More than 80 schools in Portland are closed today, as teachers began their first-ever strike in the history of the Portland Public Schools district. The Portland Association of Teachers represents nearly 4,500 teachers and coaches in Oregon’s largest school district. Negotiations between PPS and PAT have been ongoing for months to ratify a new contract, including sessions held with a state mediator earlier this week. OPB education reporter Natalie Pate gives us an update on the strike, what each side is asking for and what she heard from teachers on the picket line this morning.
