Rand Paul says Manhattan DA should be 'put in jail' for Trump probe

WASHINGTON – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the Manhattan district attorney leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump's alleged hush-money payments should "be put in jail."

Paul's comments came in a tweet Tuesday and follows the former president's prediction that he would be indicted for his alleged role in making a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election to silence her about an affair with him.

"A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power," Paul said in the tweet.

The Kentucky senator did not provide any further details or context on the tweet, and Trump had not been formally indicted by the district attorney's office as of Tuesday afternoon.

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GOP calls for Alvin Bragg testimony

Three Republican House committee chairs have called on the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, to testify about the probe into Trump's payments and the possible charges. The district attorney’s office in Manhattan started investigating Trump in 2018, four years before Bragg took office.

Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, head of the Judiciary Committee; James Comer of Kentucky, head of the Oversight and Accountability Committee; and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, head of the Administration Committee, sent a letter to Bragg saying his actions could "erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice."

“You are reportedly about to engage in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "In light of the serious consequences of your actions, we expect that you will testify about what plainly appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision."

They set a March 23 deadline for Bragg to testify.

More:What is an indictment? Why would Trump get arrested? Here's what we know about the process

Democrats to GOP: 'Quit meddling'

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, said the Republican chairs acted outside their powers to influence a pending criminal investigation at the state level.

“The Republicans' letter to the Manhattan District Attorney represents an astonishing and unprecedented abuse of power as they attempt to use Congressional resources to interfere in an ongoing criminal investigation at another level of government and obstruct a possible criminal indictment," he said in a statement.

New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Republicans "tie themselves in knots" protecting the former president.

"Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy: hands off NYC & quit meddling in ongoing investigations," he tweeted.

Contributing: Bart Jansen

Opinion:Donald Trump wants you to think he's constantly the victim. Maybe he's just a bad dude.

Opinion:Will Trump get arrested? Between sketchy witnesses and the law, case comes up short.


Los Angeles schools closed as strike begins; negotiations at a ...

The massive Los Angeles Unified School District was closed Tuesday – and may be Wednesday and Thursday – because of a planned strike by tens of thousands of school employees and teachers.

"All schools across LAUSD will be closed tomorrow," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, leader of the nation's second-largest school district, said at a news conference late Monday. "Tomorrow will be a difficult day."

Carvalho, who oversees about 420,000 students at more than 1,000 schools, expressed frustration with the union representing workers including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, campus security and teaching assistants. The union said talks with the school district broke down Monday and "the strike will begin at 4:30 am Tuesday, March 21 and continue through Thursday March 23."

But Carvalho said there were no talks.

"I made myself available alongside my team for hours today, hoping that we would, in fact, be able to have a conversation for a whole host of reasons, some of which I do not understand," he said. "We were never in the same room, or even in the same building."

The district's 35,000 teachers have said they will strike in solidarity with their colleagues, leaving the district little choice but to close schools.

Carvalho, who also called the district's teachers and support staff "indispensable," pledged to be available throughout the night, into the morning and all day Tuesday to restart talks and possibly cut the three-day disruption short.

"My appeal is that as we go into tomorrow, despite the event that will take place tomorrow, that our partners decide to come into the room where we can, in fact, hash out an agreement, a solution, that will narrow the bandwidth of this strike," he said.

"For me," Carvalho said later, "one day out of school is one day too many."

Los Angeles teacher:Why I'm on strike with otherschool workers

What do the school employees want?

SEIU Local 99, which represents about 30,000 school employees, wants the district to tap into its billions in reserves to provide a 30% raise and a $2-an-hour equity wage increase.

"We understand the frustration," said Carvalho, who has been in charge of Los Angeles Unified for a little more than a year, "a frustration that has been brewing not just for a couple of years, probably for decades, and it is on the basis of recognizing historic inequities."

But he said the district has made a generous and historic proposal, even if it's not as much as what the union demands. The district has put a 23% recurring raise and a 3% cash bonus on the table "in recognition of the contributions of our support personnel."

The union expressed its own frustration with the school district, however, claiming it compromised confidentiality about the negotiations.

What happens to the kids? Los Angeles teachers, staff say they'll strike March 21 to 23

What can students do while schools are closed?

Students can login to Schoology to access activities and resources. Students may also request printed activities and resources from their schools, the district said.

A limited number of schools will be open to supervise students, but Carvalho urged parents to identify two or three nearby school sites that plan to be open to watch kids, given that principals may have to turn some of them away if too many students are there.

"I do expect for some issues to occur," he said.

In addition, a number of Los Angeles parks will offer supervision, the school district website says. And the Los Angeles parks department will offer special programs at some of its rec centers. The Los Angeles Zoo will be free for students and $5 for adult chaperones.

What about kids who count on school meals?

The school district has set up sites where parents can pick up meals for students, enough for all three days schools are closed.

How long will the strike last?

The district said the strike is limited to three days, so classes would resume no later than Friday.

Contributing: Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY

LA Unified strike nears; teachers plan to join other workers in protest

Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District employees plan to announce a three-day strike at a rally on Wednesday, in a move Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told parents would likely force the nation's second-largest school system to shut down for days without access to even remote classes.

About 30,000 workers who are members of SEIU Local 99, which represents bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria employees, campus security and teaching assistants, are asking for the district to "use the district’s $4.9 billion in reserves to invest in staff, students, and communities" to pay for a 30% raise and $2 per hour equity wage increase. The district's 35,000 teachers. represented by United Teachers Los Angeles, are expected to join.

“Workers are fed-up with living on poverty wages – and having their jobs threatened for demanding equitable pay! Workers are fed-up with the short staffing at LAUSD – and being harassed for speaking up,” Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said in a statement.

The school district has offered, in part, more than a 15% raise, retention bonuses and to bring its minimum wage up to $20, Carvalho wrote in a letter to parents on Monday evening.

Schools will be open on Wednesday, said Shannon Haber, a spokesperson for the district, in an email to USA TODAY.

If the union and the district don't come to an agreement and schools close, more than 600,000 students and their families would be affected by the "tremendous upheaval," Carvalho said. The closures would hit when students are struggling to make up for time lost to the pandemic and end-of-year tests loom.

"The truth is, we are between a rock and a hard place," he wrote in the letter to parents.

"A strike would impact our students right now, but accepting all of our labor partners’ demands would mean future program cutbacks, possible job losses, or even bankruptcy," he wrote. "We simply cannot fund ongoing expenses with one-time funds such as federal pandemic aid."

Can we recover? Half of nation's students fell behind a year after COVID school closures.

How should parents plan?

"If this strike does occur, despite our best efforts to avoid it, the most likely outcome is that we will have to close schools until the strike ends," the school district said in an automated call to parents, obtained by USA TODAY.

"We want to apologize to you," the call began. "You do not deserve this, and our students especially do not deserve this."

"We will give you as much advance notice as possible, but we encourage you to begin discussions with your employer, child care providers and others now," the recorded message continued. "We are committed to continue good faith bargaining with our labor partners around the clock to reach an agreement and prevent a strike."

Bumpy beginning:Seattle schools start as teacher strike is suspended

Strikes rebound after a decline

Teachers in a number of school districts across the country have gone on strike over the last year. Just this week, teachers from across Texas gathered at the state Capitol, demanding better pay and working conditions.

And in 2022, the number of workers involved in major strikes surged to 120,600 over the prior year, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Economic Policy Institute. Still, it's a significant decline from pre-pandemic levels in 2018 and 2019, EPI said.

Other federal data show that in addition to a shortage of teachers in some regions, custodians and bus drivers, among other school workers, have been in short supply. One survey last summer found that close to a third of the nation’s school districts had vacancies in transportation or custodial staff.

That's only added to teachers' stress and feelings of burnout.

Equal Pay Day? Not for teachers:Why men make more than women in female-dominated field.

Who will be on strike?

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingartentweeted that she would join striking workers Wednesday.

"On Wed March 15, I'll be joining @utlanow & tens of thousands of LAUSD education workers will in calling on LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho to use the district’s $4.9 billion in reserves to invest in staff, students, and communities," she said.

