Parents in Oakland are bracing for a second week of teachers on strike and no classes for students on Monday.
Team members from the Oakland Education Association said they did receive a new contract proposal via email from the Oakland Unified School district on Friday, but that it seemed incomplete and difficult to decipher.
“There are things in the proposal that are status quo, and that’s not the type of improvement we’re looking for from the district to support students,” said Tim Douglas, the OEA bargaining team co-chair.
Douglas also said he hopes OUSD will come back to the table and work out better details before Monday.
Oakland schools remain open without any classes, but some parents are keeping their kids home instead of sending them to school..
“We are keeping them home in support of teachers and OEA members. Again, we are not crossing picket lines with our kiddos,” said Tahnee Camacho, an OUSD parent.
For now, those students get to sleep in. But there are only 14 days left in this school year. If the strike lasts for weeks, will the students have to make up class?
NBC Bay Area reached out to the district with that question, but it hasn’t yet responded to us.
Regardless, parents say they’re in this for the long hall.
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“The long-term goal of what OEA members are fighting for, and the services that are needed at our schools, definitely outweigh this little bit of a glitch of adjusting our schedules as parents,” said Camacho.
Douglas said there is an open invitation for OUSD to come back to the bargaining schedule over the weekend. As of Friday night, no new negotiations have been scheduled.
