3,000 teachers, librarians, nurses and other staff members in the Oakland Unified School District have walked out and left parents scrambling with no end date set.
The Oakland Education Association tweeted Wednesday that the district has been missing in action at the bargaining table.
The strike is the third in five years that the Oakland Education Association, the union representing teachers, has authorized.
Oakland Unified School District latest proposal was a 10% retroactive raise for OES members, a one-time bonus of $5,000 as well as salary bumps ranging from 13% to 22% going into next school year. Teachers in their first years would see their salaries jump from $52,905 to $63,604, while veteran teachers’ salaries would increase from $94,314 to $109,746. Counselors, psychologists, and school nurses would also see their salaries bumped, with increases of nearly $10,000, $13,000 and $8,000 respectively.
Union representatives claim that Oakland’s teachers are the lowest paid in the Bay Area.
Oakland Unified School District notified parents Wednesday night that teachers will go ahead with their planned strike. Students and families are told to expect picket lines at schools on Thursday.
Schools will be open but will not operate as normal. Principals and support staff will be supervising students who attend. State and federally funded afterschool programs will be open. School meals will be available on campuses. Students who do not attend school during a strike will receive an “excused absence,” and the absence will not count toward truancy. For more information, OUSD published a resource guide for families.