Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools, whose May 4 tax will have a significant impact on the county`s finances, have yet to enter into negotiations with any of their unions, according to Superintendent Doug Cozad. ”There`s no standard model for how schools have operated during the pandemic, and so I think this spring`s negotiations will vary greatly from county to county,” Clark said. Some schools were unable to reach new agreements with their unions last summer, and workers are still working under expired contracts. When it comes to safety concerns and protocols, I think there is some reluctance to include the language in the negotiated agreement – because the standards, requirements and recommendations are so fluid,” she said. Contracts for teachers and bus workers in Lebanese schools expired last summer, and while teachers struck a new deal in December, transport workers are still in negotiations. Some addressed the challenges of online and face-to-face simultaneous teaching, and others addressed safety protocols, especially for unions, which also include employees and supervisory staff. DiMauro said some of those agreements will expire this fall as schools move closer to normal approaches. Centerville, West Carrollton, Springboro and Northridge are now in talks. Fairborn, Miamisburg and Troy start in late this month or early May. Xenia Superintendent Gabe Lofton said his district has reached an agreement in principle with his teachers` union and will begin discussions with classified staff next week. OAS President Scott DiMauro pointed out that Ohio was celebrating the 10th anniversary of Senate Bill 5, when voters strongly approved collective bargaining for public sector employees.

He said there was a lot of disagreement over how to measure teachers` effectiveness for merit plans, arguing that current pay scales eliminate previous gender inequalities in teachers` pay. Kettering City Schools and the Miami Valley Career Technology Center are among the few to have already ratified new contractual agreements this spring. Superintendent Nick Weldy said there were no changes related to COVID-related issues in the MVCTC`s new three-year contract, adding that after a ”crazy year,” people wanted to keep negotiations simple. While COVID-related topics, such as online courses and safety protocols, have dominated schools over the past year, these topics seem less central to contract discussions. The terms of these contracts are financially important, as 70-85% of the expenses in the general fund of most schools are salaries and staff benefits. Schools lost some of the government funding last year, but received a boost from federal COVID relief funds. Now they are closely monitoring the state`s ongoing budget process, which includes the debate over a new formula for funding schools. Classified staff at Greenon Schools work under the terms of an expired contract. District Treasurer Brad McKee said he couldn`t say much because of a confidentiality clause regarding negotiations. However, he confirmed that the state labour relations board is involved in Greenon`s dispute resolution process. But the details vary widely — the maximum annual salary for teachers listed in Jefferson Twp.`s tiny school contract is $66,742, while Beavercreek, Centerville, and Kettering are among the counties where a teacher can reach $100,000. Summer 2022 – Dayton, Beavercreek, Huber Heights, Lebanon, Northmont, Franklin, Trotwood, Tecumseh, Milton-Union, Bradford, Greeneview, Yellow Springs, Cedar Cliff, Jefferson Twp.

Tecumseh`s teachers had worked under a year-expired contract until they ratified a new contract in March, which runs until June 2022. Treasurer Denise Robinson said that instead of an increase in the base salary for 2020-2021, the parties have agreed to one-time scholarship payments of $1,500 per person (2.5% of the annual salary for a person earning $60,000). Summer 2024 – Kettering, Oakwood, Miami Valley CTC – I think our district has done a great job of doing its best for everyone throughout the year,” said Karen Gouge, President of the Kettering Teachers` Union. Piqua, Miami East, Covington, Brookville, Carlisle, Greenon Sara Clark, chief counsel for the Ohio School Boards Association, said it makes sense that negotiations depend on how the year went in each county. Robinson said tecumseh`s new contract did not address COVID-19 concerns. Centerville Superintendent Tom Henderson said his district was heading toward the end of negotiations, and that they were also largely limited to salary and merit issues after teachers froze a base salary for this year. The MVCTC`s new contracts for teachers and classified staff include increases of 2.5 percent, 2.0 percent and 2.5 percent for the three years, while the county`s share of employees` health premiums will decline very slightly, Weldy said. NOTE: Several other districts are negotiating with unions for non-teaching staff in 2021. Teachers in each local school district are unionized, primarily through the Ohio Education Association, although some are affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

In most districts, other ”classified” employees (administrators, bus drivers, restaurants and others) are represented by a separate union. Each local negotiates a contract (2 or 3 years is common) with their respective school district. Contracts generally follow a similar form, with workers` remuneration largely determined by their seniority and level of education. Twenty-three of the 40 local school districts are in negotiations or will be in negotiation within a month. Among the contracts concluded, salary increases were relatively small compared to previous years. Kettering`s three-year contract calls for the district`s base salary to increase by 2 percent in the first year, 1.5 percent in Year 2 and 1 percent in Year 3, according to district spokeswoman Kari Basson. .