Oakland teachers strike for better pay as tech wealth transforms city

[Omaha Steve]

Source: The Guardian

Union joins wave of educators’ strikes across US: ‘Oakland teachers cannot afford to live in Oakland’

Vivian Ho and Julia Carrie Wong in Oakland

Thousands of Oakland public school teachers went on strike Thursday, calling for smaller class sizes, more resources, and better pay in a city where tech money has made it difficult for the vast majority of teachers to survive.

The Oakland Education Association – the union that represents teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses serving 36,000 students in 87 schools –has been negotiating with the Oakland Unified school district (Ousd) for two years, said the union president, Keith Brown.

“Oakland teachers cannot afford to live in Oakland,” Brown said at a news conference announcing the strike. “One out of five leave each year. Five hundred classrooms are left with inexperienced teachers each year.

“Our students do not have adequate support – one nurse for every 750 students, one counselor for every 600 kids,” he continued. “OUSD schools are not failing. OUSD is failing our schools. OUSD is failing Oakland students.”


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/21/oakland-california-teachers-strike-pay-education

[Honeycombe8]

1. I'm glad to see teachers beginning to organize and protest across the country.

They have been underpaid for many years. It's outrageous what our teachers have to put up with, the demands made on them, for the wages they make.

[appalachiablue]

2. K & R for Oakland

[BigmanPigman]

3. Sounds like San Diego Unified.

One counselor once a week, no librarian, on site tech help once a week, same with the nurse, second lang., etc. And who is doing the work of all the laid off support staff? You know who...the teachers who are working 55 hour weeks and can't afford the rent or to pay their utilities. Meanwhile the superintendent was a businessman and LOVED opening up charter schools right and left while laying off 30% of the teachers and support staff in hundreds of schools. They have never been hired back and this is continuing for over 15 years.