South Western teachers, board approve new contract
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) – The South Western City School Board approved a new contract agreement with the teachers’ union Thursday.
All five board members voted in favor of the contract, coming after the district and the union had to bring in a mediator after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement last month.
While parents are happy a deal was made, some said they weren’t happy with how the board handled the situation.
The union also approved the contract, which will run through June 30, 2028. However, it was still a pretty heated meeting Thursday between the board president and parents who attended.
In late June, the district and the union reached a tentative agreement. At that time, a spokesperson for the district said there were nine continuous hours of mediation before the agreement was reached. At Thursday’s meeting, a parent said this would have never happened if the community hadn’t stepped in.
“This board was not going to negotiate with SWEA (South Western Education Association) as they were putting up roadblocks at every turn,” parent Katie Stuckey said. “They weren’t worried about anything until the community showed up and said, ‘We support our teachers.’”
South Western Board President Chris Boso said that wasn’t the case.
“This deal would have got made without all this, without all, like I said, and you can quote me, ‘hysteria,’” Boso said. “This school district is running good. We're doing good things in this district. We support teachers in this district. There’s not a time that I wouldn't support a teacher in this district.”
Parents were not happy with his comments.
"This is not hysteria,” Stuckey said. “This is community involvement. This is parent involvement.”
As part of the new agreement, union members will receive a 3.3% salary increase in year one and a 3% increase in both years two and three.
“I am glad that they reached a deal,” Stuckey said. “If SWEA is good with it, then I'm good with it. I'm just, I'm always with the teachers.”
In a statement, Boso said, in part, “As we look to the next chapter, I’m confident that this agreement lays the groundwork for even greater student achievement and continued academic innovation in the years ahead.”
The agreement went into effect immediately.