Following a mediation session on Wednesday, Nov. 13, Greater Albany Public Schools announced schools would remain closed Friday, saying little progress had been made on reaching a deal.
Albany teachers have been on strike since Tuesday, Nov. 12, after months of negotiation with district officials had failed to yield an agreement on a new contract.Â
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It’s the first strike the district since the late 1980s. Class sizes and salaries are key sticking points in the talks.
A deal to end the work stoppage remains elusive.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, teachers and allies marched outside closed campuses across Albany, including North Albany Elementary, Central and Fairmount schools and in downtown.
Then, hundreds of teachers, parents, students and community members rallied outside the district office around 1 p.m.
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The crowd, carrying banners and waving signs, moved though Albany's neighborhood streets, before marching into downtown Albany and stopping at the Linn County Courthouse across from City Hall.Â
Greater Albany Education Association President Dana Lovejoy told the crowd on the courthouse steps that bargaining members were waiting for the district officials to call on them when they have "a serious proposal" to share.Â
One thing both sides appear to agree on: little progress was made at the last mediation session.
In a Wednesday evening update following the mediation, the union said in a statement the district had made zero proposals and zero counteroffers and claimed the district refused to agree to language allowing teachers to be able to go to the bathroom twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.Â
Meanwhile, in the update released by GAPS Communications Director Becca Mallery, the district said it had expected to see a comprehensive offer form the union Wednesday morning and received language proposals around multiple articles in the contract, and that GAPS had yet to respond to all proposals. Â
The statement from GAPS had said the district would meet again on Thursday to work toward a settlement.Â
"We recognize that this is a tremendous hardship for students, their family and the greater community," the statement read.
Union leaders and GAPS students spoke to the crowd gathered outside the courthouse, which beyond teachers included city officials like incoming city council member Michael Thomson and current member Steph Newton-Azorr. The demonstration also was lead in cheer by members of West Albany's cheerleading squad.
West Albany High School teachers joined Memorial Middle School teachers in union red colors as they carried signs and marched on Queen Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 12.Â
The strike impacts round 8,800 students in the state’s 14th largest school district, who will now miss a week of classes. In anticipation of the strike, the district closed schools Tuesday following Monday's Veterans Day holiday.Â
The strike was also getting statewide traction. In a tweet posted Thursday morning on X, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said he stood with GAPS teachers.
"Young Oregonians need safe classrooms that are less crowded," Wyden wrote.
In a letter emailed to GAPS school board members and Superintendent Andy Gardner on Thursday evening, elected officials in Albany and beyond gave their support for educators and their demands around classroom safety and compensation.
“We strongly urge the Greater Albany Public Schools to meet these needs and demonstrate a commitment to education that matches the dedication of our teachers,†the letter wrote.
Signatories included Albany City Council members Steph Netwon-Azorr, Jackie Montague, and Ramycia McGhee, as well as incoming councilors Michael Thomson and Carolyn McLeod, who still leads in a tight race for Ward 2.
Former Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa also signed the letter, along with incoming state Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald — a former school board member herself from Corvallis — and current state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, as well as incoming Benton County Commissioner Gabe Shepard and incoming U.S Rep. Janelle Bynum in the 5th District, which includes Albany.
Editor's note: This article was edited to correct the spelling of a name and to clarify current and incoming city councilors
