After being accused of using stall tactics by the Youngstown Education Association, the Youngstown City School District has accused the Union of making inaccurate accusations.

The district claims YEA "continues to negotiate through the media to disrupt the process."

A news release from YCSD said, "As has been consistent throughout the negotiating process, the YEA union on Monday issued another press release making inaccurate accusations directed at the School Board through their spokesperson, Jim Courim."

Both YCSD and YEA noted that progress had been made in negotiations last week ahead of Sunday's scheduled six-hour negotiation meeting.

During that meeting, the school district says they presented information on the budget deficit, the spending of its reserve funds, other neighboring school district raise benchmarks, the decline in enrollment measured against the teaching staff, and financial data from the State Labor Board. YCSD said this was done in order to help bridge the gap in the wage proposal.

The Youngstown Education Association claimed the PowerPoint presentation on district finances was "a blatant and appalling attempt to stall negotiations." The Union also noted in its news release that Tuesday will be the ninth day of school students will miss.

According to the Union's release, they expected a proposal during the Sunday meeting.

The Youngstown City School District says its team worked until midnight Friday on transfer and wage issues and met again Saturday on building information to present to the Union to bridge the gap on transfer and wage proposals.

During Monday's negotiations, both parties met again to negotiate the teacher transfer section of the contract and the school board presented the proposal it had been working on since Friday.

YCSD Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said the following in regard to the YEA press release from Monday afternoon:

"There seems to be a consistent pattern that when we have to address the difficult issue of the large gap between the average wage raise that we are offering based upon our neighboring school districts and the wage demand that the Union has on the table, we can count on a press release or a statement from their spokesperson to spin what is really going on. My team continues to work around the clock. I had my team work until close to midnight on Friday. I asked my Treasurer to prepare financial data to support our wage proposal on Saturday, and I asked the remainder of our team to continue to work on developing a proposal to meet the Union's demand of changing contract language that's been in effect for over a decade. Despite the holiday weekend, my team worked to have a financial presentation ready by Sunday that we presented to the Union and a new proposal on transfers ready by Monday that we then presented in the afternoon as scheduled."

Mr. Batchelor continued, "I can assure our scholars and their families and the public that my team continues to work daily in trying to find a solution to the Union's demands. We are doing this while focusing on both the fiscal and management flexibility that we need to turn around a school district that remains in academic distress. The Union's use of the media has been consistent and, at times, incorrect and sets bargaining back. The contract will need to be settled at the table, not through the media. In response to Monday's press release, I ask everyone in the community to see through what is going on. I want our scholars back in school, but I do not have the authority to end the strike as that is solely and 100% the option of the Union and not of my management team. I have been willing to work under the current terms of the contract while we continue to bargain with our kids back in school."

 

YCSD says it remains willing to work under the contract terms that have been in effect for over a decade while negotiations continue and have offered ways to negotiate with school back in session.

The Union said in its statement Monday that they "remain united and determined and will continue to for as long as it takes."