"Portland Teachers Strike: Bargaining Resumes as School Board Rejects Calls for Mediation"

Bargaining between the Portland teachers' union and the school district resumes as the strike enters its third day, but members of the school board have rejected calls to join the negotiations. Governor Tina Kotek and most Portland-area lawmakers have urged the board to be present, emphasizing the need to refocus on classroom and student learning investments and cut administrative spending. Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero blames the $200 million gap between the teachers' requests and the district's offers on a lack of state funding, which has not kept up with inflation. Both the school board and the union's members will need to ratify any agreement reached in negotiations.