The Reynoldsburg School Board and Reynoldsburg Education Association (REA) met today with a federal mediator for the first negotiating session in just over a week. Sadly, the school board did not show up with any negotiating in mind.

REA Co-President Kim Cooper released the following update about today’s meeting:

“We were as unsurprised as we were disappointed that the Board did not come to today’s meeting with an honest attempt to make any progress and end this strike. The Board refused to address movement on any of the issues. This strike is about the future of public education and what is best for the students and teachers. Until the Board appreciates why the students, the parents, and the community are standing with us for the schools they deserve, unfortunately, I don’t see this strike ending in the near future. The Board was informed that a written counter-proposal was imminent. Without warning, and after only 10 minutes after receipt of the requested information, the Board’s team left the building.”

The strike will enter its 2nd full week with the district continuing to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on “security”, “strike management” fees, and “high-quality substitute teachers” like these (who Board President Andy Swope told a parent were “REA plants” – TRUE STORY):

Feel free to contact the leaders of the school board’s negotiations team:

Andrew Swope, Board President

aswope@swopecpas.com

(614) 864-1175 (home)

(614) 882-8297 (work)

Elaine Tornero, Board Vice President

(614) 759-9735 (home)

elainetornero@reagan.com

Reynoldsburg Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning

(614) 501-1023

tthomasmanning@reyn.org

If you’re a Reynoldsburg parent concerned about the safety of your children, you might consider directly contacting the President of the company you hired (your tax dollars) to manage your schools – Huffmaster Crisis Management:

Greg Johnson, President of Crisis Response

(248) 705-3946 (cell)

(248) 616-8340 (work)

g.johnson@huffmaster.com