Teachers and students in Oakland returned to classrooms together Tuesday for a normal school day after a seven-day teachers strike ended Monday.
With graduation and the last day of school coming for many next week, the stress of the strike will morph into the stress to get everything done in time.
The Oakland teachers who were walking the picket lines last week indeed have their work cut out for them, as do many of the students who missed several days of instruction.
A tentative agreement between Oakland Unified School District and the Oakland Education Association ended the teachers' walkout, and leaders from both sides said it’s good to have stability going forward.
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Parents are relieved the strike is over and kids are getting back to class, and students who were walking into school Tuesday morning know they have a lot of work to make up in a short amount of time.
"Hopefully school will stay back because I'd like to get my final grades," said David Buckley, a junior at Oakland High School.
Arquise Eddings, a senior at Oakland High added: "I feel like everybody's frustrated, like teachers were out here on strike for a week, now they have to come back and get grades before Friday. It was just crazy, to be honest."
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The tentative deal is a $70 million package that will include average pay raises of 15%, a one-time $5,000 stipend and a promise from the district to hire more counselors, librarians, nurses and performing arts teachers.
Oakland Unified also made some "common good" agreements, including providing resources for unhoused students, revisiting school closure policies and creating a task force to explore reparations for Black students.
During the Tuesday morning dropoff, some parents said despite the timing of the strike for their kids, they support teachers fighting for a better contract.
"I believe teachers deserve everything," parent De Nguyen said.
The union will ratify the contract later this week, and then it must be approved by Alameda County and Oakland Unified boards before it becomes official.
