People become teachers because they love it. It doesn’t pay well and job is really fucking hard – especially in Oakland. Which is why Oakland public schools could be heading toward another major disruption. The city’s teachers union is getting closer to a strike after almost a year of stalled contract talks with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Members of the Oakland Education Association (OEA) voted overwhelmingly to authorize a walkout, with 91% saying yes. Out of about 2,600 members, 2,328 actually voted. The union only has to give 48 hours’ notice, so a strike could start as soon as this week.
If it happens, it would be the third open-ended teachers strike in Oakland since 2019, which tells you how long this conflict has been simmering. There was also a one-day strike in 2022 over school closures, and another near-strike last May that got called off at the last minute.
Negotiations basically stalled back in November. Mediation didn’t work, so the dispute went into a formal fact-finding process with a neutral panel. That panel suggested a deal: about a 9 to 10% raise over two years, plus an extra 2% for special education teachers, and smaller class sizes for the youngest students, around 22 kids in kindergarten and first grade. The district says every 1% raise costs about $5 million, so the whole package would run roughly $50 million.
District leaders say they simply don’t have that kind of money. OUSD is staring at a projected $102 million budget deficit and has already cut about $50 million, mostly from central office spending. Another $50 million still needs to come from somewhere, and officials warn that school sites themselves could be next on the chopping block.
The union isn’t buying that. They argue there is still waste to cut, especially consultant contracts and administrative spending, without hurting classrooms. Even the fact-finding report suggested scaling back outside contracts could help pay for raises while keeping required reserves intact.
Earlier in talks, the district offered zero pay increase. More recently, they bumped that up to about 6.5 to 8% over two years plus a one-time bonus pool of around $5 million. The union originally asked for 14%, especially to help veteran teachers, along with smaller class sizes and more prep time.
A big issue is that OUSD teachers are paid less than educators in neighboring districts. Starting salaries are just under $63,000, and even after decades on the job, pay tops out below $110,000, which is not exactly Bay Area money. The district does cover full health insurance for employees and their families, but union leaders say that does not make up for the sky-high cost of living.
Teacher turnover is another huge problem. About 17% of teachers leave every year, and more than 400 left between the last two school years alone. Replacing them costs roughly $7.5 million, not to mention the chaos for students. New teachers burn out the fastest. Nearly one in three does not come back after year one or two.
Union leaders say better pay, smaller classes, and more planning time are not luxuries. They say these are the bare minimum needed to keep teachers from fleeing Oakland classrooms. Without real changes, they warn, the cycle of burnout, turnover, and struggling schools will just keep repeating.
And they’re right.
