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Teachers, board set contract talks today
The superintendent says the district can’t afford what the teachers want.
EAST PALESTINE — School Superintendent Tom Inchak said the school district is hoping to come to an agreement with teachers during a negotiation session scheduled for later today but realizes there is potential for a strike if demands made by the teachers union are not met by the school board.
Speaking near the close of a school board meeting Monday, Inchak said the board has to keep the district’s short and long term interest in mind and look at a lack of funds, increased expenses and “the terrible economic climate” the country is facing.
He said it’s never been about whether the unionized teachers represented by the East Palestine Education Association deserve more money, but more about the district’s limited funds.
Inchak said he cannot disclose what the school district has offered the 81 teachers and likewise cannot say what offers the union has turned down except to report the district cannot afford what the teachers have asked for.
Meanwhile, some 70 teachers gathered at 5:30 p.m. Monday to picket before the 6 p.m. meeting. Those teachers, along with about 100 community members, attended the session.
Five people, including four with children in the school district, asked the district to resolve the matter swiftly.
The starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree is $29,007 annually. The maximum annual salary is $58,000 for a teacher with a master’s degree plus 15 additional credits and 25 years’ experience. Annually, district teachers pay $360 for a single health insurance plan and $840 for a family plan. Each year the district contributes $463 toward an individual health plan and $1,218 per family health plan.
The teachers have been working without a contract since June 30. Negotiation sessions have been in the hands of federal mediator Mike Franczak since the two sides reached an impasse Aug. 8.
Last week the union issued a press release stating that if significant progress toward a new contract is not achieved at the next bargaining session, the association will issue a 10-day strike notice. Inchak has said that if teachers strike, the district will fill their places with qualified substitutes.
Tension continues rising among teachers, the school district and community members. Inchak said the school board plans to follow through with its threat to file an unfair-labor-practice charge against district teachers in response to the picketing that took place Monday. Inchak has maintained the teachers neglected to provide the 10-day advance notice required by Ohio law before picketing.
Greg Aker, union spokesman, said teachers filed the proper paperwork for picketing last Tuesday as soon as they realized when the school board planned to meet. The board typically meets the first Monday of every month but did not meet last week as expected. The board has not yet set a date for its November meeting.