"Portland Teacher Strike: $200 Million Gap Persists, Stalling Negotiations"

After eight days of strike and nearly a year of negotiations, Portland Public Schools and the teachers union are still more than $200 million apart in their estimated costs for a three-year contract. The district's calculations suggest that fulfilling all of the union's requests would cost over $358 million, while the district's own proposal is estimated at $147 million. The significant gap in funding highlights the district's inability to cover all of the teachers' demands. The strike continues, with schools closed and students potentially not returning until after Thanksgiving break.