Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loads | OregonLive.com

Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loads | OregonLive.com:

Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loads

Published: Wednesday, April 04, 2012, 2:12 PM     Updated: Wednesday, April 04, 2012, 2:18 PM

View full sizeThe OregonianPortland high schools created huge study halls, like this one at Benson High, to try to give teachers some relief from large teaching loads. But district leaders piled too much extra work on teachers with their new schedule, an arbitrator ruled.

Leaders of Portland Public Schoolswent too far when they switched high school schedules this year and forced teachers to teach more classes and shoulder heavier student loads, a state arbitrator has ruled.

Portland officials made the change to save money by stretching teachers further. They eliminated 44 teaching jobs, saving $4 million a year.

But the arbitrator, William Reeves, ruled that the school district didn't give teachers enough paid time to switch from teaching five 50-minute classes per day to six 90-minute classes that meet every other day. He ordered the district to pay affected high school teachers a week's extra pay for that.
District officials say that will cost them $750,000.

Reeves also said the district increased most teachers' student loads too much and ordered the