Many Oregon schools are closed May 8 because of teacher walkout

(MAY 4, 2019) Students at more than 24 school districts across the state will not be in class on May 8. Many schools are closed. That's because teachers have planned a "walkout".

According to Cambridge Learner's Dictionary, a walkout is "the act of leaving a place to show that you are unhappy, or (of workers) the act of stopping work because of a disagreement with management."

The event is called a "Day of Action" and is organized by the Oregon Education Association, which is the state's largest public education employee union.

Teachers will participate in rallies, marches and demonstrations. They want to show their support for more school funding. They want state lawmakers to provide more resources so that schools can provide smaller class sizes, more counselors, and funding for electives.

School districts that will be closed include: Portland, Woodburn, Lake Oswego, Eugene, Bethel, North Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham-Barlow, Corbett, Oregon City, Parkrose, David Douglas, West Linn-Wilsonville, Beaverton and others. Most school districts have added a day to the end of the year to make up for this closure.

According to the website may8forstudents.org:

• Class sizes in Oregon are very large compared to other parts of the country.
• The high school graduation rate in Oregon is very low.
• Oregon does not have as many counselors as professionals recommend.
• 94% of teachers use their own money to purchase classroom supplies.