SEIU Local 99 voted to strike in February, in part "to protest the district’s unfair practices, including threats, interrogation, and surveillance of members who participated in last month’s strike vote," the union said on its website.

The teachers union said it would join in solidarity.

"SEIU Local 99 and UTLA members work side by side in LA schools every day and share a vision for using the district’s historic level of reserves to invest in LA schools through higher pay to attract and retain experienced staff, smaller class sizes, cleaner schools, and access to the counselors, special education assistants, nurses, psychologists, food service workers, custodians, librarians, and others necessary for student success," the teachers union said.

Overworked, underpaid?:The toll of burnout is contributing to teacher shortages nationwide

District, teachers, at odds

The Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. The six-day protest was their first in decades and led to a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school counselors and changed how the school system handles class sizes.

2019 Los Angeles teachers' strike:Here's what happened

The union was excoriated earlier in the pandemic for holding firm that it was not safe for teachers and students to work in person. Other California districts began to return to in-person teaching, in some cases well before Los Angeles students.

United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz told Los Angeles Magazine that, despite the months students spent at home, trying to learn online, "there is no such thing as learning loss. Our kids didn’t lose anything.

"It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience. They learned survival."

Then, earlier this school year, the teachers union voted to boycott optional learning days that were added to the calendar. United Teachers of Los Angeles in a press release has referred to the district’s so-called "acceleration days" as a “$122 million stunt” that “prioritizes optics over student needs."

How much time do kids spend in school? It depends on where they live.

Contributing: Alia Wong, USA TODAY

Major UN report calls for urgent climate action, Amazon to lay off ...

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: 'Humanity is on thin ice:' Major UN report calls for urgent action

The latest UN climate report paints a dire picture. Brendan Guy, the Director of International Climate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, explains. Plus, Amazon will lay off more workers, President Joe Biden has issued his first veto, USA TODAY Education Editor Nirvi Shah explains why Los Angeles teachers are striking, and Team USA tries to win it all in the World Baseball Classic.

Podcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Tuesday, the 21st of March 2023. Today, how concerned should we be about the latest UN climate report? Plus, Amazon announces more layoffs, and thousands of teachers and staffers strike in California.

♦

Urgent action is needed to fight climate change. That's what the latest UN report on climate says. UN Secretary-General António Guterres put it bluntly.

António Guterres:

Humanity is on thin ice and that ice is melting fast.

Taylor Wilson:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, painted a dire picture this week. But what's different about this report from other calls to action we've heard in recent years? I spoke with Brendan Guy, the Director of International Climate at the Natural Resources Defense Council to find out. Brendan, thanks for hopping on the podcast.

Brendan Guy:

My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So can you just start by explaining what the IPCC is and why their findings carry so much weight?

Brendan Guy:

The IPCC is a representative set of the world's foremost experts on climate science from every single region in the world. So they take a look at all the science that has been published over the last couple of years and basically do a comprehensive assessment. They put together these reports every five to seven years to say what are the big picture implications that policy makers, that individuals, that business leaders need to know to incorporate climate action into their lives and into their day-to-day.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah, I'm happy you use those words "big picture." What is different about this final report?

Brendan Guy:

So there's two areas I think that are somewhat new in putting all these different puzzle pieces together. The first one is on urgency. So this report really is showing now that because we have basically seen emissions going up for those past five years, our pathway to hold emissions to that level of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit is really now that much steeper. And so it finds we really do need to step up our game in the next couple of years if we want to avoid that type of really, really negative outcome.

A second insight that's somewhat new is on the equity side, that climate change is already causing impacts and harms that are beyond our ability to adapt even in rich countries like the US, and that if we're going to really address these losses and damages that the world is experiencing and will continue to experience, we need to really hit accelerate in terms of what we're doing, not only to reduce emissions, but what we're doing to build resilience to the people on the ecosystems that are being hardest hit by this crisis.

Taylor Wilson:

So most of our listeners won't have the power required maybe to put these big government bureaucracies to work changing things. What can some of our listeners do about these issues?

Brendan Guy:

That's the good news is the IPCC tells us we still have a narrow window to act and we need everyone on board and all hands on deck. So everyone has a role to play in figuring out how to combat this crisis. Whether it's having a conversation with a loved one, a parent or a friend. You can go to local meetings, engage with your local elected officials, ask them what they're doing to take into account these latest scientific findings and craft policy that is actually going to make people's lives richer, healthier, more equitable, more vibrant, and act on that. You can write to your members of Congress. So whatever you do, no matter how small, I think the most important thing is do something and it's going to take all of us to really make the changes necessary to confront this crisis.

Taylor Wilson:

What's next for the IPCC?

Brendan Guy:

This was a little bit of a last call for them. So their next report is not going to come until the end of the decade, and so they basically are saying, this is your last call to the world of you have this window to act. And we will know by the next time we issue a report later this decade, whether or not we have been able to avert the worst impacts of climate change. So it's a pretty significant task they have left us with. World leaders are gathering at the end of this year to actually look at that progress that the world has made trying to implement the Paris Agreement. And they have an opportunity, a really generational opportunity to set more ambitious targets on how much renewables are we going to invest in? How are we going to accelerate the transition from dirty fossil fuels, all these important targets, timelines, and investments that the world needs to make to accelerate this transition.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. The NRDC's Brendan Guy with some great perspective and insight for us. Thanks so much, Brendan. Appreciate it.

Brendan Guy:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

Amazon announced plans yesterday to cut another 9,000 jobs. It's the second round of mass layoffs in recent months after the company previously cut some 18,000 positions. Amazon will be targeting roles in its cloud computing unit, human resources division, and in advertising and Twitch according to CEO Andy Jassy. After a wave of hiring sprees in the early days of the pandemic, rising interest rates have pushed a number of tech giants to trim staff. Facebook parent company Meta announced plans earlier this month to lay off another 10,000 workers after cutting 11,000 last year, and Google said in January it was eliminating around 12,000 jobs.

♦

President Joe Biden issued his first veto yesterday. The move came after Congress voted to block a labor department rule allowing retirement plans to weigh the long-term impacts of social factors and climate change on investments. Republicans had called that a woke policy that hurts retirees' pockets. Biden said he signed the veto because the block passed by Congress would put retirement savings at risk around the country. A two-thirds majority of Congress would now be needed to override Biden's veto. President Donald Trump vetoed 10 bills in office while President Barack Obama vetoed 12 bills.

♦

The massive Los Angeles Unified School District will be closed today because of a planned strike by tens of thousands of teachers and other school employees. What are they demanding? USA TODAY Education Editor Nirvi Shah explains.

Taylor Wilson:

Hi, Nirvi. Thanks for coming on the podcast.

Nirvi Shah:

Thank you for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So Los Angeles teachers and staff say they'll strike this week. What are they planning specifically and what are they demanding?

Nirvi Shah:

So the strike is actually initiated by support staff who really make schools run. They are not the classroom teachers, but you have people who work in libraries, custodians, school bus drivers, people who specifically work with kids with disabilities, and they are being joined by teachers in solidarity. They are looking for an increase in their hourly wages. They're looking for better benefits, and they say that for some of their members, it's just not a living wage what they earn to work in these schools, they have additional jobs to make ends meet.

Taylor Wilson:

So what are the potential consequences for students here, Nirvi?

Nirvi Shah:

It's the second-largest school district in the country, so that's pretty big and there's a lot of repercussions for parents who don't have childcare that's readily available. Some schools will be opened for supervision. The city has said that they'll be helping however they can with parks and other things to try to keep students engaged even when their classes are out. This is a tough year though. A lot of people consider this a big year for recovering from what students may have lost in terms of time during remote schooling because of COVID. And so any kind of loss is a tough one for kids, any kind of disruption. Potentially this strike could go beyond three days. I don't know what the limits are in terms of the union's ability to strike and their appetite for keeping this thing going, to try to get what they want from the school system.

Taylor Wilson:

And, Nirvi, do you think this could have an impact on other teacher labor movements around the country outside of Los Angeles?

