Posted on by Mikhail

Strikes Close Schools but Do Not Put Students First

Evergreen Public Schools is now entering the third week of a strike that has closed schools since August 26, 2025. Families are under pressure to manage disrupted schedules, students are missing valuable instructional time, and the district and the union remain locked in dispute. Official reports confirm school buildings remain closed, and although meals and limited programs like sports continue, routine childcare has been disrupted (KPTV.com, OPB). As shared by a local community member, “two single moms in my neighborhood are really struggling to find daycare and pay for it while their children’s schools remain closed.” Both sides claim this strike is “for the students.” The evidence tells a different story.

What Research Shows

Comprehensive studies of U.S. teacher strikes between 2007 and 2023 found clear financial gains for staff, on average, 8 percent higher compensation and slightly smaller student-to-teacher ratios in the years following a strike. Yet those same studies concluded that student academic achievement showed little to no measurable improvement up to five years later (Lovenheim & Willén, 2024; National Bureau of Economic Research, 2024).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has summarized these findings as well: strikes may deliver more pay and some resource increases, but student learning outcomes remain essentially unchanged (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Education Week reporting adds that strikes often boost per-pupil spending in the following years – about $670 more per student on average – without producing reliable improvements in test scores (Sawchuk, 2024).

International evidence strengthens the caution. In Argentina, repeated strike-related closures were linked to lower educational attainment, reduced employment, and lower future earnings for affected students (Jaume & Willén, 2022). We are not in Argentina and the U.S. context is different, the lesson is clear: prolonged closures can inflict lasting harm.

Oregon and Washington Examples

In November 2023, Portland Public Schools endured its first-ever teachers strike, lasting 11 instructional days. The settlement included a 13.8 percent cost-of-living increase, added planning time, and committees to monitor class sizes. Yet no enforceable class size caps were written into the contract, and a year later there is no evidence of measurable academic improvement for students (Associated Press, 2023; Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, 2024).

Here in Washington, Evergreen Public Schools is in uncharted territory. The classified staff strike has closed schools for nearly three weeks, with teachers honoring picket lines. The school board has passed a resolution authorizing legal action, arguing that public school employee strikes are unlawful under Washington law (Evergreen Public Schools, 2025; Washington State Attorney General, 2006). Superintendent Christine Moloney, appointed permanent in March 2025, has overseen bargaining sessions that so far have yielded no agreement (The Columbian, 2025).

Community’s Take: What Some Parents Are Saying

Amid these widespread closures, the Evergreen Public Schools Community Facebook group, home to over 2,200 members, contains posts presenting the strike in a positive light. For instance, a group member shared a union rally video, praising the solidarity:

“Evergreen PSE members are on strike! Until we win fair pay and respect, we’ll keep standing strong.” Facebook

Another shared a union-aligned message summarizing the strike as necessary for staff dignity and long-term school stability:

“Our fight is not against students or families, it’s for them… Livable wages and fair working conditions mean we can attract and retain the staff our kids deserve.” https://www.kptv.com

These sentiments reflect a perspective that the strike builds long-term stability for schools by valuing the people who run them. Yet, as the research shows, improved working conditions don’t automatically translate into better student learning outcomes, especially in the short term when schools are closed.

Who Benefits?

  • Staff and districts: Strikes consistently result in pay raises, added planning time, and sometimes new staffing commitments like counselors and nurses. These are meaningful for adults and can improve working conditions.
  • Student impact: The most consistent outcome across both research and real cases is lost school days and disrupted learning, with no steady academic gains.

The Bottom Line

When district leaders and unions say, “This is for the students,” the data does not back it up. Strikes do not reliably improve academic achievement. What they do is disrupt children’s lives, force families into crisis planning, and erode community trust.

Strikes are about labor, wages, and budgets. Students are collateral damage. Until bargaining on both sides produces enforceable commitments that directly strengthen classroom learning, the community should be wary of claims that these disruptions are in children’s best interests.

A Call to Action

Parents and community members can make their voices heard:

  • Write physical letters to the Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors and Superintendent Christine Moloney. A pile of handwritten letters is harder to ignore than unanswered emails.
  • Demand a public town hall meeting where families can speak directly about the strike’s impact.
  • Push for specific promises tied to student outcomes — smaller classes, adequate support staff, and transparent timelines for returning children to school.

Our students deserve better than rhetoric. They deserve action.

Copy-and-Paste Letter Template:

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Date]

Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors
Dr. Christine Moloney, Superintendent
Administrative Service Center
13501 NE 28th Street
Vancouver, WA 98682

Dear Dr. Moloney and Members of the Board,

I am writing out of deep concern for the impact the ongoing strike is having on Evergreen students. My child, along with more than 22,000 others, has already lost weeks of instruction since August 26, and families are struggling to manage the disruption.

Both the district and the union continue to say this is “for the students.” Yet research on strikes across the U.S. shows otherwise: teacher and staff pay increases, but student academic outcomes do not improve. In fact, prolonged closures risk leaving lasting scars. Portland’s 2023 strike lasted 11 days and ended with salary increases but no enforceable class size caps. Evergreen is now in its third week, with no resolution and no evidence that students will benefit from these lost days.

Our children deserve more than statements. They deserve solutions that are measurable and tied directly to learning. I urge Evergreen leadership to:

  • Return to the bargaining table with urgency and transparency.
  • Commit to specific student-centered outcomes, such as smaller classes and adequate support staff.
  • Host a public town hall where parents and community members can share firsthand the harm this strike is causing.

Every day without school is another day our children fall behind. Families are watching closely, and we expect both sides to prioritize students above all else.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
Parent/Community Member

References

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.