Oakland teacher strike has two prongs

OAKLAND, Calif. - California's housing crisis collided with its school funding crisis Thursday, as Oakland teachers went on strike for smaller classes, more nurses and counselors in the schools and wages that will allow them to live in the increasingly expensive San Francisco Bay Area.

An estimated 3,000 members of the Oakland Education Association hit the picket line at all 86 schools in the district, which has about 36,000 students. They mobilized in the early morning darkness bearing signs that attested to their twin troubles: "Keep Teachers in Oakland" and "Fight for the schools students deserve."

Early reports showed large numbers of students stayed home, according to union President Keith Brown. Only about 90 students showed up