Nirvi Shah:

It's possible. I think about 2018 and 2019 when there was that so-called red wave of teachers protesting in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona. I'm not sure that this is quite the same. Teachers are certainly beleaguered right now. They are frustrated by the political winds that they're facing. They're frustrated by the demands of some groups of parents about what they can and cannot teach or the types of books that they can have or have not in their classroom. But I haven't seen so much momentum. I think LAUSD is a bit of its own thing or its own beast, so to speak, and we'll have to see if this is going to trigger things in other places.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. USA TODAY Education Editor Nirvi Shah with some great insight for us. Thanks, Nirvi.

Nirvi Shah:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

The World Baseball Classic final will be played tonight in Miami with Team USA taking on Japan. The US made the final after some offensive explosions in the knockout rounds, beating Venezuela 9-7 in the quarters and Cuba 14-2 in the semis. As for Japan, they rolled through Italy 9-3 in the quarters before coming from behind to beat Mexico 6-5 on a walk off last night. This was the call on Japanese television.

[Call of walk off on Japanese television.]

Once every three years, World Baseball Classic has been a massive success after there was no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic. According to Japanese sports newspaper Sponichi, 48% of Japanese households watched their quarter-final game, a higher percentage than US households during this year's Super Bowl. You can watch tonight's action at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're here every morning wherever you get your audio. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

Columbus City Schools clarifies attendance procedures after day of ...

Tens of thousands of Columbus City Schools students were asked Wednesday to log on to classes remotely for their first day of school this year as members of the Columbus Education Association entered their third day of striking.

For some, that proved challenging.

“It’s currently just running real slow,” Ashley Shepherd said of the district's virtual learning system around 10 a.m. at Barack Community Center, one of nine city recreation centers serving this week as student support centers.

“That’s because so many babies are trying to login at the same time," she added. "My two kids have been trying to log in since 7 o’clock this morning and its not going very well.”

Prior to Wednesday, district officials had said that about 600 substitutes had been tapped to take the place of the more than 4,000 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals who voted Sunday to strike for the first time since 1975.

Meanwhile, parents and students across the district were forced to decide whether to cross the “virtual picket line."

Follow our live updates on Columbus City Schools' first day of school:

District sends message clarifying attendance after chaotic day of remote learning

Hours after the school day ended on Wednesday, Columbus City Schools spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant released updates on first-day statistics, as well as a note clarifying student attendance procedures.

Bryant said that throughout the day, more than 2,000 students were helped with device and hotspot needs, and 10,000 grab-and-go meals were distributed in a district that has some 47,000 students.

"Tomorrow, we will have additional tech support at our meal site locations," Bryant said of Thursday.

And as the day wound down Wednedsay, several parents reached out to The Dispatch wondering why their students had been marked as present when they did not log into class on Wednesday.

Bryant acknowledged the confusion that surrounded students and families all day regarding attendance.

Bryant wrote that student attendance data will be behind by a day due to the virtual learning procedures the district implemented. She added that the student information system the district uses, Infinite Campus, by default marks student present until someone (the substitute teachers) manually marks them as absent.

"This is typical no matter the learning environment, online or in-person," Bryant wrote. "Many schools are still in the process of completing the manual attendance procedures for today, as synchronous check-ins were staggered throughout the day. We do not expect attendance reports to be completed until tomorrow."

Students who wanted to be marked present had to have attended a synchronous Zoom session, and if they do not have access to a computer but are working on getting access, the parent must call the school's attendance line to get an excused absence.

"If a parent indicates to the school that their student is not participating in asynchronous learning, they will be marked with an unexcused absence if they do not have a legitimate excuse as provided by state law and/or the District’s policies," Bryant wrote.

The note also doubled as a reminder to parents that students are still required to attend school during the strike per its attendance procedures, and that kindergarten students will begin class on Aug. 29 and will not have online learning activities during the week.

Columbus City Schools superintendent aware of first day challenges, announces virtual engagement session

In a message released Wednesday evening on the Columbus City Schools website, Superintendent Talisa Dixon wrote that the first day of school brought some unexpected challenges and acknowledged that the district fell short in some areas. Some students had difficulty logging in for virtual school, with the portal running slowly, while others were unable to log in at all. Still other students refused to log on, supporting teachers and refusing to cross the "virtual picket line."

Some parents were frustrated because their students didn't have and couldn't get laptops or Wi-Fi hot spots for their students to log on and were told to return Thursday to locations where they could that equipment.

Dixon said she was able to interact with students and families at several of the district's 25 grab-and-go meal sites earlier in the day and that students utilized the city of Columbus' student support centers where Wi-Fi was available.

"I want to assure you that our team is working hard to improve the systems and processes in place as we move forward in this unique environment," Dixon said in the message. "We are adjusting how we distribute technology resources and how we monitor attendance while improving access to our online resources. We will continue to work until we solve these problems."

The Dispatch filed a request with Columbus City Schools under the Ohio Public Records Act for its attendance on Wednesday, but the district said that information would not be available until Thursday.

Parents and students will have the chance to express how the first day of school Wednesday went during a virtual family engagement session Thursday from 6-7 p.m. People can sign up at ccsoh.us/rsvp.

Dixon did not give an update on contract negotiations or when students will be able to return to in-person classes. As of Wednesday evening, there was no word from Columbus City Schools or the Columbus Education Association on the status of negotiations. A federal mediator began meeting with the two sides at 1 p.m. Wednesday at a secret location that spokespeople for both sides said they did notknow.

-Micah Walker

Why were Columbus City School buses on the road Wednesday?

Despite the first day of school being online only Wednesday, Columbus City Schools buses were still seen on the roads. This is due to the district offering transportation to charter and non-public schools, with many of them starting school last week, district spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said.

Some of those schools include A+ Arts Academy, A+ Children's Academy, Arts and College Preparatory Academy and Bridge Gate Community School, according to the Ohio Department of Education website.

Bus drivers are also part of a different union than teachers. The Columbus School Employees Association represents about 3,300 custodians, bus drivers, secretaries, instructional assistants and cafeteria workers.

-Micah Walker

How can I contact Columbus City Schools?

For those who wish to contact the school district regarding concerns about the strike or remote schooling, they can call Columbus City Schools' main switchboard at 614-365-5000.

Other numbers that may be useful to parents include:

Superintendent/CEO – 614-365-8888

Academic Services – 614-365-8950

Food Services – 614-365-5671

Student Activities & Athletics – 614-365-5848

Student Assistance, Intervention, & Outreach – 614-365-5737

-Micah Walker

Businesses show support for Columbus Education Association members

Businesses in and around Columbus have shown their support for striking educators in various ways.

According to the Columbus Education Association's newsletter:

Over the Counter in Worthington donated gift cards to picketers at the Indian Springs Elementary School picket site.

Experiencing a tooth ache or dental emergency? Riverview Dental on Colonial Parkway is offering CEA members a consultation and X-ray at no charge.

Workers from the recently-unionized Starbucks on Broad Street in Downtown Columbus delivered coffee to picket sites.

The owner of Mikey's Late Night Slice dropped off pizzas for picketers at West Broad.

Bar 189 has created a special menu for striking teachers.

Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Ice Cream, delivered her signature ice cream to picketers.

Butter Girl Bakery in the Brewery District delivered butterscotch cookies to Weinland Park educators.

Community Grounds Coffee on Parsons Avenue collected $1,000 in donations to provide coffee, drinks and food for educators.

Vegan restaurant Willowbeez Soulveg posted pictures online of its employees walking picket lines.

Columbus Keto Treats on Facebook said striking educators can stop in for a free drink and baked good at its Grove City location.

And Too Good Eats provided popsicles to hungry teachers. A co-owner wrote on Instagram that she taught fourth and fifth-graders at Columbus City Schools for three years before jumping full time into her business.

What was Columbus City School's 'last, best and final offer'?

According to the district, the latest offer proposed by the Columbus City Schools Board of Education includes:

Wage increases for all CEA members, including guaranteed raises of 3% each year for the next three years and a $2,000 per CEA member retention and recruitment bonus

Fixing air conditioning and heating issues

Smaller class sizes for grades K-5. Class sizes for kindergarten through 5th grade will begin to be reduced in 2022-23 with no classes of more than 28 students, and class sizes will continue to be cut until the maximum class size is 27.

