Columbus students, parents react to tentative deal to end teachers strike
Jeri Lankford danced across the parking lot of the Linden Community Center on Thursday.
The third grader's mom, Tenelle McGrew, let out a whoop and holler right alongside her.
Mother and daughter rejoiced over word that Columbus City Schools and the Columbus Education Association had reached a tentative deal to end the strike by 4,500 teachers and educational professionals in the city for the first time since 1975.
Across Columbus, many students, parents and community members went to bed with pits in their stomachs on Wednesday night, when the first day of districtwide classes began remotely, only to draw in deep sighs of relief Thursday morning after learning a "conceptual agreement" was reached that is expected to return students to the classroom on Monday.
McGrew said she is relieved, especially after spending most of Wednesday assisting her 8-year-old and half a dozen other Columbus students through a remote first day of class in the rec center during a disappointing day of virtual chaos.
"I have a deep appreciation for our teachers and what they do," the 44-year-old said. "But yesterday was ridiculous. There's only so much a kid can do with a page of links. I'm glad the strike is over."
Her daughter, Lankford, sporting a paint-splatter-style t-shirt that matched the beads holding her hair in place, is ready to start school — mostly so she can meet her teacher, but also so she can take her braids out.
"It makes me happy we can go back to school," she said.
The first thing Lankford is going to do on Monday — assuming the tentative agreement is ratified by union members — is welcome her teachers.
"And say, 'You better not be on strike again!'" she added, pointing her finger for emphasis.
'Tears of joy': Columbus City Schools parents are relieved
Jinny Hanes cried tears of joy when she saw the news Thursday morning of a tentative settlement — the result of a marathon negotiating session that began at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and ended shortly before 3 a.m. on Thursday.
"At midnight, I finally called it and went to bed," the Linden mother of two said of waiting on news. "I'm just so glad that they've finally come to an agreement."
Hanes and her two boys — a sixth grader at Medina Middle School and a fourth grader at Clinton Elementary School — spent Wednesday out on the picket lines with hundreds of other families and students.
The community support — cars honking, strangers dropping off snacks and bottles of water, entire families picketing together — was overwhelming, she said.
Now, with a tentative agreement in place, Hanes said her family will keep holding the "virtual picket line" until the union votes.
"Monday, as long as it's in person, then my kids will be back in school," she said.
On the Near East Side, Mark Kafantaris woke up to one of the happiest texts he has received in a long time.
“I’m just very happy that both sides have reached common ground,” Kafantaris said. “... I don’t know a single parent in the district who wouldn’t be thrilled about it.”
The 40-year-old took his Ecole Kenwood French Immersion first-grader to the Whetstone High School picket line Wednesday. The strike has been stressful for his family, he said, but it has caused him to look into the issues that were raised by the union, such as building facilities.
Kanfantaris said he remains concerned about the lack of trust between teachers and the school board that had built up and eventually eroded during the strike. He said he intends to pay close attention to the next school board election.
“It’s a very public fight, and I think that it’s a bit awkward for everyone in the district,” he said.
That frustration resonated with Elizabeth Boykins, who has a kindergartener, fourth grader and fifth grader in the school district and was in line to receive grab-and-go meals at East High School when the site opened at 11 a.m. Thursday.
"I'm disgusted," Boykins said. "I just think it's unfair to expect a kindergartener to log on online."
The mother-of-three said she didn't know who to direct her anger toward. She supports the teachers, she said, but is frustrated after two years of remote learning during the pandemic.
"I stand with them. I don't think they're asking for anything extraordinary," Boykins said. "But it's like the new normal just keeps happening."
'Today is exciting': Columbus school board, teachers union praise deal
Amid the hoopla, Columbus Board of Education member Eric Brown spoke to the volunteer panel responsible for overseeing all of the district's construction projects on Thursday morning.
"Thank you all for your continued good work," Brown told them in a virtual meeting. "Today is exciting, not just with the projects you're recommending ... but also we have a conceptual agreement with our teachers and we're wrapping things up in the next few days with that negotiation process.
"I appreciate the support from the community for helping us get to that point," he added.
Tina Pierce, a member of the Columbus Board of Education, said she looks forward to working with CEA "to begin the process of healing, rebuilding trust, and strengthening our relationships with the broader community. Together, we can establish a collaborative relationship and use our collective power to lay the groundwork for systemic change. Ultimately, I believe that we all want policies, practices, and curriculum that promote the success and well-being of students, teachers, staff, and communities equitably.
School Board President Jennifer Adair said that while the board cannot release details about the agreement yet, members recognize the value of the union's essential work.
"We look forward to welcoming our students, teachers, and staff back to the classroom on Monday," she said.
From the union's perspective, the agreement is one step closer to seeing kids in classrooms on Monday.
“This is a win. This is a good deal,” Columbus Education Association spokesperson Regina Fuentes said Thursday during a press conference.
The association is trying to find a place that can hold their 4,500 members this weekend for a mass membership meeting so the vote can take place before Sunday night, thereby allowing students to return to in-person school on Monday.
Thursday was a planning day for teachers in the district, and teachers will go back into school buildings Friday to set their classrooms up, Fuentes said.
Members were back on the district’s payroll starting Thursday, said Amber James, labor relations consultant with the Ohio Education Association.
Is the agreement fair? Franklin County, city advocates express cautious optimism
Lois Ferguson, who leads the South Linden Area Commission, said her first concern is whether the agreement between the board of education and the teachers' union gives those educational professionals “a fair and equitable shake.”
Teachers deserve more than the 3% raises the district was offering, she said, and that's because they often spend more waking hours than parents do with the kids. Teachers not only work with their students on education, but also manners and behavior.
“It’s not always easy,” Ferguson said.
In comparison, Superintendent Talisa Dixon earned a 8.5% raise earlier this year, she said, bringing her annual salary to $262,520. It seems like teachers aren't valued enough, Ferguson added, especially with all the school that kids have already missed due to the pandemic.
“I know a lot of people have expressed a lot of concern," she said. "They have already been behind. What does this do to our youth?”
Franklin County Commissioner John O'Grady agreed.
"Getting kids back in school is crucial not only for them but for their parents," O'Grady said. "Kids need to be in the learning environment and parents need the stability. We’re grateful for our teachers and glad to hear that an agreement has been reached.”
Meanwhile, the NAACP Columbus' chapter was encouraged by the tentative pact. President Nana Watson said they'll still wait with the rest of the community for the teacher's union to officially approve the agreement.
"Let’s move forward for the common good of our community and begin on Monday to educate our most precious gift — our children,” she said.
Dispatch reporters Sheridan Hendrix, Mark Ferenchik, Taijuan Moorman and Nathaniel Shuda contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus students, parents relieved over tentative new teachers pact
