Aug 15, 2022 - News

Columbus schools will go online if teachers strike

Teachers hold signs  that say "Columbus students deserve safe, properly maintained, fully resourced schools in every neighborhood. Columbus Education Association contract 2022"

Columbus Education Association members at a recent meeting. Photo courtesy of the CEA

The first day of school for Columbus City Schools could be anything but normal, with teachers threatening to go on strike two days before students return on Aug. 24.

The latest: The Columbus Education Association will decide whether to strike this Sunday, the day its current employment contract expires.

By the numbers: That won't be easy. The district has about 4,000 teachers and a pool of 600 substitutes, a spokesperson told Axios last month.

Between the lines: The union is asking for 8% annual base pay raises for three years, the district alleges in a complaint with the State Employment Relations Board obtained by Axios.

  • That's in addition to "step increases" to award seniority that are already built into a salary schedule.
  • The district extended 3% annually for three years in a "final offer" and the union refuses to counteroffer, it says.

The other side: Union spokesperson Regina Fuentes tells Axios compensation hasn't been negotiated yet because the sides can't agree on other employment issues such as class size, outsourced jobs, and facility conditions, including delayed air conditioning projects.

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