Northeast Ohio teachers set to strike Friday

NEWTON FALLS, Ohio (AP) -- Teachers in a northeast Ohio school district plan to go on strike Friday after negotiations broke down over a new contract.

Scott Kernen, the chief negotiator for the Newton Falls Classroom Teachers Association, said Thursday night that talks over teachers' wages failed after an 11-hour session on Wednesday.

"In the past five years, we're 5.3 percent below the cost-of-living increases," Kernen said. "We just want to maintain the value of our contract."

The district's last offer included no raises, and just a one-year contract, rather than a multi-year deal the union wanted, he said.

The union represents 82 teachers in the Newton Falls Exempted Village School District, which began fall classes Aug. 25.

District officials said schools would remain open with substitute teachers and security personnel, but extracurricular activities have been canceled if coaches do not show up.

Superintendent David Wilson said it was up to the union or a federal mediator to resume negotiations, and the strike is beyond his control.

"If we don't have the money, we can't certify the contract," Wilson said.

First-year teachers earn about $28,000, Kernen said. He declined to cite an average salary, but said the highest pay scale was the lowest among 12 schools he surveyed in the Mahoning Valley.

All substitute teachers would undergo criminal background checks, and unarmed security guards would monitor the situation and videotape picket lines, according to the district's Web site.

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Information from: The Tribune Chronicle, http://www.tribune-chronicle.com