YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)- Youngstown City Schools will start the school year next week, but will teachers?
On Friday, the teachers union and the district are meeting once again hoping to nail down a contract before the first day of school.
August 23 is an important date: The first day of school, but also the pending strike start if a contract is not finalized.
On Thursday, the union and school board failed to make a deal, which is why there is a meeting once again Friday. The two parties have been at odds over several things, but the union has been very clear it isn’t all about the money.
“For us, it is contract language. There are some things in the contract that we would like to revisit, and make adjustments to, those types of things. that’s where we’re at,” said YEA Spokesperson Jim Courim.
The union is unable to go into specifics as to what exact language of the contract they are wanting to fix. But like any negotiation, money still is something on the table. The board has budgeted for 2% raises, but that still is also being negotiated.
The teachers union has made it clear, the hang-up isn’t about money, but about the contract language itself. After speaking with YEA spokesperson Jim Courim, he says the union is unable to provide specifics to the exact language they want changed.
Both the union and school board can agree on one thing, they want to make sure the school year starts on time with the teachers in the classroom.
“I hope that we can get this settled tomorrow (Friday). I know we have about 400 teachers that are looking forward to welcoming our students next week so we’re hoping to get something settled so that we can get that accomplished,” said Courim.
The two parties will be meeting Friday morning at Chaney High School. A strike vote has been scheduled for Monday, which, if there’s a tentative agreement in place, most likely will not be held.
