to suspend the strike would avoid the first teacher walkout
in Oregon's largest school district. Portland Public Schools has 48,000
students and 2,900 teachers.
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said Tuesday's agreement was great news.
"Today’s
tentative agreement is an example of the union and the district putting
the students first. My staff and I were in near-constant communication
with both sides over the past several weeks, and throughout it all, I
believed cooler heads would prevail," Hales said in a statement to KATU on Tuesday morning.
"This is great news, and I remain as hopeful as ever that this will lead to a lasting agreement and a contract."
The district planned to cancel classes through Monday for replacement staff training. Some schools were set to reopen Tuesday with substitute teachers.
Marathon bargaining session
The agreement came after the two sides worked through the night Monday hoping to avoid the first-ever teacher strike in Oregon's largest school district.
The two sides negotiated at an undisclosed location from 9 a.m. Monday to around 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The PAT submitted its latest proposal to the district just after 11 p.m. Monday, Miles told KATU.
Both sides were “focused on trying to hammer out some kind of agreement,” Miles said.
The
two sides had been negotiating a new contract for months. The main
sticking points included class sizes, teacher workload, health benefits
and number of school days.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay with KATU News all day for updates on Facebook, Twitter and our evening newscasts starting at 4 p.m.
KATU's Valerie Hurst and Dan Cassuto contributed to this story
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