Cleveland, OH —Teachers at three Cleveland charter schools in the ACCEL Schools chain ratified a new three year contract today. The contract limits class sizes to 30 students, reduces the number of instructional and non-instructional days in the school year, and guarantees wage increases.
OFT President Melissa Cropper released the following statement on Ohio’s biennial operating budget, HB 166, that was signed by Governor DeWine today:
The budget that was signed today is marked by missed opportunities to fix our broken and unconstitutional school funding formula, to close reckless tax loopholes, and to end school takeovers that disenfranchise local communities.
Our members have been calling for increased funding for wraparound services in our public schools for years, and we appreciate that Governor DeWine and the legislature made that a priority in this year’s budget with $675 million in additional spending. However, our school districts still need a fair and equitable formula that allows them to know what their funding levels will be so they can make the investments needed in their districts. We look forward to the continuing work that Representatives Cupp and Patterson are doing to fund our future with a new school funding formula.
“The policies that shape education for Ohio’s children are too important to be rushed through as add-ons to the state budget, especially when there is so little support for those policies that they have been unable to advance out of committee, as is the case with the Senate’s expansion of EdChoice vouchers,” said Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper.
"The budget that was passed today by the state house begins to move us in the right direction with the largest increase in funding for Ohio’s traditional K-12 public schools in more than a decade, a $675 million investment, and with additional funding for foster care and higher education."
The Cleveland Teachers Union and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District have reached a Tentative Agreement for a new contract that would be effective beginning July 1, 2019. The CTU and CMSD entered negotiations in January of this year for the contract that expires on June 30, 2019.
“Our current school funding formula is deeply flawed and unconstitutional in its reliance on property taxes. The new funding formula that Representatives Cupp and Patterson released today is a step in the right direction because it focuses on what our students need to succeed and excel."
Painesville, OH – Teachers, intervention specialists, and instructional assistants at Summit Academy Community School – Painesville voted overwhelmingly for union recognition today. They are the seventh charter school in northeast Ohio and the second school operated by Summit Academy Management to join the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Cleveland ACTS) local, which is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
"Funding our future requires raising revenue to make serious investments in families, children, and communities. Minor investments will not move the needle."
Parma, OH — Teachers and intervention specialists at Summit Academy in Parma voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract today, following a nine day strike. The contract includes gains for student learning conditions, including language on class size and staffing. Union members will have a strengthened voice through a Labor-Management Committee and a binding grievance and arbitration process. The contract does not include any economic gains for teachers, but there will be an economic re-opener in the fall after the school’s enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year is set.