Teachers are on strike throughout Oakland today, protesting the Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) status quo contract.

Forming picket lines outside their public schools, many of Oakland Education Association's (OEA) 2,837 employees went on strike at 5:30 a.m. April 29.

Though OEA is not a member of the Alameda County Labor Council, affiliated members of the council will support the teachers' strike "100 percent," according to Susan McDonough, Community Services Director.

Serving more than 38,000 students, OEA members serve one of the state's largest urban school districts and are employed by one of Oakland's largest employers.

The two parties have been in negotiations since February 2008. The main point of contention regards teacher pay. The union is asking for pay increases whereas the school district is offering a status quo contract.

"Throughout the last year and a half, the district said that we needed to take a 3 percent pay cut. Now they're offering status quo [pay]," said David Deleuw an OEA Bargaining Committee member and Oakland Technical High Schol Health Careers Program teacher. "Though it's a hard time to have to negotiate a contract, it was also difficult to argue with a bankruptcy a couple years back and later with a new superintendent. It's hard to say when Oakland teachers will ever be in a better condition to bargain [than now]."

There exists an $85 million budget shortfall, exacerbated by the lack of state tax revenue, the national mortgage crisis and national military spending at the cost of non-military spending.

The district wants to freeze raises, increase class sizes and cut programs to save $3 million. It is also thinking of cutting 460 full-time positions. The teachers' union wants the district to hire fewer consultants and pay administrators less, claiming this could save millions.

Oakland teachers are the lowest paid in Alameda county. Those in the flatlands work in what officials describe as “a dizzying, ever-changing regulatory environment.” Due to low salaries and high stress environments, Oakland schools have constant high teacher turnover rates.

"It's been years of too many teachers leaving the district. Oakland Technical lost nearly one-third of the English Department a few years back; and we're one of the most solid schools. If that's not an emergency, then I don't know what is," said Kenna Stormogipson, an Oakland Technical High School science teacher.

A fact finding report that published recommendations for the dispute found that "OUSD needs to improve the economic lot in life (and morale) of its teachers while OEA must recognize the present realities." Unfortunately, to some, the specifics seem mutually exclusive.

For example, the parties are to "develop a plan and goal of achieving parity in total compensation at the mid-point of other Alameda County districts." But it recommends implementing a contract that freezes wages until 2012. Similarly, the report notes the "proliferation of small charter schools which compete for students and revenue" as one of the many well-publicized challenges facing the district.

Currently there are 32 charter schools, up from 20 in 2004-05. Yet one of the recommendations is that, should a new parcel tax be passed, any sums generated should be used for additional wages and benefits for the OEA unit.

Teachers' average base salary is $53,800. Substitute teachers for the one-day strike have been hired at a rate of $300 per day.

"I don't think the public realizes how things are," said Stormogipson. "Things are unacceptable and they've been that way for a while. $2,700 a month doesn't cover my expenses. My house could easily be foreclosed. At this point it's a 50 percent chance: My bank has denied refinancing three times. Classroom success relies on the quality of the teacher in the room, that is what makes the biggest difference, and if that teacher is looking for a second job... that's just disturbing."