Portraits From the Picket Line as Teachers Stick It Out Through Stormy Weather

“Educators will stay on the picket lines until the district comes to the table ready to reach a fair deal.”

Katarina Juarez, Kellogg Middle School (Mick Hangland-Skill)
By Rachel Saslow and Mick Hangland-Skill

The Portland Association of Teachers strike just wrapped up its fourth day of shuttered schools and morning picketing. Bargaining is slow and contentious, but PAT members are sticking it out despite getting soaked by at least one “atmospheric river.”

“Nobody wants students back in the classroom more than educators,” said Jacque Dixon, PAT’s vice president and a language arts teacher, from the state Capitol on Monday. “Educators will stay on the picket lines until the district comes to the table ready to reach a fair deal that gives every student in Portland the education they’ve been promised.”

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PPS Students atop City Hall's replica of the Liberty Bell cheer for teachers at a Portland Association of Teachers rally. (Mick Hangland-Skill)

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