No progress in Springboro teacher talks Posted: 12:05 a.m. Tuesday, July 9, 2013 BY LAWRENCE BUDD - STAFF WRITER Negotiators for the Springboro school board and teachers union, the Springboro Education Association, made no progress Monday in contract talks, but are expected to continue meeting this week, Superintendent Todd Petrey said. “There was no movement at all,” Petrey said after the session. The board is scheduled to discuss negotiations during an executive session Tuesday. Both sides are scheduled to meet again Wednesday. The latest agreement between the board and teachers and certified staff in Springboro expired on June 30, but officials said they can continue to meet while negotiations are progressing. The board is offering step pay increases, which have been frozen, while seeking another 5 percent in health care from the union, Petrey said. The teachers are seeking increases in base salary from $34,563, where it has been since 2008, to $36,500 in 2013-2014 and $36,865 in 2014-2015, according to proposals posted on the school district web site. “Ultimately it’s a decision the board is going to have to make,” Petrey said. In deciding how long to pursue an agreement, the union is relying on direction from a mediator, according to Marla Bell, a labor consultant with the Ohio Education Association. A parents group, Springboro United for Responsible Education, wrote letters in support of the teachers. “Our teachers are just like all of us and deserve fair pay and a fair contract, after several years of going without an increase,” parent Lynn Greenberg said in a letter to the board Monday. Both sides said they hope to avoid a strike, but took steps toward one. Union officials have authority from local members to act on a 10-day strike notice. The board has budgeted $200,000 for strike expenses.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 04:41:07 +0000