Oakland Teachers Strike Ends With Historic Agreement
Oakland teachers headed back to the classroom Tuesday following a seven-day strike. The Oakland Education Association announced Monday it had reached a tentative agreement with the district.
As CalSchoolNews reported last week, negotiations had stalled over “common good” demands outside the typical realm of pay and working conditions. In addition to pay raises for teachers, the district has agreed to meet many of those requests.
Specifically, the tentative agreement includes:
- A 15.5% raise for most teachers
- Retroactive raises and stipends for teachers with bilingual aptitudes
- Adding school counselors to elementary schools
- Collaboration between the union and the school district to support unhoused and housing insecure students and expand free bus access
- Additional support for “Historically Black Schools”
- A new process for school closures
“Beyond the economic gains, this hard-fought tentative agreement, if ratified by our members, will help ensure that educators, parents, students and other stakeholders have a voice in the decision-making process,” said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, vice president of the Oakland Education Association.
OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said the agreement moves the district closer to a “culture of stability.” But at a price tag of at least $70 million, it could also increase the district’s financial risk.
The document now heads to the Alameda County Office of Education for approval. It must then be ratified by OEA members and approved by the OUSD school board.
Read the agreement here.
