UPDATE: Educators in Albany are officially on strike. District and union leaders in Greater Albany Public Schools did not finalize a contract during mediation sessions over the long weekend. Classes are canceled during the strike, but classified staff are still expected to report for work.
Rebekah GraVette, a second grade teacher at Waverly Elementary, on the picket line, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, as educators in the Greater Albany Public Schools district go on strike. District and union leaders in Greater Albany Public Schools did not finalize a contract during mediation sessions over the long weekend. Classes are canceled during the strike, but classified staff are still expected to report for work.
Natalie Pate / OPB
Officials with Greater Albany Public Schools have canceled Tuesday classes for the district’s roughly 8,700 students.
Contract negotiations between the district and the 600 licensed educators represented by the Greater Albany Education Association were still underway Monday afternoon, and it was not clear if both sides would reach a deal, or if the educators would strike.
“Friday was teachers’ last working day until the potential strike, so they all turned in their keys and computers. GAEA also encouraged them to take home any personal items from their classrooms,” district communications director Becca Mallery said in an email. “Because of that, the District wants to give teachers a day to get things back in order before they have students again. This means that once the contract is settled, teachers will have one working day before students return back to the classroom.”
The Boys & Girls Club Albany and the Mid-Willamette YMCA will provide activities and meals to qualifying students. Children or their caretakers can also pick up breakfast and lunch from a number of designated sites in Albany on Tuesday. The district emailed details to family members.
District-sponsored sports and performances are expected to continue Tuesday regardless of the outcome of union negotiations.
