Students from Oakland Technical High School walked out of class Friday morning in support of teachers who they feel are underpaid.
The walkout comes the same day the week-long strike authorization vote wraps up which would authorize the Oakland Teachers Union to decide if the teachers will go on strike depending on what the Oakland Unified School District offers them in the new contract.
Higher wages and issues of overcrowded classrooms are some of the issues being discussed. In the past week, the district decided to close down a Roots International Academy in east Oakland to deal with its current budget issues.
“Teachers are fired up and we cannot take it anymore. And the district is only escalating the problem. Especially with the closure of Roots,” said Harley Litzelman.
Friday’s strike authorization vote doesn’t mean a strike is imminent. The teachers union, school district and a mediator will go through a fact-finding process for the next couple of weeks.
The district will present an offer and from there, the union could decide on a strike.
