For the first time in nearly half a century, teachers in Columbus, Ohio, have voted to go on strike.
The Columbus Education Association announced Sunday night that more than 94% of it members had voted to reject the Columbus City school board’s last final offer and go on strike for the first time since 1975….
The nearly 4,500-member union — which represents teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals — met for more than three hours at the convention center to vote.
A spokesperson for the CEA said:
“…The school board has tried desperately to make this strike about teacher salary, teacher professional development, and teacher leaves,” she said. “Let me be clear. This strike is about our students who deserve a commitment to modern schools with heating and air conditioning, smaller class sizes, and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and (physical education).”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Right on!
The Libertarian-Fascist Destroy Public Education Crime Syndicate always paints teachers as greedy in their misleading, lying propaganda when we went out on strike. Even when we were willing to negotiate on salaries but not class sizes and other issues regarding students learning and teachers teaching and not pay.
The quality of our students education, health and welfare always came first for the teachers but seldom for district administrates doing as they were told by their masters, the L-F DPECS mafia.
That’s why the average, always underpaid teacher spends their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms.
The June 2021 survey found that teachers spent an average of $750 of their own money to purchase school supplies for their homes, classrooms and students during the 2020/2021 school year. 30% of teachers spent $1,000 or more on school supplies each year.” Aug 18, 2021
I was in the 30% bracket. Even when I had thousands of dollars of credit card debt, I still bought educational materials and supplies for my classroom. Halfway through my thirty year career as a public school classroom teacher, I shelled out hundreds of dollars for a copy machine at my home so I had it to copy class sets of material for lessons and students.
The reason I did that was because the old copy machines in the school’s office kept breaking down and we never knew when they’d work. The district kept claiming they didn’t have the money to buy new ones and could barely pay for the crappy maintenance. And most of the fixing was done by the school secretary who learned how to do it so her teachers could do the best job they could. We loved our school secretary but not most of our administrators. I think she was the most popular person on campus among students and teachers.
“We loved our school secretary but not most of our administrators. I think she was the most popular person on campus among students and teachers.”
So true. Without the “administrative assistants” (notice how the adminimals and managerial class in business appropriated the secretaries for themselves calling them “administrative assistants” and not secretaries.
And I’d include the custodial staff. Without them the school won’t function well for very long.
Teachers are smart to hit the district at the beginning of the school year. I feel sorry for working parents, but this is war. Teachers have put up with too much for too long. I wish them a positive outcome from this collective action.
Solidarity with the Teachers of Columbus!!!! Show the rest of the country how it’s done!!!
On another note, my Congressman, Scott Franklin, continually sends out biased “surveys” like this:
Do you support a Parents’ Bill of Rights to increase transparency on what children are being taught in school and how tax dollars are being spent?
Note that he DOES NOT ask,
Do you support letting a handful of backward, homophobic, transphobic, anti-woman, white supremacist, Christian nationalist, fundamentalist wackjobs among the parents in your community decide what will be taught in your kids’ schools, what books can be in their library, who can teach, and what teachers can and cannot say?
But both statements are talking about the same thing.
YES!!! Good luck to our brothers and sisters in Ohio where charters are running rampantly and rapaciously!
Also, this (I posted something similar last week but it didn’t work):
https://www.deseret.com/2022/8/22/23316523/florida-stop-woke-act-blocked-desantis-appeal
Thanks! I don’t know how I missed that story.
Some districts like Detroit Public Schools Community District and Rockford Public Schools are fully staffed. Increasing salaries appeared to be a key ingredient in their success.
“For the first day of school, we think we’re going to be fully staffed. I don’t think many people can say that statewide. A lot of districts are struggling to fill positions,” said Steve Matthews, superintendent of Rockford.
“Rockford was able to start the school year in a strong position for a couple of reasons. We started early. Our HR Office and building principals did a great job identifying this spring open and potentially open positions and getting commitments early. Second, we increased our starting salaries.”
The Detroit News
Two bits says that Rockford is a wealthy school district that pays better than others.
Those of us who participated in that 1st Columbus strike, in January of ’75, stand proudly in support of today’s CEA strike! Right on!
Brothers and sisters, yes! Walk together.