Name: Portland Public Schools plans to furlough teachers, principals, other staffers 1 day a week -- but they’d make more money not less
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Portland Public Schools plans to furlough teachers, principals, other staffers 1 day a week -- but they’d make more money not less

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NEW!4,104shares plans to furlough all employees one day a week for the rest of the school year, using a little-known provision of the special $600-a-week federal unemployment subsidy that Congress authorized through July, officials said Friday.Unemployed workers in Oregon and many other states qualify for the full $600 a week if they lose as little as 10% of their pay due to coronavirus, not only if they completely lose their jobs, according to .So Oregon’s largest district has hatched a plan to have its employees work four days a week for the remainder of this school year, and it is banking on its unionized employees agreeing to the deal. Employees would lose 20% of their pay from the district but would have that more than backfilled by receiving 20% of the weekly state unemployment benefit to which they are entitled under plus the full $600 weekly federal match.That means a teacher earning $88,000 – the top rung on , where teachers who have master’s degrees and at least 12 years of experience are positioned – would lose about $460 a week in district pay. But that teacher would qualify for $600 a week from the federal rescue package plus about $130 from the state unemployment system. So weekly gross pay could rise from about $2,290 to about $2,565 – a raise of nearly 12% for doing less work.Or at least that is the district’s concept, and state and federal rules appear to permit that.For workers who earn less than $88,000, the percentage raise would be even larger, as $600 would further dwarf the weekly cut in their pay from Portland Public Schools. Any worker earning less than about $265,000 a year would come out financially ahead.The district plans to maintain employees’ benefits at current levels.District spokeswoman Karen Werstein told The Oregonian/OregonLive Friday evening that the district plans to use the approach she outlined to save money for next school year, when the district expects to take a financial beating due to the cratered economy. Schools in Oregon rely heavily on state income taxes for funding, and those drop precipitously during even less-severe recessions.The district has applied to the state Work Share program, she said, as one necessary step to bring the plan to fruition. It also has asked its unions, whose workers’ pay is protected under contract, to agree to the arrangement.No other Oregon district has gone public with plans to adopt a similar arrangement.In a message to its members Friday, the Portland Association of Teachers said its leaders “are not against” the plan but have insisted that its members get the opportunity to vote on the plan before it is put into effect.“In all of our discussions with PPS, we have made it clear that we understand that with the financial crisis caused by the pandemic, we all need to be creative in finding solutions,” the message, signed by “Portland Association of Teachers” without naming specific names, said. “Our goal is to protect as many PAT members as possible from possible layoffs next year and, by doing so, also protect workload for as many remaining professional educators as we can. To that end, we are not against the PPS plan.”Werstein said that district leaders “believe that district resources saved now can better serve students when classes resume in 2020-21.” The funds could help save jobs and instructional days, she said.She said district officials want the furloughs to begin next week and noted they would have no “negative financial impacts on employees.” But she said only employees who aren’t represented by unions, such as principals and most high-ranking employees in central administration, will be immediately subject to the one-day-off-per-week mandate.“We have been in discussions with all of our labor partners and, pending their decisions, the reduced work week will include their membership,” Werstein said.District staff will present the reduced work week plan to , she said.Teachers and principals in Portland, like the rest across Oregon, have already had their work lives substantially upended by the sudden switch to distance learning when schools were ordered to close March 16. A day off per week would mean further upheaval.“We know this is a significant decision that is taking effect very soon. We do not take lightly any decision to adjust work schedules or compensation,” Werstein said. “Given the current and forecasted budgetary crisis PPS and other school districts are facing, temporarily reducing the work week by 20% allows us to maximize instructional days once we return in 2020-21.”Note: This story has been updated to reflect that teachers are paid for less than 52 weeks of work per year.-- Betsy Hammond; ; @ChalkUp; @OregonianPolSubscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive and for the latest news and top stories.Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!4,104shares plans to furlough all employees one day a week for the rest of the school year, using a little-known provision of the special $600-a-week federal unemployment subsidy that Congress authorized through July, officials said Friday.Unemployed workers in Oregon and many other states qualify for the full $600 a week if they lose as little as 10% of their pay due to coronavirus, not only if they completely lose their jobs, according to .So Oregon’s largest district has hatched a plan to have its employees work four days a week for the remainder of this school year, and it is...

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Portland Public Schools plans to furlough teachers, principals, other staffers 1 day a week -- but they’d make more money not less

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