City, Schools And Teachers Join In Effort To Save Jobs

Portland city leaders are in talks with leaders at Portland Public Schools, and the teachers’ union, in an effort to avoid cutting 110 teaching positions.

The Portland Association of Teachers sent a message to members saying the union has been “intensely working for five straight days with the district.”

Portland Public Schools’ spokesman Matt Shelby says city leaders also are involved in a united effort to keep the district from laying off teachers this spring.

“It’s kind of a joint brainstorm for ‘who can do what’ to help limit those cuts to the schools. And so we’re making progress there. We’re happy with that. We don’t have a ‘done deal’ yet,” Shelby says.

The district’s proposed budget recovers more than $10 million of its $27 million shortfall by cutting teachers.

Superintendent Carole Smith has asked the union to help restore teaching jobs by accepting unpaid furlough days. The union has told the district to look into cutting more than the 34 administrative jobs cut in the proposed budget.