Student reacts to Oakland teachers' strike
OAKLAND Calif. - Over 3,000 Oakland Unified School District teachers and staff are expected to return to picket lines on Monday, marking the third day teachers will be absent from classrooms.
When teachers don't show up to class, many students also opt to stay home.
Ian Vankugelgen, a sophomore at Skyline High School in Oakland, told KTVU he had not been on campus since the strike started.
The strike is nothing new to Vankugelgen. He went through a separate teacher strike when he was in middle school.
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"It’s definitely more difficult than actually be in school, but it's not impossible," Vankugelgen said.
He said the current strike is less impactful on students than it was the first time because students and teachers can turn to remote work and learning, something they became more than familiar with during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vankugelgen said it is hard to do some of his remotely, but said teachers have been posting some assignments online.
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He is worried about how the strike will impact students the longer it lasts, especially when it comes to final exams.
But, no matter the impact it has on students, Vankugelgen says he stands with his teachers.
"It makes sense that they are striking for these things," Vankugelgen said. "I feel like it’s a little unfair or strange that the district refuses to listen to some of their demands or even make repertoire with them."
This week, the district offered all 3,000 teachers a pay increase of anywhere from 13 to 23 percent - depending on their years of experience.
But the union says they want the district to give them a formal written proposal on that issue - and other things they've asked for - on what they're calling their "Common Goods" list.
The list includes things like:
- Equipment improvements
- Climate-controlled classrooms
- Reparations for Black students
- Restrict school closures
- Convert unused schools to homeless shelters
The Oakland Unified School District was set to hold a press conference at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The press conference has since been rescheduled.