TOLEDO, Ohio — Contract negotiations between Washington Local Schools and the Teachers Association of Washington Local Schools have been ongoing for 135 days as of Tuesday.
The lengthy ordeal has frustrated TAWLS members, like its spokesperson Jeff Christoffers. So, on Tuesday, he and others gathered at American Legion Post 587 in west Toledo for a community forum.
"That's what tonight's about: Let them (the audience) have a question and answer, let them express their support or their concerns about what TAWLS is doing and what we're doing in this contract," Christoffers said shortly before the meeting began.
Ultimately, Christoffers says, the union wants better pay. But he knows that to get that, some sacrifices need to be made.
"We're getting compensated at the lowest level of all eight of the major districts in Lucas County. That's a real problem," he said. "But at the same time, we have to acknowledge as a union, that we're paying the least amount into healthcare at this time. We have to remedy that."
During the forum, Christoffers said an entry-level teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience makes $41,241 at WLS.
This number is lower than districts across Lucas County like Springfield Local Schools. Its latest contract has a starting rate for the same criteria at $43,987.
It's these concerns that TAWLS is hoping will be boosted with a new deal, ideally before fact-finding begins on Jan. 6.
"To be quite honest with you, at this point, fact-finding, it's not a moot cause. But at the same time, it's one of those things where we want to get things done before that," Christoffers said.
However, if progress continues to stall, Christoffers says a strike is possible.
Recently, the union has formed a crisis team to prepare for that scenario. TAWLS member Jeremy Elliott hopes it doesn't have to come to that, though.
"We are in the early stages of meeting as a crisis team, but obviously looking forward we're trying to plan for the upcoming weeks and prepare our members for the potential of our members not working," Elliott said.
WLS provided the following statement regarding the current standing of the contract negotiations:
"Washington Local Schools fully supports the fact-finding process as an important step toward a fair and balanced agreement with our valued teaching staff. The Board has approached negotiations with a collaborative mindset, adapting to honor our TAWLS members, while remaining committed to responsible financial stewardship. As a district who has not gone to our voters since 2019 and with no plan to do so in the near future, we believe this process will help us reach a solution that respects the vital role of our educators and reinforces our accountability to taxpayers, while ensuring the district’s long-term stability without additional funding requests."
But Christoffers says he's not seen the district's "collaborative mindset" in recent weeks.
"There have been no proposals extended our way," he said. "We are allowed to continue negotiating before fact-finding exists. It hasn't happened, it doesn't appear it's going to happen, that makes me nervous."