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Teachers' strike averted in Chardon schools
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - October 14, 2009)
Teachers' strike averted in Chardon schools
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
The Chardon Board of Education erased the threat of a strike Monday by approving a new two-year contract with the teachers union.
Board chairman Blake Rear said the board voted 4-1 to approve the new contract that calls for a 1 percent, one-time bonus in the first year of the contract. The second year calls for a zero percent increase in base salary, he said.
Mr. Rear, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he did not wish to comment on that.
The new contract with the Chardon Education Association runs from Sept. 1, 2009, to Aug. 31, 2011.
Teachers had been working without a contract since Aug. 31, and tensions had spurred talk of a strike.
Two weeks after the expiration of the contract, more than 100 teachers gathered on Chardon Square to rally support for their cause. At that time, teachers said they were running out of options, which could lead to a work stoppage.
Teachers had rejected a board offer of zero percent base salary increases, saying they had accepted similar terms in three of the last five years. They accused the board of withholding a meager increase while spending money for replacement of a football field, buying a house and paying a "high-priced" attorney to conduct negotiations.
The board countered that the economy was forcing it to hold tight to the district's finances.
Mr. Rear had said there were 70 foreclosures in the school district, and real-estate tax assessments were $1.37 million behind projections.
"While most of our employees are in what has been historically a recession-proof occupation, our constituents face increased unemployment, salary reductions, health-care concessions, foreclosures and other unprecedented losses in their quality of life," Mr. Rear had said in response to the teachers' position.
A fact sheet handed out by the school board noted that more than 65 percent of teachers already received a salary increase for this year, ranging between $300 and $3,555.
Mr. Rear said the new contract also provides some concessions in health care in the second year of the contract. He said teachers will pay a higher premium for coverage in that second year.
The Chardon Education Association voted to approve the new contract last week, Mr. Rear said.
The union represents 191 teachers, including classroom teachers, school nurses, speech and language pathologists, guidance counselors, media specialists and special education intervention specialists.
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