COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Education Association and Columbus City Schools Board of Education went back to the bargaining table Wednesday afternoon, negotiating for almost 14 hours before an early morning breakthrough.
What You Need To Know
- CEA and CCS Board came to a conceptual agreement
- The sides negotiated for almost 14 hours, beginning Wednesday afternoon
- If CEA members approve the deal, students return to school on Monday
The sides announced they had reached a comprehensive conceptual agreement early Thursday morning.
Jasmyne Turner has two children in Columbus City Schools: Jade and Malachai. They logged in Wednesday morning for remote learning, the only option given that teachers had been on strike since Sunday. But Turner's children struggled on the first day of remote learning, so she was excited to hear Thursday's news.
“It just really proved that we need our teachers, because yesterday the only thing that we were able to accomplish was attendance,” said Turner.
The details of the agreement haven’t been released, but classroom sizes, building conditions and ensuring full-time art, physical education and music teachers were just a few of the CEA’s non-negotiable demands.
Turner said that she hopes the negotiated deal will give teachers the resources they need to do their jobs.
“Ceilings falling down, leaky pipes, peeling paint, mold, pests, those things I hope are in this deal to get those conditions back to where they need them to be,” said Turner.
The CEA will have a meeting this Sunday to outline the deal with all of their members and hold a vote to approve it. The school board also will meet on Friday to finalize the contract. Students will continue online learning on Friday.
In the meantime, teachers are readying their classrooms with plans of welcoming students back Monday.
“We’re so proud of our teachers for standing up for what they believe in and what they believe is right for our students,” said Turner.
In a statement, the CEA thanked the Columbus community for its support and said its members are just ready to get back teaching.