Columbus, Ohio Teachers Go On Strike 2 Days Before Schools Start - Report

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2022) The Columbus Education Association, a teachers union representing more than 4,000 educators, nurses and other employees working in the Columbus city schools district, have gone on strike two days before the start of the school year, the Washington Post reported.

The strike is about students who deserve a commitment to modern schools with heating and air conditioning, smaller class sizes and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and physical education, the report quoted Columbus Education Association spokesperson Regina Fuentes as saying on Monday.

The union decided to go on strike after 94% of its members voted to refuse accepting the school board's "last, best and final offer" to improve conditions at the Columbus School District, the report said.

Fuentes explained that teachers had been negotiating in good faith with the Columbus school board for months in an effort to reach agreement on salaries, professional development and leave for teachers, as well as smaller class sizes, art, music and physical education for Columbus students, the report said.

The union will continue fighting until there are safe, properly maintained and fully resourced schools in every neighborhood, Fuentes said.

Given that the strike will affect 47,000 schoolchildren, district administrators and substitute teachers will teach classes online, the Columbus city school district said.