After weeks of a deadlock, Portland Public Schools and the teachers union made significant progress on Thursday by exchanging updated proposals in ongoing negotiations to put an end to the teachers strike that has left 44,000 students out of school for the past seven days.

While there are still notable differences between the two sides, Thursday's proposals showed some movement on major points of contention, particularly regarding cost-of-living increases and planning time. The offers presented are expected to evolve further in the coming days as the CFO of Oregon's Department of Administrative Services works behind closed doors to analyze the district's financial capability.

One area where the district and the teachers union remain apart is class sizes, which remains a top priority for the Portland Association of Teachers. The union has steadfastly pushed for class size caps at 23 for kindergarten, 25 for first grade, and 26 for grades two through five, including sixth grade in K-8 schools.

A significant point of negotiation revolves around cost-of-living adjustments, which reflect inflation. In Thursday's proposal, teachers revised their request, seeking an 8.5% increase for the first year followed by at least 5.5% and 5% in subsequent years, depending on West Coast inflation. On the district's side, they maintained their previous offer of annual cost-of-living raises of 4.5%, 3%, and 3%. Additionally, a one-time bonus was offered to teachers with at least twelve years of experience.

Regarding remuneration, the district's existing pay scale tops out at $97,333 for teachers with extensive experience and additional graduate study. Roughly 30% of union members currently earn that amount, per district officials. First-year teachers receive a base salary of $50,020 or $57,080 if they hold a master's degree.

In an effort to address class size concerns, the district has previously provided "overage pay" stipends to teachers handling classes exceeding established thresholds. However, the teachers union proposed redirecting those funds to hire approximately 20 additional teachers, ending the overage pay practice.

Class size reduction remains a sticking point as district negotiators have been reluctant to address the issue extensively, except in schools receiving Title I federal funding. District leaders argue that reducing class sizes across all schools would compromise their ability to adequately support students with greater needs.

However, the district presented a token improvement in their Thursday proposal for the 2024-2025 school year. They suggested a reduction of one student in maximum class sizes at all grade levels in Title I elementary schools, as well as in first through fifth grade at other schools. For example, fourth and fifth-grade classes would have a maximum limit of 32 students instead of 33. Additionally, a joint union-management committee would be formed to evaluate further class size reduction strategies at high-needs schools, with recommendations expected by November 2024, potentially for implementation in the 2025-2026 school year.

Another area where progress was made in the negotiations is planning time. The teachers union has emphasized the need for more time to address students' emotional and academic needs, requesting 440 minutes per week for every teacher. In response, the district proposed eliminating 20 staff meetings per year, shifting to monthly meetings instead of weekly. This adjustment would enable elementary and middle school teachers to have 410 minutes of planning time per week. However, no changes were offered for high school educators, who would continue with the existing planning period set aside during the four-period day.

Under both proposals, the school year would be reduced to 176 days, one day less than the current 177-day schedule. However, instructional days would be extended by 15 minutes, providing students with more overall instructional time. Both sides also agreed to set aside four non-instructional days for grading.

Negotiations resumed on Friday, and it is expected that both parties will continue discussions throughout the weekend in an effort to reach a resolution and bring an end to the ongoing strike.