Paid leave for new parents. For the birth parent and in the case of adoptions and foster placements, the teacher may take 30 days of leave. Much of that paid leave can be taken without using sick leave, the district said.

Hiring 25 additional full-time nurses, behavioral specialists, school psychologists and speech language pathologists in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

More planning time for teachers, giving them a day dedicated to planning, with students not in schools, for each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

The union previously shared that it is seeking:

Functioning heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in schools

Smaller class sizes

Full-time art, music and physical education teachers

More planning time for teachers

A cap on the number of class periods in the day

"Other working conditions that recruit and retain the best educators for out students."

Earlier in negotiations, CEA was asking for an 8% increase at each step of the salary scale for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, according to a copy of the unfair labor practice charge the school board filed against the union on Aug. 3 and obtained by The Dispatch.

On Monday, CEA President John Coneglio declined to confirm to The Dispatch that an 8% wage increase is still what the union is seeking.

- Monroe Trombly, Sheridan Hendrix and Michael Lee

Details scarce as teachers union, Columbus City Schools go back to bargaining table

On Tuesday afternoon, a federal mediator called the Columbus Education Association and Columbus City Schools back to the bargaining table. The two sides were set to meet 1 p.m. Wednesday for what would have been their 23rd bargaining session since March.

No location for the talks was identified publicly.

During the last marathon bargaining session on Aug. 18, the board presented what board President Jennifer Adair then called its “last best, and final offer."

- Monroe Trombly

Columbus city leaders weigh in on teachers strike

City Council President Pro Tem Elizabeth Brown picketed recently with her children, indicating on Twitter that they did it because "we know they're sacrificing a lot to fight for our students."

"We drove home w/ grateful hearts for that sacrifice AND for all the hugs they got," she tweeted.

City Council President Shannon Hardin said on Twitter: "Our teachers and students should be in class starting the school year today. It's clear, Columbus supports our teachers, our students, and the negotiations today that will hopefully bring resolution so our babies can be back in school."

- Monroe Trombly

Where can Columbus City Schools students get their meals during the teacher strike?

Twenty-five schools across the district are serving as sites where children and parents can pick up meals. Joe Brown, director of food services for the district, was on hand at Columbus Global Academy on Wednesday morning.

“We know that regardless of the strike, we still have hungry students,” he said.

Brown couldn't say how many meals his staff prepared, but acknowledged it was less than half of the number of the district's 47,000 students.

“We know all of our students won’t come and take advantage of this opportunity, but we want to make sure we have for the ones who really need it,” Brown said. “We know within our community that there are a lot of hungry children and a lot of those children depend on the meals they get in schools so they can grow and learn."

- Megan Henry

Columbus City Schools superintendent Talisa Dixon admits 'technology challenges'

Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon on Wednesday morning said the district has had "technology challenges" and asked for patience.

“We know this is not ideal,” Dixon said. “We know our families are stressed and not happy with the decisions to move forward, but we have to open up schools and provide additional supports to our students and our families. I understand their frustrations. I am very optimistic that we will resolve this as soon as possible to get them back in school face-to-face with their teachers.”

Dixon, speaking outside Columbus Global Academy Wednesday morning where parents picked up meals for students, said she doesn't know what the sticking points are that led 94% of Columbus Education Association members to strike.

"We can’t discuss this at this time," Dixon said. "We are hopeful that all those sticking points will be resolved as soon as possible so we can get our students back in the classrooms."

- Megan Henry

Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse offering respite to parents and striking educators

Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse in Clintonville is showing The Muppet Movie for free this week. The screenings are geared toward the thousands of educators who are on strike and parents.

“Whether you need to chill in the AC, grab a much needed beverage, or a break from the picket line, come in and enjoy a classic laugh, with a timeless favorite,” the event’s Facebook description reads.

Showtimes are 1 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

- Monroe Trombly

Columbus Education Association members continue to picket, joined by students

The sound of cowbells and bleating car horns filled the air as picketers spent part of their Wednesday morning marching up and down Karl Road in front of Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy in North Linden.

"Escucha escucha, estamos , en la lucha!" they chanted, which translates to "listen, listen, we are in the fight!"

Others brought camping and lawn chairs for breathers, with plenty of chips, fruit and donuts to snack on.

Outside Whetstone High School, dozens of students picketed along the sidewalks in support of their teachers. Many of them were student athletes, who expressed frustration with the board of education for affecting their sports seasons.

"Why do they have to be so difficult?" said Daylan Barnes, a 17-year-old Whetstone senior. "If I was a football player, I'd be so disappointed. A lot of us get out of here because of sports."

Striking educators clapped for and hugged their students, thanking them for coming out to support them.

At Centennial High School, where Corey Fontalbert is going into his senior year, he said that while he understands some may benefit from remote learning, he feels the quality of education is less than that of in-person learning, especially when sessions are run by substitute teachers.

"There are plenty of students out there who are not as technologically literate, which makes it even more difficult for them to get their education," Fontalbert said. "And teachers, too, with the online learning, they just aren't taken seriously."

- Michael Lee and Sheridan Hendrix

Columbus City Schools students don't get much direction when logging on for remote learning

Back inside the Linden Community Center, eight-year-old Jeri Lankford struggled with the first day of school.

She loves school, and just got a brand-new lunch box and dress — a black jumper that has the words "Good Vibes Only" written in multicolored bubble print.

Lankford had a 9 a.m. Zoom meeting with East Columbus Elementary School's principal, Jaime P. Spreen, where Spreen informed students and parents where they could pick up meals and how to access the asynchronous learning schedule. But when her mom, Tenelle McGrew, left the center, Lankford wasn't sure what to do.

She opted to watch YouTube math videos that helped her practice her times tables. A Dispatch reporter lent the eight-year-old a pair of headphones to listen to the video.

When McGrew came back to the Linden Community Center, she had someone from East Columbus Elementary on the phone, and tried to guide her daughter to the city's "Back-to-School" hub to access a computer coding lesson from Code.org.

"This is ridiculous," McGrew said, while searching through links on Lankford's Chromebook. "Our kids deserve to be able to go to school — that should be a frickin' no-brainer."

- Ceili Doyle

Students trying to join remote learning continue to have problems

At Barack Community Center on Columbus' South Side, seventh-grader Ethan sat at a computer, waiting to get into his virtual classroom. The screen read "waiting for host to join."

"I have Spotify on in the background, so it's alright," Ethan told a reporter.

Other students at the community center also were having trouble logging into their classes.

Soon after dropping her children off, Ashley Shepherd was back at Barack Community Center to pick them up.

“It’s not working. … I feel like they picked the wrong time to be on strike," Shepherd said, referring to members of the Columbus Education Association.

- Megan Henry

Connection problems plague Columbus City Schools students

Sipping a Minute Maid apple juice box with a furrowed brow, Chernor "CJ" Bah shook his head.

The 13-year-old was supposed to start his first day of ninth grade at Columbus Alternative High School on Wednesday.

Instead, the frustrated teenager toggled through a series of portals and Google Classroom links on his Columbus City Schools-issued Chromebook inside the Linden Community Center — impatiently tapping his keyboard as the internet connection lagged. He couldn't access any information about the new school year, including his class schedule.

"I just want to get this day over as soon as possible," Bah said.

By 8:30 a.m. — an hour after high school officially starts — the Sierra Leon native was no where closer to figuring out who his new teachers were; who, if any, classmates were also logged in and what the American high school experience was supposed to be like.

Bah's mom, Zainab Kalokoh, dropped her son off at the Linden Community Center, one of nine city recreation centers that opened early for Columbus City Schools students forced to virtually log in, because she had received an email from the district informing parents that someone at the rec center could help their kids sign in.

"I didn't understand what was happening," Kalokoh said. "So I brought him here specifically to know what the process is going to be like. We have internet at home, but I thought this would be helpful."

So far, that's been far from the case for Bah.

- Ceili Doyle

Why are Columbus teachers striking?

