Teachers in Dayton, Ohio are dangling the possibility of a “back-to-school” walkout in an effort to win concessions from the local school district.
The Dayton Education Association (DEA) filed a 10-day strike notice with the Ohio State Employees Relations Board July 31. DEA president David Romick said that the union is planning to hold three meetings with the school district ahead of an Aug. 11 deadline.
If no agreement is reached, teachers could strike Aug. 11, just four days before the start of school. Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Rhonda Corr said that the schools will be open for the first day of class, regardless of whether teachers are on strike, according to the Dayton Daily News.
“When you’re in these situations, just like any other district across the United States, you have to be ready, because our job is to provide education for children,” Corr said July 26. “So schools will be open. There will be a strike plan in place. I don’t want to use it.”
The current contract expired June 30.
The teachers rallied in May for better working conditions. The two sides met dozens of times, but were unable to reach an agreement. The union is fighting for a number of provisions. It wants counselors at every school, not just the high schools. The union also said that they need additional staff to keep the libraries open everyday.
The union is set to meet with its members Tuesday evening in what it is calling a “critical meeting.” In a brochure for the event, the union warns its members that the meeting outcome “may impact all of our careers.”
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