An Oakland teacher explains why he’s going on strike
on February 21, 2019
Today is the first day of the Oakland teachers’ strike. Public school teachers and staff gathered outside their schools to form picket lines, chanting and rallying support in their quest for smaller class sizes, higher wages, more student support services and a promise from the district that there will be no more school closures.
Earlier this week, we followed Alejandro Estrada, a 4th grade teacher at International Community School and the union representative for his school, as he prepared to walk the picket line. Estrada, who has been teaching at the school for eleven years now, says he doesn’t want to strike, but is doing it for his students.
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