COLUMBUS, Ohio — Negotiations between the Columbus Board of Education and the Columbus Education Association ended on Wednesday with no movement forward.
Going through nearly six hours of negotiations, a federal mediator called an end to it all Wednesday. CCS indicated union representatives were not engaged in the process.
In response, “We are ready and willing to meet as many times as it takes to reach an agreement, provided that CEA is ready to have productive conversation,” said Columbus City School Board President Jennifer Adair.
However, CEA officials said they presented an offer that included all non-economic issues, which still needed to be addressed.
While they were expecting the board to come back with something in response, “The board provided CEA with no counter proposals at all,” said CEA President John Coneglio.
It’s not clear what direction negotiations will go, but for now, CEA Spokesperson Regina Fuentes said the intent to file a strike notice is still in play. Their deadline to file is Thursday, Aug. 11. As for families and their students caught in the middle, CCS stated they will answer questions soon, while the CEA indicated they hope families will understand the stance of teachers and why they are pushing for change.