On Friday, union spokesperson Regina Fuentes said the Columbus City Schools Board of Education's most recent contract offer was "substantially unchanged" from its previous one at the end of July. The union previously shared that it is asking for:

Functioning heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in schools

Smaller class sizes

Full-time art, music and physical education teachers

More planning time for teachers

A cap on the number of class periods in the day

"Other working conditions that recruit and retain the best educators for out students."

Where are teachers picketing?

Educators are picketing outside 20 sites around Columbus. They are:

Burroughs Elementary School

Columbus Africentric Early College

Centennial High School

Cassady Alternative Elementary School

Clinton Elementary School

Columbus City Schools Southland Center

Columbus Downtown High School

Columbus Scioto 6-12

Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy

East High School

Indian Springs Elementary School

Leawood Elementary School

Linden STEM Academy

Livingston Elementary School

Stewart Alternative Elementary School

Weinland Park Elementary School

West Broad Elementary School

Whetstone High School

Woodward Park Middle School

Yorktown Middle School

Early Wednesday morning, siblings Noelle and Nathan joined their mother Michelle Manko on the picket lines outside Centennial High School on Columbus' Northwest Side.

"The two of them and us as a family decided, we're gonna support our teachers, show the board that we're serious that we need improvements for the school," Manko told a reporter.

Noelle, a third grader at Winterset Elementary, doesn't like learning online. She would rather be with her teacher, Mr. Abernathy, in his classroom.

And her brother Nathan is also out picketing for a simple reason.

"We love our teachers," Nathan said.

- Michael Lee

Columbus City Schools strike:Columbus Schools contract negotiations to continue Wednesday

Columbus City Schools strikeSeveral Columbus Education Association picketers hit by pellet shots as strike marks Day 2

Columbus City Schools strike:What parents need to know as Columbus City Schools strike continues

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@MonroeTrombly

Columbus, Ohio, teachers strike: Why teachers in Ohio's largest ...

Columbus, Ohio CNN —

The day before classes are scheduled to start, teachers in Ohio’s largest school system say they won’t end their strike without improvements to what they describe as dilapidated schools where a lack of heating and air conditioning has led to miserable classroom environments.

Union members in Columbus hit the picket line for a second day Tuesday, as the stalemate between the Columbus Education Association and the Columbus City Schools Board of Education continued.

The two sides are set to return to the bargaining table at 1 p.m. Wednesday, the afternoon of the first day of school, after a federal mediator overseeing negotiations called the union and Columbus City Schools to meet, the union said on its Facebook page. The school district confirmed that the meeting will take place on Twitter.

“The Columbus Board of Education remains focused on getting our students and teachers back in the classroom. The federal mediator has called both parties to resume bargaining on Wednesday, August 24. We will provide further updates as appropriate,” the district’s Twitter account said.

The showdown is the latest in years of tensions across the nation between teachers who argue they are underpaid and underappreciated, particularly after navigating the coronavirus pandemic, and school systems that say they are strapped for cash.

In Columbus, teachers say they want guarantees of smaller class sizes, full-time art, music and physical education teachers in elementary schools and a cap on the number of class periods throughout the school day.

But at the core of the strike is their complaint that too many schools, or parts of schools, lack heating and air conditioning, leaving students sweltering in the summer, shivering in the winter and distracted from learning.

“98 DEGREES IS A BOY BAND NOT A CLASSROOM TEMPERATURE,” read the sign one teacher held outside East High School – a reference to a pop group that was briefly popular in the late 1990s.

Columbus teachers picket outside Yorktown Middle School on August 22, 2022. Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network

The strike began Monday after 94% of the union’s membership voted Sunday night to reject the board’s latest offer. If a deal isn’t struck late Tuesday, Columbus City Schools plans to begin its year with a return to early pandemic practices, having students log on remotely for classes led by substitutes. The district plans to distribute free lunches in grab-and-go containers. Sports and other extracurricular activities will be postponed.

Union members focused their protests on more than 20 schools where they would be visible from high-traffic streets or intersections. Passersby honked their horns in solidarity.

The union – with a membership of nearly 4,500 made up of mostly teachers, but also librarians, counselors, nurses and other school employees – had appointed captains to organize each picket location. Members protested in shifts: morning groups starting at 7 a.m., and afternoon groups that would remain out until 4:30 p.m.

Members and supporters delivered coolers of water and bags of snacks at several locations for those standing for hours on sidewalks on a sunny day with temperatures in the low 80s.

In front of East High School, one teacher was blaring classic rock protest songs from a speaker.

The union had instructed its members not to talk to reporters and to direct questions to their spokespeople. Instead, teachers pointed out nonunion members who were free to talk.

“A lot of people in the suburbs are unaware of how bad the conditions are, and I think they’re finally getting to see that,” said Maggy Counts, a former art teacher at East High School.

Counts, whose young twin boys will attend the district’s schools, said a teacher strike “has been a long time coming.”

She said she has heard promises to improve buildings and install heating and air conditioning systems for years, but that those improvements have never fully materialized.

It’s left teachers – who also complain that their pay is not keeping up with inflation and say they are dismally short on supplies – working in an environment that Counts described as burdensome for both educators and students.

Columbus teachers' union members stream out of the convention center after voting to strike on August 21, 2022. Courtney Hergesheimer/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network

“They should be able to come to a safe place where there’s not rats and roaches and hot conditions and little kindergartners in 58-degree weather,” Counts said.

“As an adult, if you go to work and it’s freezing or 98 degrees or you forgot your lunch, you’re not going to be a productive employee. And school is the same way,” she said. “We can’t have kids continuing to come to buildings and not have these basic needs, and we can’t expect teachers to come work in these conditions, either.”

Other protesters also said the board of education had delivered years of vague promises to improve schools’ conditions, but had not offered enough specific details on their plans or timelines to complete those improvements.

Columbus City Schools is using hundreds of millions in federal pandemic stimulus dollars to pay for HVAC systems in 16 schools. But six of the 13 schools that were initially planned to be ready by the start of this school year do not yet have working air conditioning.

Heather Giles, a seventh-grade math teacher at Starling Elementary School, leads a chant as Columbus Education Association members picketed on August 22, 2022. Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network

“It’s 100% about the conditions of the schools,” said Lauren Chivington, a former Columbus City Schools teacher who is now an adjunct professor and PhD student and protested alongside union members at East High School on Tuesday.

“They haven’t gone on strike since the ’70s,” Chivington said of the union, which last went on strike in 1975. “They wouldn’t be doing this unless it were very, very dire, and very much about their students.”

While union members and their supporters nearly unanimously pointed to school conditions as the most significant reason for the strike, the two sides are also at odds over pay: Teachers had sought 8% annual pay increases, while the district’s most recent offer included 3% pay bumps each year.

On Monday night, the Columbus City Schools Board of Education met behind closed doors while hundreds of teachers’ union members protested outside.

Columbus City School Board President Jennifer Adair held a news conference. Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network

“We want a contract, just and fair. Give our classrooms central air,” they chanted.

Jennifer Adair, the board of education president, released a statement after the four-hour meeting pledging that a path forward would come “soon.”

“We are working to find a collaborative path forward. We don’t have action on that to report yet. But we will – soon. Our board fully recognizes the disruption and concern felt by our children and families and across Columbus,” Adair said in the statement.

“To our school community, like you, we are saddened by this start to the school year,” she said. “Be assured we will support your children and families with the resources they need in this time of uncertainty.”

Columbus City School strike will impact parents. Here's what to know

Columbus Dispatch staff

Columbus Education Association members voted to go on strike on Aug. 21 and began picketing outside 20 different locations in the area the following day as more than 4,500 members seek a new contract with Columbus City Schools, the state's largest district.

Columbus city leaders have stressed the CEA and the school district to return to the table and end the work stoppage, the first since 1975 and one that includes teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals.

The strike comes as thousands of children are beginning the new school year this week and leaving some parents wondering what happens on Wednesday when students are scheduled to return to the classroom.

Here's what we know about the Columbus City Schools strike and some resources parents may need as the strike continues.

