GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — The Garfield Heights City Schools has reached a tentative agreement with Garfield Heights Teachers Association on several issues after a seven-hour negotiating session Tuesday as the prospect of a teacher strike loomed, according to a news release from the district.
Both parties agreed to continue negotiations on Monday, Oct. 17, with the hopes to reach an agreement on more of the issues that remain, the district said.
One agreement that was reached Tuesday was the issue of time for specific plan preparation and teacher workdays, the release states.
A spokesperson for GHTA said Tuesday that they had a long day or bargaining with the federal mediator on Monday.
“The Garfield Heights City Schools recognizes that our community, including members of the GHTA, is concerned about the prospect of a strike, but the Board of Education will continue to work diligently to compromise on issues and reach agreements, as demonstrated in the session on October 11th, in an effort to avoid such an outcome,” the district stated Wednesday.
Bargaining between the Garfield Heights City Schools (GHCS) School Board and Garfield Heights Teachers Association (GHTA) has been ongoing since late April. Teacher contracts expired in June and teachers began the 2022-2023 school year without an agreement in place.
On Friday, more than 200 GHTA members voted unanimously to authorize its negotiation team to give a 10-day strike notice if it’s deemed necessary.
View our report from last week below:
RELATED: Garfield Heights teachers say strike is on the table if contract deal not reached
