Mediatior Calls Negotiating Session for Tuesday for Strongsville School Board, Striking Teachers

The federal mediator overseeing negotiations in the Strongsville teachers' strike has called a bargaining session for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 26.

It will be the second negotiating session between the Strongsville School Board and the Strongsville Education Association, which represents the striking teachers, since the work stoppage started March 4.

The last, which took place March 17, yielded no progress.

This session was apparently jump-started by a new proposal the SEA drafted Friday after meeting with Mayor Tom Perciak.

SEA President Tracy Linscott said that after listening to Perciak, the union countered its own last proposal with an offer that would save more than $300,000.

But Board President David Frazee said in a news release the new proposal contains only "minor changes" that would still put the district in the red. 

"The federal mediator has asked that our negotiation team be present and they will be there," Frazee said. "We have received a counterproposal from the SEA with minor changes, but this version still exceeds the school district's budget by more than $2 million."

The SEA wasn't happy with the March 17 session, saying the board would not meet with the union leaders.

Frazee has said the district is standing by its last best offer.