Recently, I have had the opportunity to stand in solidarity with concerned educators, parents and taxpayers to support Portland schools’ educational technicians in their negotiations for a fair and equitable contract.

As a recently retired teacher, I have the privilege of being able to say publicly what many educators cannot, which is that Portland Public Schools, specifically its school board, have prioritized the wrong things in their budget. Instead of acknowledging the wasted money that is spent on proposals and plans and positions that go absolutely nowhere and serve no one, the board chooses to nickel-and-dime some of the most important and lowest-compensated employees of the school system.

Portland is an expensive place to live and work, and ed techs cannot afford to be a part of their community without having multiple jobs. Medical benefits are good, but they have to be in order to combat the extreme stress and demands of the job, and medical benefits don’t pay the rent. If anyone on the board or in administration needs help prioritizing in order to free up a little more for ed tech salaries, how about they post a full list of the positions that exist in the central administration along with their job descriptions?

I (and I suspect many others) would be happy to help them consolidate, eliminate and free up some funds so that our student-facing workers can earn a living.

Jayne Sawtelle
Portland