Oakland educators called off their planned one-day strike for Thursday after teachers reached a tentative deal with the Oakland Unified School District, the union said Wednesday.
Teachers had planned to strike this week after alleging the district failed to share financial information over the proposed budget cuts to school sites, district resources and staff. In February, the district announced nearly 100 layoffs in an attempt to keep Oakland Unified’s finances under control and repair a $95 million budget deficit. And last week, the board voted to push out the district’s longtime superintendent two years before her term, with no explanation.
But the strike was avoided after the teacher’s union reached a tentative agreement with the district in closed-session negotiations Tuesday night. The union said Wednesday the agreement restores budget cuts critical to retaining more than 120 high school teachers at school sites including Castlemont High School, Fremont High School and McClymonds High School. The union also said the agreement restores site-based substitute teachers who provide daily classroom coverage and support.
“This outcome reflects the power of educators standing together against cuts harmful to our goal of retaining experienced teachers in Oakland’s hardest-to-staff classrooms,” Oakland Education Association President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer said in a statement. “We fought to protect consistency and stability for Oakland students supported by the dedicated teachers who serve them every day. That starts with recruiting and retaining the educators who are proud to serve Oakland and make our schools strong.”
The union encouraged the district to work with educators on decisions that impact schools, students and families — especially on budget decisions — and praised the school board for its role in negotiations.
“We thank our elected school board for demonstrating that a new path towards collaboration is possible between the district and the Oakland Education Association,” Taiz-Rancifer continued.
But board member Mike Hutchinson criticized the teacher’s union, who he said called off the strike after making a “list of demands to fund over $2.2 million worth of positions,” which the board voted 4-3 to approve without identifying the funds to pay for it. Hutchinson also pointed out that the union’s political action committee raised more than $100,000 for school board elections and directly contributed funds to current board members Rachel Latta and VanCedric Williams and candidate for District 5, Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez.
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Oakland Unified School District was also critical of the planned strike. The district had said earlier this week schools would remain open for students.
In a message to families Wednesday, the district said Oakland Unified’s “cycle of strikes” has caused “decades of mistrust and instability” and risks putting the district back under state receivership. The district entered state control in 2003 when it received a $100 million bailout loan due to insolvency and has struggled with debt and financial challenges since.
“Every strike weakens our ability to deliver stable services and sustain improvements families and students deserve,” the district said in its message to families.
The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment from this news organization.
