Monday, March 4, 2013
Police, security officers keep order as students arrive for school
Lines of sign-carrying union members picketed in front of Strongsville schools this morning, the first day of a teachers' strike. Teachers at Strongsville High School walked back and forth across the entrance and exit driveways, some yelling "We love you, kids" as buses pulled in. Police Chief James Kobak said about 7 a.m. that no incidents had been reported, other than school driveways being blocked by strikers. Officers at the high school parted the strikers as traffic got heavier around 7, directing them to stand on either side of the driveway, but not to walk back and forth. At Center Middle School, strikers were more vocal, chanting and blowing whistles as Pearl Road traffic went by. The 383-member Strongsville Education …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Meanwhile, School Board will make 'last best offer' as talks continue Saturday
With negotiations continuing in a mediator's office Saturday afternoon, the Strongsville Education Association has issued a statement saying teachers will not honor any grades issued by substitutes during a strike. The SEA, in a news release, condemned the Board of Education's plan to teach only "meat and potato" classes like math, science, social studies and English during the looming teachers' strike. No grades given by the replacement teachers will count, Christine Canning, SEA spokeswoman, said in a news release. “We are not going to honor grades issued by unqualified substitutes who don’t know the material they have been randomly assigned to 'teach' and can’t pass the tests and quizzes they will be attempting to grade,” Canning said…
Today and tomorrow's events will decide what happens on Monday
The Strongsville Education Association and school officials will try one last time today to reach a contract agreement before a teachers' strike on Monday. Saturday A negotiating session is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the office of a mediator in Independence. Teachers, who have gathered to protest at other negotiating sessions, at school board meetings and in front of school board members' homes, are not expected to organize at Saturday's session. Sources from the Ohio Education Association said there is no telling how long the session will last. "If they're close to a settlement, they'll bargain all day," a source said. "If not, the meeting will end quickly." Sunday The SEA membership will meet at 5 p.m. to discuss the next step. If a …
Friday, March 1, 2013
Strongsville Education Association claims substitutes will be 'babysitters'
The Strongsville Education Association is blasting the Board of Education for requiring students to go to school if teachers strike on Monday. The teachers' union, in a statement, said the board has "reached a new low" and that parents are being forced to "send their kids into an unknown and unsafe learning environment." Chris Canning, SEA spokeswoman, said the board has chosen to pay for "security goons and babysitters" instead of paying its teachers. “The only curriculum that the students are going to be exposed to is a healthy dose of dodge ball, extended recess, and being corralled into unsafe, and under supervised, gymnasiums and multi-purpose rooms," Canning said in the statement. The district, in a Q & A page on its website, …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Chief says Strongsville will supplement private security
If teachers go on strike Monday, the Strongsville Police Department will assign an officer to each building, Chief James Kobak said. "In addition to private security personnel that have been hired by school officials, Strongsville police officers will be assigned to all school facilities to maintain a safe environment for our students, staff and anyone who is engaged in peaceful, lawful demonstration," Kobak said in a news release. The chief said police have met with both school officials and representatives of the Strongsville Education Association, which is the union representing teachers, "to express our expectation of safety and good public order during this period." Parents who have immediate concerns about safety are asked to call …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
David Frazee says he believes a work stoppage will happen
The Strongsville School District has issued a statement about teacher negotiations in which School Board President David Frazee says he now believes "a teacher union strike is inevitable." Frazee said in a phone interview that he had hoped negotiations would bring the two sides closer to an agreement, but "the progress we've been making has been just, well, none." "I honestly thought we'd have an 11th-hour settlement, but I now believe teachers want a strike," he said. "They're packing up their boxes (in classrooms)." On Tuesday, a representative of the Ohio Education Association also said it appears a strike is likely, saying board members have "dug their heels in" for a prolonged work stoppage. The School Board's statement, released …
Site includes answers to questions about how Strongsville students will be affected
The Strongsville Board of Education, which on Wednesday declared that a teachers' strike appears inevitable, has launched a web page called Negotiation News on the school district's website. The page includes a statement from the board and a link to the state treasurer's online "transparency project" that lists all teachers' salaries. For Strongsville teachers, the school board advises residents to add an extra 10.3 percent to the salary figure for benefits. It also has a Q&A page that answers some of the questions parents are asking about the potential strike, which will start Monday, March 4 unless a contract settlement is reached. The last scheduled negotiating session is set for Saturday morning. The items on the Q&A page include …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday is last chance for a contract agreement before strike
A representative of the Ohio Education Association said there was "no movement" toward a settlement during the latest round of contract talks between Strongsville school officials and the teachers' union. "The board did not come in with a proposal," said Todd Jaeck, labor relations consultant for the OEA. "It seems they have dug their heels in for a prolonged strike." The two sides met for more than four hours Monday evening. Another meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at a federal mediator's office in Independence. "That's the last session before a strike," Jaeck said. Superintendent John Krupinski could not yet be reached for comment. (Strongville Patch will update the story once Krupinski can be contacted). The Strongsville …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Groups gather in front of Strongsville school leaders' houses
Strongsville teachers protested in front of School Board members homes' Monday night as union leaders and administrators met to continue contract talks. Board member Carl Naso said about 20 teachers gathered in front of his house for more than an hour, holding signs and candles. "One guy was holding a tombstone, but I don't know what it said," Naso said. Board member Ruth Brickley said she believes only eight or nine teachers were in front of her house. They stayed about 90 minutes before leaving shortly before 8 p.m. There were protests in front of all five board members' houses. The Strongsville Education Association filed a 10-day strike notice last week and plan to stop working March 4 unless a contract agreement is reached. Teachers…
Absences of non-union employees won't be tolerated, resolution says
Strongsville school leaders are making it clear that if teachers strike March 4, other employees are expected to cross the picket lines and report to work. The School Board passed a resolution Thursday night that says in the event of a work stoppage, all other employee absences must be substantiated by written proof, and that unauthorized absence could lead to dismissal, disciplinary action and/or loss of pay and benefits. "It basically gives the superintendent authority to enforce our policies during a strike," Board President David Frazee said. "If you're going to take sick leave, you have to have a legitimate medical excuse -- that kind of thing." The strike resolution says unauthorized leave would include "individual and/or …
lyn
3:54 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Not to sure about that, considering some of their racist comments about the subs. more ›