The fourth major teacher strike of 2019 took place in Oakland, California, lasting seven days, as over 3,000 teachers walked out. As a result, nine out of 10 students did not attend class.
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Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) spokesman John Sasaki told School Transportation News that 94 percent of students stayed out of school during the duration of the strike.
OUSD only transports special education students, but only five to six percent of those students came to school during that week. School buses continued on their routes as usual, even though most buses only transported one to two students.
The teachers asked for higher pay, smaller class sizes and more school resources. Media reports indicated the teachers won everything they demanded. The strike was the fourth teacher strike this year, joining Los Angeles Unified School District, Denver Unified School District and across West Virginia.
The Oakland strike was declared over by March 4 and an agreement was confirmed.
“Words cannot express how deeply grateful I am that this strike has come to a close,” Oakland Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a statement. “Speaking as the superintendent, a parent of OUSD students, and a former teacher and principal in the District, our students are always my top priority and the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.”
