Woodburn teacher strike, school closures averted as deal reached
Teachers and the school district in Woodburn reached a tentative deal late Wednesday night on a new contract that will avert a strike.
The Woodburn School District said it had reached a tentative agreement with the Woodburn Education Association, the union representing its teachers. A representative from the union confirmed a deal had been made.
A strike by teachers was scheduled to begin on Monday and schools in the district of about 5,000 students would have been closed.
A half-day for students had been planned for Friday so the district could prepare for a possible closure but the district said schools will now be open a full day on Friday.
The members of the union will vote on the contract next week, though a date and time for that has not yet been determined.
The details of the contract will be released by the union and district next week. The teachers' union had been pushing for a 19.5% pay increase for teachers over three years — 8.5% the first, 6% the second and 5% the third.
The union was also seeking class size limits, time during the day for teachers to perform tasks like grading, and less time in district meetings.
“What I can say is that it includes a sizable cost of living adjustment for teachers,” Misha Pfliger, a teacher for the district and member of the bargaining team, said about the contract agreement. “It includes classroom size caps. Caseload caps for special education teachers. That’s, from what I can tell, the first of its kind in the state.”
Pfliger said the district and union reached an agreement in concept after 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
“It just feels amazing to have all that accomplished. I think it’s a really historic contract,” Pfliger said. “It’s really something that we should be proud of and other districts in the state can use as a model.”
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Woodburn School District, teachers' union reach tentative deal