Columbus Education Association strike'Hey, hey, ho, ho, tax abatements have got to go.' Video from the Columbus picket lines

Columbus City Schools strike'Don't back down until you and students get what you need.' CEA teachers strike reactions

If the Columbus City School strike continues through Wednesday, here's how kids go to class

Most current students are likely familiar with virtual learning after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.And that knowledge will come in handy if the strike continues through Wednesday.

Should the strike continue on through Wednesday, then the state’s largest district, with more than 47,000 students, plans to start the school year remotely. The district will move to “synchronous and asynchronous remote learning,” and the district’s buildings will be closed to students and community members, according to information on a district webpage.

Columbus City Schools spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said the district has 600 substitutes who would be given the curriculum to teach remotely.

Columbus City Schools is a "1:1 district," which means students are given a Chromebook for school work. The total number of distributed Chromebooks was unknown as of Monday.

Online learningIf Columbus teachers strike continues Wednesday, how will students access online classes?

Do I send my child to school during the Columbus City Schools strike? Here's the truancy policy

Columbus City Schools Board president Jennifer Adair said that while she — as a parent — appreciates the decisions families are making, attendance rules still apply to all students.

According to Ohio Revised Code 3321.191, "habitual truant" is defined as:

Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without legitimate excuse;

Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without legitimate excuse;

Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without legitimate excuse;

A parent or guardian will be notified if a student has excessive absences, which are defined as:

Absent 38 hours or more in one school month with or without legitimate excuse; or

Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without legitimate excuse.

Columbus City Schools spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant Bryant said daily attendance check-in times will be "established by the principal at a designated time and all Zooms are recorded." So attendance numbers could vary building-to-building depending on grade-level and the number of Zoom check-in meetings, she said.

What if a student can't stay at home for remote learning? Columbus recreation centers are available

At a press conference Monday where Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Franklin County Board of Commissioners President Erica Crawley spoke, the city announced it would create student-support spaces at nine city recreation centers. This is to help students in online schooling that the district is offering, although Ginther cautioned these won't be the same as schools and won't be staffed with teachers.

They are:

Glenwood Community Center, 1888 Fairmont Ave.

Sullivant Gardens Community Center, 755 Renick St. Columbus

Barnett Community Center,1184 Barnett Rd.

Blackburn Community Center, 263 Carpenter St.

Driving Park Community Center, 1100 Rhoads Ave.

Barack Community Center, 580 Woodrow Ave.

Schiller Community Center, 1069 Jaeger St.

Linden Community Center, 1350 Briarwood Ave Columbus

Howard Community Center 2505 N. Cassady Ave.

All nine Community Centers designated to serve students will open daily at 7 a.m. during school days. All other Columbus Community Centers will open at 10 am.

Columbus City School strikeColumbus political leaders urge sides back to table in CCS teachers strike

What's the proposal to stop the CEA strike and return to school?

According to the district, the latest offer proposed by the Columbus City Schools Board of Education includes:

Guaranteed raises of 3% annually for three years

A $2,000 per CEA member retention and recruitment bonus

The teacher salary range for the 2021-22 school year starts at $49,339 and goes up to $107,679, according to Columbus City Schools spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant and the district’s teacher salary schedule.

A 3% raise would increase the pay range to $50,819 to $117,664, and an 8% raise would increase the pay range to $53,286 to $116,293.

“By the end of this three-year contract, a teacher who last school year was paid the district’s average salary of $74,000 will be earning more than $91,000 – a 23% increase from the start of the contract,” Adair said.

Contract proposalsWhat is the latest on Columbus City Schools union contract proposals?

How can Columbus City Schools student get meals?

Should CEA union members still be on strike Wednesday, students can access “grab-and-go” meals at 25 designated school sites across the city. The sites will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning Wednesday. Based on the information on the district's website, students will not receive breakfast on Wednesday, the first day of classes.

Locations are:

Beechcroft High School, 6100 Beechcroft Road

Berwick Alternative Pre-K-8, 2655 Scottwood Road

Briggs High School, 2555 Briggs Road

Buckeye Middle School, 2950 Parsons Ave.

Centennial High School, 1441 Bethel Road

Columbus Africentric Early College Pre-K-12, 3223 Allegheny Ave.

Columbus Scioto 6-12, 2951 S. High St.

Columbus North International School/Columbus Global Academy, 4077 Karl Road

Dominion Middle School, 100 E. Arcadia Ave.

Eastmoor Academy, 417 S Weyant Ave.

East High School, 1500 E Broad St.

Independence High School, 5175 Refugee Road

Linden-McKinley STEM Academy, 1320 Duxberry Ave.

Marion-Franklin High School, 1265 Koebel Road

Medina Middle School, 1425 Huy Road

Mifflin High School, 3245 Oak Spring St.

Northland High School, 1919 Northcliff Dr.

Sherwood Middle School, 1400 Shady Lane Road

South High School, 1160 Ann St.

Starling Pre-K-8, 145 S. Central Ave.

Wedgewood Middle School, 3800 Briggs Road

West High School, 179 S. Powell Ave.

Westmoor Middle School, 3001 Valleyview Drive

Whetstone High School, 4405 Scenic Drive

Woodward Park Middle School, 5151 Karl Road

What parents need to know about Columbus City School athletics, extra curriculars

Columbus City Schools have paused athletics and extra curricular activities during the strike. The postponements of games come as nearly 60% of coaches are also teachers or support staff members.

All extra-curricular activities in the district during the CEA’s strike will be “rescheduled, and in some instances, canceled,” according to the district’s website.

Each of the City’s 15 football programs played their Week 1 games between Aug. 18-20. There were to have been seven games involving City teams Aug. 25, two Aug. 26 and two Aug. 27, but those are expected to be postponed or canceled.

Marion-Franklin was scheduled to play host to Delaware Hayes on Aug. 26, but the Pacers now are expected to play St. Charles. The Cardinals were slated to face Beechcroft on Aug. 25.

Columbus City Schools sportsWith 60% of coaches being teachers, Columbus City Schools athletics on hold during strike

Read more news on the Columbus City Schools strike on Dispatch.com

Teachers rally outside Columbus City Schools board meeting as ...

Hundreds of Columbus Education Association members — as well as some parents and students — demonstrated before the Columbus City Schools Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, urging the school district to reach a new contract with the union representing teachers and other staff.

The "practice picketing" took place after union leaders and district officials earlier met for several hours with a federal mediator Tuesday. While a CEA spokeswoman said there was movement on two issues, the two sides failed to reach agreement on a new contract with the scheduled start of the school year on Aug. 24.

CEA and the board are scheduled to meet again Thursday as the board had requested two meetings this week in an effort to reach a settlement.

“1, 2, 3, 4, we won’t take it anymore! 5, 6, 7, 8, come on Board negotiate," CEA members chanted as they held signs that read "On Strike" with "practicing" stamped in green across the front.

CEA — the 4,000-member union that represents Columbus City Schools teachers and other employees — said the union and the school board were able to reach agreement on two outstanding issues, but CEA spokesperson Regina Fuentes said she didn’t know what those two issues were.

“We are still very far apart on a lot of things,” Fuentes said. “One of those things is being accountable when it comes to HVAC and fixing our schools and providing resources. We want language in the contract that speaks to the district coming through on their promises.”

“While we still do not have a compromise, we are encouraged that talks are ongoing,” Board President Jennifer Adair told the audience at the start of the board meeting. “We are fully committed to our teachers and to treating all of our employees with respect. We are bargaining in good faith, and we look forward to finding opportunities for unity and alignment.”

Adair said the CEA filed the notice of intent to strike without telling the board what it would take to reach an agreement.

“CEA continues to refuse to negotiate about compensation, which precludes us from getting our students back in their classroom,” she said. “Yet we remain hopeful that students and families will have the first day of school they deserve, in-person and with our teachers.”

Immediately after Adair's remarks, the board voted to go into executive session for about an hour to discuss personnel matters, as allowed by state law.

Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon said during Tuesday's board meeting she hopes the school board reaches an agreement with CEA before the start of the school year.

