Portland Teachers Strike Threatens Food Insecure Families Most

 The Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) has threatened to go on strike starting November 1st if their demands are not met by The Portland Public School Board. Negotiations have been focused on more planning time for teachers, as well as a larger cost of living increase. The latest reports are that there is a 60 million dollar separation between the district's offer and the PAT's demands. 99% of the PAT voted to strike in what would be the first strike in PPS history. Portland Public Schools employs about 4,500 teachers and staff that provide the education for around 50,000 students.  With an indefinite hiatus looming, parents are having to plan for a major schedule change for both child care and food access.

Initial reports from the negotiations stated that PPS would provide grab and go breakfast and lunch on school campus, as well as keeping Marshall Campus open by appointment for clothing services for students. A more recent report clarifies that food will only be available on some of the school campuses  from Tuesday through Thursday during the week, from 11:30-1pm. The ability for kids to access these meals is also in question: according to PPS 2,300 students rely on school buses to get to and from school on a daily basis. Information on if the buses will still run is hard to come by. Reports from negotiations have not covered it and calls to the PPS transportation department have been unreturned. These buses would need to run in order for the 2,300 students to access the three day a week meal supply. Even for students who don't rely on school buses, the tight window in the middle of the day might be hard to make for many families, especially if the school they attend isn't one serving food.

Even with some meals covered at school, families facing food insecurity are negatively affected by school shutdowns. Parents of young students are forced to either find childcare, or sacrifice time and energy towards work. Both can effect their earning ability. A schedule disruption can also hinder a parent's ability to secure food at food banks or food pantries in the city. The added pressure of childcare shrinks already tight margins. Studies from school closures during the Covid pandemic confirm worries about food access when services are limited. As per usual, the most vulnerable populations suffer most when services are reduced.

If PPS fail to meet the terms of the teachers union, they will be putting at risk thousands of students by reducing their access to healthy food, not to mention safe refuge though out the day, mental stimulation, education, and potentially transportation. The longer the potential strike, the more severely the ramifications will be felt.