Call Carole Smith and the Board and tell them to settle with Portland Teachers now!

(503) 916-3203 or (503)916-3906

• Portland Teachers have been working without a contract for over 19 months!
• Portland teachers have given. Portland teachers work an average of 55 hours per week. Portland teachers spend an average of $700 out of pocket for materials and supplies each year.
• In1994 Portland teachers took a salary freeze.
• In 1995 Portland teachers suspended:
• sabbaticals
• tuition reimbursement and
• reduced personal leave
• Portland Public school employees gave $8,000,000.00 directly to the District from their Health and Welfare Trust reserves.
• In 1998 Portland teachers eliminated sabbaticals generating an annual savings of $1,200,000.
• In 2003, barely 6 years ago, Portland teachers, and only the teachers worked 10 days without pay, over a 5% pay cut to keep all schools open for all students. No other employee group shared in that sacrifice.
• In 2004-2006 Portland Teachers reduced their health benefits by $100 per month per member and began paying a portion of their premiums.
• The district needs to get its priorities straight. The district has three new Deputy Superintendent positions this year, each receiving a pay increase of over $13,000. The district continues to hire more people at the central office every day.
• Robb Cowie, PPS Communications, and other upper management administrators received pay increases of $15,000 or more. We are told he received this raise because of “increased responsibilities”. Teachers have increased responsibilities every year.
• Portland teachers demanded the district abide by the contract, adding 1 more week of instruction. We have two more instructional days in our contract than Beaverton.
• Under the district’s proposal, Portland teacher’s starting salary would be one of the lowest if not the lowest in the metro area by 2010-11. How can Portland possibly attract and retain the best teachers?
• Portland teachers giving to the District hasn’t changed their spending priorities. Only you can demand that they do that.
• Upper management continues to demonstrate weak leadership and poor judgment from the K-8 and high school redesign to teacher negotiations and relationships.