School responds to Youngstown teachers’ wishes for contract negotiations
According to multiple reports, the teachers with Youngstown City Schools want contract negotiations to start as soon as possible.
They alleged that the school district is stalling the process by postponing meetings, according to WFMJ report by Janet Rogers.
Youngstown Education Association
“It is very surprising to us that the Board’s representatives suddenly refuse to even meet with YEA to negotiate,” said Jim Courim, Youngstown Education Association spokesperson.
According to YEA, the school board had agreed to begin negotiations on the YEA contract on April 20 because the current contract expires on June 30.
The board, according to YEA press release, informed YEA that they “do not intend to meet with YEA to negotiate on the previously agreed upon date and have provided no timeline for when they wish to begin negotiations, stating only that they want first to resolve multiple current contract grievances, a process that would not end until months after the expiration of the present contract.
On April 17, YEA members met to review the current status of contract negotiations. During the meeting, they voted to authorize its negotiations team to issue a 10-day strike notice to the board when necessary.
“It’s important to note that we do not want to strike,” Courim said. “We really want to get to the bargaining table, and we will do what we have to do to ensure that we have the voice that we need to advocate for Youngstown’s students and their futures. No cynical Board and management tactics are going to stand in the way of that.”
Youngstown City Schools
“The board has full confidence in Superintendent Jennings, Mr. Batchelor, Mr. Schiraldi and the rest of the negotiating team that once talks start, they will not give up until an agreement is reached with the best interests of our educators, scholars and the Youngstown community,” said Tiffany Patterson, president of the school board.
Stacy Quinones, communications and public relations director for Youngstown City School District, provided the following statement to Mahoning Matters in response to the teachers wish to start negotiating now:
“The Youngstown City School District wishes to acknowledge the concerns of the Youngstown Education Association (YEA) and clarify some allegations expressed at the April 17, 2023, Board of Education meeting.
The district has been in regular communication with the leadership of the association. The initiation of negotiations to address the expiring collective bargaining agreement is as much a priority for the district as for the association. The assertion that the community has not agreed to negotiate is simply false.
The district is working diligently to prepare for the initiation of the negotiations. There was a preliminary discussion to establish a date of April 20 to initiate talks; however, the district did ask for an extension. Additionally, the community desires to have the entire negotiating team attend.
Several key members of the district’s negotiating team, including the district’s treasurer, are attending an important conference at the Ohio Association of School Business Officials during the previously discussed time between Superintendent Jennings and YEA President Eric Teutsch.
The district fully intends to negotiate in good faith and compliance with Ohio law. The administration seeks a positive outcome from these negotiations and doesn’t want our scholars to lose time with their teachers.
It is concerning that the association has issued a strike notice before the initiation of talks or substantive dialogue regarding the collective bargaining agreement has begun. The negotiation of this subsequent collective bargaining agreement is vital to the continued improvement of the district so that we can meet the needs of our scholars at a level that will make our community proud. We are stronger together and have a common goal to provide an excellent education for YCSD scholars.”
Stay with Mahoning Matters for more updates.
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