The 45,000 students in Oregon’s largest school district will be back in their classrooms after the Portland School District administration announced that it has reached a tentative deal with the teachers’ union, ending a three-week shutdown, the Associated Press reports.
The teachers’ union was negotiating for some standard items–like salary increases, improved health benefits and smaller class sizes–but the union also demanded increased resources for students adversely impacted by the pandemic. Students missed 11 days of classroom instruction during the strike, with the union agreeing that teachers will return to work while the vote of the membership is pending.