Columbus teachers, school district reach conceptual agreement

(The Center Square) – Columbus school teachers will not return to the picket line today, but instead are expected to be home preparing to return to class Monday after the union leaders and the Columbus City School District reached a conceptual contract agreement early Thursday morning to end the teachers’ strike.

Neither union leaders nor the school released details of the agreement. The Columbus Education Association tweeted shortly after 3 a.m. a “comprehensive conceptual agreement” had been reached at 2:38 a.m. It told teachers not to report to picket sites and to check their emails for further instructions.

A membership vote on the proposed contract is expected to come later.

Columbus School Board President Jennifer Adair, in a statement, said students will continue online learning for Thursday and Friday, allowing those days for teacher planning for a return to school Monday.

“The last few months have been devoted to finding resolution and a strong plan forward with the Columbus Education Association in shared support of our children,” Adair’s statement read. “Tonight, we are happy to report that we have reached a conceptual agreement with CEA leaders, and our children will return to in-person instruction on Monday. While the details cannot yet be disclosed, the contract recognizes the Board’s commitment to improving our student outcomes, the essential work of the CEA members, and strengthening our learning environments.”

Teachers voted Aug. 21 to strike after a 12-hour negotiating session Aug. 18 failed to produce an agreement.

As previously reported by The Center Square, The union had asked for smaller class sizes, full-time art, music and physical education teachers at the elementary-school level, functioning heating and air-conditioning in classrooms, planning time at the elementary level and a cap on the number of class periods in a day.

As also reported, the school district had offered increased staffing for school nurses, psychologists and speech language pathologists; adding planning days for teachers in the 2024 and 2025 school years; and a commitment to have CEA at the table to address equity-based staffing.

The board’s original offer also included guaranteed base salary increases each year for three years in addition to step increases based on employee experience; a retention and recruitment bonus of $2,000; and new paid family leave that goes beyond employees’ sick leave