“But we are preparing for every possibility and our focus remains on laying the foundation for a strong start back for our students.”

Columbus City Schools parents speak out during board meeting

Eight Columbus City Schools parents and one student spoke up during the public comment portion of Tuesday's school board meeting, raising concerns about the ongoing negotiations.

"My impression of the administration is that they are wage thieves and they should try to pay our teachers in our schools what they deserve," said Inara Pompi, an eighth grader at Ridgeview Middle School.

Andrew Kline is worried about the possibility of having his five-year-old son start the school year remotely at Cranbrook Elementary School.

“Whoever came up with the idea that I’m going to send my first year kindergarten student to zoom school with a substitute teacher is completely out of touch with reality,” he said.

Sarah Short, the mom of a first-grade student at Indianola Informal K-8 School, said she feels helpless, stressed and frustrated about the possibility of “entering another year of uncertainty and interpreted learning.”

Patrick Clark, another parent of a Indianola Informal student, said his son performs better in school when he is able to interact with his teachers.

“My children are deeply privileged and I worry about the harm it will cause them,” he said. “I worry profoundly and deeply about the consequences students with less privileges than my children.”

Where do the negotiations stand?

The union has scheduled a meeting with its membership Aug. 21 to vote on whether to go on strike after giving its formal notice to the State Employment Relations Board last Thursday to strike if it does not reach a new contract agreement.

Among the contract hang-ups cited previously by the CEA: smaller class sizes; full-time art, music and physical education teachers; functioning heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in schools; more planning time for teachers; a cap on the number of class periods in the day; and "other working conditions that recruit and retain the best educators for out students."

The district has responded to the issue about HVAC systems by saying it is updating the HVAC systems in 13 school buildings this summer using $35.6 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While work to update the HVAC systems will be completed at seven of those buildings in time for the scheduled start of classes, work at six other buildings won't be completed until mid- to late-September.

Which Columbus City Schools will start the school year without full air conditioning?

In addition, two other buildings — Columbus Alternative High School and Hubbard Elementary School — will have to wait until the start of the 2023-2024 school year to get building-wide air conditioning.

Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district with some 47,000 students, plans to start the school year remotely using non-union substitute teachers if CEA were to strike if a new contract agreement is not reached before school starts Aug. 24. District spokeswoman Jacqueline Bryant said the district has 600 substitutes who would be given the curriculum to teach remotely, according to information on a district webpage.

Columbus City school buildings would be closed to the public and athletics events and extra-curricular activities would be canceled as more than 60% of the coaches or sponsors heading the programs are teachers.

The last time the district went on strike was 1975.

Levy taken off November ballot

The school board approved 6-0 a resolution Tuesday night to take the $680-million, maximum 35-year bond issue and a 4.7-mill permanent improvement levy off the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Board member Michael Cole was absent from the meeting.

Board member Tina Pierce said taking the levy off the ballot was an issue of economic timing.

“Economically, these are hard times, so I don’t want our community to think the timing is wrong because of other reasons,” she said. “I want our community to be clear that our families are determining how they are going to pay their rent.”

Board member Carol Beckerle said the decision to not proceed with the levy was unfortunate for the students, but agreed the timing wasn't right.

“The way to make sure our buildings are in good condition is through a permanent improvement levy and a dedicated capital fund to keep them that way," she said.

Adair said the board is committed to bringing back the bond issue — which specifically will cover Columbus City Schools' local share of the fourth phase of the district's facilities master plan. That phase calls for the district to build five new buildings in the next five years:

A high school with a student capacity of 1,600 to be built on the site of Marion-Franklin High School and the vacant Beery Middle School on the same lot on the city's South Side.

A high school with a student capacity of 2,000 to be built on the site of Beechcroft High School on the city's Northeast Side.

A middle school with a student capacity of 1,000 to be built on the site of Mifflin Middle School on the city's Northeast Side.

An elementary school with a student capacity of 600 to be built on the site of Winterset Elementary School on the city's Northwest Side.

An elementary school with a student capacity of 600 to be built on the site of Eakin Elementary on the city's Southeast Side.

The bond issue, which represents 2.83 mills in property tax, would have also paid for design work for a future fifth building phase by the school district.

The ballot measure would have resulted a total 7.53 in additional millage, or around a 13% increase in property taxes, for Columbus homeowners. The district said that works out to $267 in additional property taxes each year for every $100,000 of a home's assessed valuation.

Originally, the resolution to put the measure on the November ballot was approved in May by a 5-2 decision, with Adair, board Vice President Ramona Reyes and members Carol Beckerle, Eric S. Brown and Michael Cole in favor. Board members Pierce and Christina Vera were opposed.

mhenry@dispatch.com

@megankhenry

Columbus strike: Teachers at Ohio's largest school district vote to ...

CNN —

Teachers at Ohio’s largest school district voted Sunday to go on strike for better learning and teaching conditions, just days before school is scheduled to start, according to the teachers’ union.

The Columbus Education Association union – which represents more than 4,000 teachers, nurses and other education professionals at the Columbus City Schools district – is striking for the first time since 1975 after 94% of its members voted to reject the school board’s “last, best and final offer,” the union said Sunday on Twitter.

Just a day before the vote in Ohio, a union representing about 2,000 School District of Philadelphia employees voted to authorize a strike for higher wages and adequate training programs – just over one week before school there is set to start.

What the teachers want Working heating and air conditioning and well-maintained classrooms Smaller class sizes Full-time art, music and P.E. teachers in elementary schools

The strikes come as schools around the country face critical teacher shortages and low morale among educators, exacerbated by the pandemic, low pay and ever more crowded classrooms. Also weighing on teachers are a growing number of school shootings and changing guidance on what educators are allowed to teach.

In Columbus, the union cited class sizes and functional heating and air conditioning in classrooms as examples of points of disagreement with the board, according to Columbus Education Association’s notice of intent to strike.

Is there a teacher shortage? It’s complicated

“We will continue fighting until we have safe, properly maintained and fully resourced schools in every neighborhood,” union spokesperson Regina Fuentes said at a news conference Monday.

The Columbus Board of Education called the outcome of the vote “disappointing.”

“Tonight’s vote by the Columbus Education Association (CEA) is incredibly disappointing. We are saddened by the unfortunate situation our families, our community and, most importantly, our children now face,” a statement from the board said.

The board held an emergency meeting Monday that was called into executive session, according to a Facebook Live stream of the meeting. Superintendent Talisa Dixon also released a statement on the strike ahead of the emergency meeting.

“It is my hope that we are able to come to a resolution quickly and get all of our students back in their classrooms with their teachers as soon as possible. It’s what our students deserve,” Dixon’s statement read, which also added the city’s recreation and parks department will open nine recreation centers to provide students with “safe, adult-supervised locations and easy internet access.”

Speaking about learning conditions in the city’s schools, a school library media specialist said temperatures varied wildly from room to room.

“Students move around to different buildings, like a college campus, and they never know from one classroom to the next if it’s going to be 50 degrees or 90 degrees,” Courtney Johnson told CNN’s Victor Blackwell.

Some schools don’t have any air conditioning, she said, or may only have “a couple of rooms” with it. And in schools that do have it, including where Johnson works, the systems need fixing, she said.

“That’s what we’re fighting for – safe, properly maintained and fully resourced schools where the air conditioning and heating works, and students don’t have to suffer,” Johnson said.

Columbus City Schools serves 47,000 students, according to the district.

Despite the strike, the school year is still scheduled to begin Wednesday, with classes online and led by substitutes, according to the school district’s website.

The district’s own administrators may also teach online classes as the strike continues, it said. But since teachers make up most of the district’s coaching staff, sports activities may be rescheduled or canceled, according to the website.

Chris Boyette Michelle Watson Amir Vera
Chris Boyette
Michelle Watson
Amir Vera

Oklahoma teachers strike: Oklahoma City, Tulsa public school ...

Adam Kealoha Causey and Justin Juozapavicius

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY – Massive teacher protests at the Oklahoma state Capitol have done more than put political pressure on lawmakers: The situation has forced school districts, churches, community organizations and parents to improvise to take care of students.

