Euclid teachers issue strike notice

EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) – Teachers in the Euclid City School District issued a 10-day strike notice.

A spokesperson for the Euclid Teachers’ Association notified the Euclid Board of Education on Thursday after contract negotiations fell through on both sides.

The ETA said teachers in the district have been working without a contract for more than four months.

One of the big issues in negotiating is the board’s proposal to take teachers from their classrooms and reassign them at any point of the school year.

The district released the following statement:

“We are disappointed that the Euclid Teachers Association (ETA) has decided to issue a 10- day notice of its intent to strike. The Union is fighting to keep contract language dating from the 1950’s in place, even though changes in education over the past seven decades necessitate modernizing our contract to better ensure student success as they prepare to enter today’s world, not that of our grandparents.

“In an effort to take care of our teachers and provide economic stability in this unprecedented pandemic-driven environment, we are offering teachers one of the biggest salary increases among any school district in Ohio. With this substantial wage increase, Euclid teachers’ salary will be competitive with districts in Northeast Ohio and across the state.“

Negotiations are set to resume on Wednesday.