Teacher talks continue in McDonald

Staff report

McDONALD

The McDonald Board of Education and McDonald Education Association, the teachers union, have agreed to honor their current contract while talks continue toward a new agreement.

Superintendent Ken Halbert said Wednesday that teachers and the board negotiated in a lengthy session Monday.

Board president Jack Dugan and MEA president Samantha Rozzo signed an agreement acknowledging that the teachers’ existing contract expires Saturday, but that both parties agree they would continue to honor the old contract while negotiations continue.

Another negotiation session is set for Tuesday, Halbert said.

Halbert characterized the negotiations as “amicable and progressive.”

The MEA represents 50 teachers. Their existing contract was from Sept. 1, 2010, to Aug. 31, 2013, and there was a wage freeze and no increases approved in that contract, which was agreed to while the district was still under state fiscal emergency.

The district came out of fiscal emergency in March 2012.

The district’s 13 non-teaching employees who are represented by the Ohio Association for Public School Employees No. 662 haven’t started talks yet, waiting for the teachers’ contract to be settled, Halbert said.

Their old contract also expires Saturday and had no raises.

“OAPSE is patiently waiting for us to finish,” Halbert added.