The state’s largest two school districts will be closed for a ninth consecutive day Thursday, matching the length of a walkout in West Virginia earlier this year that started a rebellion of teachers in some Republican-led states including Kentucky and Arizona.

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Mary Fallin approved teacher pay raises of about $6,100, but many educators say that’s not enough because classrooms still need more money.

Teachers’ union leaders have not indicted when they expect demonstrations to end, but the number of protesters has dwindled, and Republican legislative leaders say they don’t plan to consider more bills to raise more revenue.

Still, groups have worked together to make sure kids have been entertained, educated and fed.

Here are some ways they did it.

Converted cafeterias

Nutrition workers for the Oklahoma City school district made cafeterias mobile to deliver food to hungry kids.

Employees packed ice chests that typically carried premade peanut butter and jelly or turkey and cheese sandwiches, apples and oranges, and milk or water. School buses then hauled the meals to places where kids were already gathering. The district has served nearly 17,000 sack lunches just this week at more than 30 sites including community centers, city parks and churches.

They delivered enough Wednesday to feed the 80 elementary school-age children at South Lindsay Baptist Church, a temporary home for a Boys & Girls Club that normally meets at nearby Cesar Chavez Elementary School in a poor neighborhood on the city’s south side. All Oklahoma City school district campuses have been closed to the public during the walkout.

More:Massive Oklahoma teacher protests enter second week

Related:Oklahoma teachers share photos of broken chairs, crumbling outdated textbooks

Group activities there ranged from ballet lessons and study sessions to hula-hooping to Taylor Swift and playing Uno. Teen and adult volunteers, including teachers from the district, have helped keep the kids active.

Otis Moses, a supervisor in the school district’s meal services division, said day-to-day operations may differ from typical school days, but he said his team has pulled together to serve kids and support teachers through the walkout.

“Yes we’re ready to get our students back in school and back in the buildings,” Moses said. “But at the same point in time we’re going to do what we can do from a nutrition standpoint to help our children out every day.”

Learning outside the classroom

Parents Nichole and Nathan Dill took their five kids – who range in age from 2 to 9 – for a stroll in Oklahoma City’s Myriad Gardens on Wednesday with campuses for their school-age children in the suburb of Newcastle closed.

In the eight days of canceled classes, the mother has worked on multiplication tables with one daughter, and reading skills for a son who would be preparing for standardized tests if he were in school. They’ve spent time at their local library, and they were planning to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial, which honors the 168 victims of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

The Dills are missing out on money they would be making at their business Turf Wars, an indoor Nerf gun arena. They’ve kept it closed this week because whether their school district will have class or not has been a day-by-day decision. But the Dills say it’s worth it to stand up to legislators who have refused to properly fund schools. In Newcastle, parents have started buying items on teachers’ Amazon wish lists to make sure they have classroom supplies and furniture.

Nichole Dill said she also took her kids to see demonstrations at the Capitol to show them teachers aren’t in school for good reason.

“We fully support them being out right now,” she said.

Teachers still coaching

Oklahoma City teachers may not be in the classroom, but they are still on the sports field.

Peter Evans, executive director of the nonprofit Oklahoma City Police Athletic League, said dozens of teachers serve as coaches for soccer season, which is just now underway. The walkout hasn’t stopped them from showing up for practices and coaching the more than 1,000 kids on 50 teams. The first matches are set for this weekend.

Kids representing 31 elementary schools in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system compete for free. The league picks up the cost of the programs, which also include football, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.

Evans estimated that out of the roughly 100 soccer coaches signed up for this season, at least 70 are teachers.

“The teachers are still working – they’re participating in this walkout and they’re still supporting their kids,” Evans said Wednesday. “They’re at the Capitol trying to fight for more money for the kids but showing up to schools in the afternoons for practice and showing up on weekends to play the games.”

Helping families

The Tulsa-based Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma has dispatched two food trucks to nine locations and served nearly 800 lunches a day since the teacher walkout began April 2.

Wednesday’s first stop offered pepperoni pizza, salad, a banana and strawberry milk at an apartment complex in east Tulsa. Helping prepare food inside the truck was Jimmy Burdette, a multimedia teacher at Broken Arrow High School just outside Tulsa. He said with tens of thousands of fellow teachers already rallying at the state Capitol, he thought he could do the most good back here, serving meals to out-of-school students.

“A lot of them, the only meal they get that’s hot is in school,” Burdette said.

Latairrius Williams watched as his school-age sister and brother got their lunches. The 24-year-old said the free meals have been crucial for families in the area who depend on school meals to feed their children.

“I think this food truck idea is a really good idea because it’s a lot of families out here that are low-income and they actually have a budget basically for the amount of food they eat a month,” he said.

Los Angeles teachers, staff say they'll strike March 21 to 23. What ...

More than 60,000 bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria employees, campus security, teaching assistants and educators from the Los Angeles Unified School District say they'll strike from March 21 to 23, a move likely to shut down hundreds of schools.

The labor union representing the support staff announced the dates during a lively rally Wednesday afternoon at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.

Represented by labor union SEIU Local 99, about 30,000 school support staff are demanding LAUSD provide a 30% raise and $2 per hour equity wage increase. About 35,000 teachers represented by the United Teachers of Los Angeles plan to join them. The school district has offered, in part, more than a 15% raise, retention bonuses and to bring its minimum wage up to $20.

In a letter to families on Monday evening, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told parents the district is trying to work with the union to come to an agreement before kids are severely impacted by the closures. And he and district negotiators are prepared to work around the clock to come to negotiations before the strike, he told news reporters on Wednesday morning.

"We are committed to continue good faith bargaining with our labor partners around the clock to reach an agreement before a strike occurs. I have invited union leaders to have a direct conversation with me to negotiate day and night to reach an understanding to spare our children from the avoidable disastrous consequences of a strike. Our students should not be victims," his letter reads.

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In an interview with USA TODAY on Tuesday, Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said he doesn't see the district budging and in turn doesn't anticipate a compromise before the planned protest.

He said education workers will continue to "bargain to improve the conditions of schools and the people who work there" until the district meets their demands. Many of the district's support staff are living below or near the poverty line due to low wages or the limited hours of work the district currently offers them, he said.

"This is a lawful strike to protest the district’s unfair practices, including threats, interrogation, and surveillance of members who participated in last month’s strike vote," the SEIU Local 99's website reads. "Over three days we can show the district that we are fed-up with their disrespect and not afraid to take strong action to demand respect for our work."

Strike ready:Los Angeles education workers poised to announce strike that 'likely' would close hundreds of schools

How would school closures affects students and families?

LAUSD hasn't officially announced that it will close schools, but Carvalho told parents the disruptions will "likely" lead to shuttering schools on the dates of the labor unions' strikes, adding to an already grueling year for the district.

Wednesday morning, he told reporters that, "If in fact a strike is declared between two of our most significant labor partners, it is virtually impossible to keep schools open. On a basis of supervision, safety and security, virtually impossible. On a basis of getting kids to school because buses will not be running, virtually impossible."

And he listed the imminent consequences of school closures: "leaning loss, depravation of safety and security that schools provide to our kids, deprivation of food and nutrition that many of our kids depend on."

Can we recover? Half of nation's students fell behind a year after COVID school closures.

"I know that we focus our attention on the needs of the workforce. I need to focus my attention on also primarily on the needs of our kids," he said.

Carvalho went on about the challenges his district has faced this school year.

"It has not been an easy school year. We've dealt with a cyberattack. We've dealt with the issues of learning loss facing many of our kids. We began the year with a significant deficit in terms of student attendance, chronic absenteeism, kids expressing and manifesting serious woes regarding their social and emotional well-being; their mental health needs."

Arias said fair wages are critical to ensuring student safety and well-being.

More:Los Angeles school district hit by cyberattack

It's hardly the first time the district has grappled with contentious wage negotiations and frustrated unions.

In 2019, LAUSD teachers went on a six-day strike. District negotiators and the labor union ultimately agreed on a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school counselors and changed how the school system handles class sizes.

More:Los Angeles' striking teachers reach 'historic' settlement with school district

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.