TIMELINE: How DPS and teachers union got to this point
DPS Superintendent Rhonda Corr said Monday night that the two sides “had some good and productive talks.” The teachers union released a short statement thanking community members for their support. President David Romick has said he expects the talks to go down to the wire, with the union planning to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday if a deal is not in place. The first day of classes is Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Some teachers are wearing buttons that say, “I don’t want to strike, but I will,” as the union pushes for higher pay, better counselor/librarian staffing, and retention of teacher planning time, among other issues. Corr has repeatedly said she doesn’t want a strike either, but has to weigh the teachers’ requests against the district’s financial constraints.
BIG PICTURE: What’s at stake for kids, teachers, district
The next few days will be busy. The school board has its regularly scheduled “review session” meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the district and union have mediation scheduled all day Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, 4 p.m. is the filing deadline for people who want to run for school board in November. Four seats are up for election, and incumbents Ron Lee, Adil Baguirov and Hazel Rountree have already said they are not running for re-election.
Eight people so far have submitted their petitions to the Board of Elections to run for those seats – incumbent Joe Lacey and newcomers Jocelyn Rhynard, Donna Hill, Jo’el Thomas-Jones, Mohamed Al Hamdani, Paul Bradley, William Harris Jr. and Karen Wick-Gagnet.
SCHOOL CLOSING: Roof went unfixed at Longfellow for 14 years
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