Teachers in Strongsville, Ohio have been on strike for over seven weeks now, facing down a school board that seems more focused on breaking the union than on getting teachers back in the classroom. According to the Strongsville Education Association (SEA), the group representing the teachers, the Strongsville School Board is also refusing to accept arbitration.

On April 2nd, SEA made an offer for binding interest arbitration that would have immediately reunited teachers with their students. The board has so far refused to accept the offer, instead complaining that arbitration would put taxpayer dollars in the hands of an “outsider”.

This week the parties received an offer for free assistance from an experienced, local arbitrator. SEA accepted the offer from Marvin J. Feldman, who has been involved in thousands of contract negotiations since 1959. According to SEA, the board is still refusing to participate.

It appears that the board hopes the long-lasting strike will turn the community against the teachers and force them to accept SB-5 like concessions.

So far, the teachers are staying strong.

The latest information about negotiations can be found on SEA’s website.

The site also contains a donation link where you can help with medical bills and other expenses while they are on strike.