Negotiating Teams to Meet Sunday in Strongsville Teachers Strike

Both sides in the Strongsville teachers strike are expected to meet at a federal mediator's office in Independence Sunday for another round of negotiations.

The session starts at 2 p.m., and Strongsville Education President Tracy Linscott on Friday called on the two sides to stay in talks until there is a settlement in the strike, which is entering its eighth week.

Her statement came the morning after a tension-filled School Board meeting at which 17 of 20 people allowed to speak supported the Board of Education or chastised the SEA, which represents the striking teachers.

The meeting was filled with applause, boos, yelling and accusations that Board President David Frazee had "stacked the deck" and called only supporters to the microphone.

It also included a claim by resident Erica Leslie that she knows of 57 teachers who want to cross the picket line and return to work -- a looming threat that may be spurring the SEA to push harder for a settlement. 

Where the $3.2 Million Came From

School officials announced last week that revenue would be $3.2 million higher than anticipated, with the windfall coming from three different sources.

The SEA quickly accused the district of "hiding" the money by underestimating income.

The school district put out a statement Friday with a detailed explanation of how the money came to the district. 

Treasurer Debbie Herrmann said she compared the county auditor's estimate of tax collections with the actual receipts in 2011 and 2012 and found the district received $575,819 less than what the county predicted.

“On April 8, all local governments in Cuyahoga County received the final cash settlement from the first-half tax bills paid by owners of real estate in the school district,” Herrmann said in the statement. “In this case, the amount was higher than what the county fiscal office had estimated. Estimates are just that and are unpredictable.”

Herrmann said Strongsville schools also received $1.5 million in delinquent taxes, mainly from commercial and industrial properties.

That could be attributed to the settlement of property valuation complaints before the County Board of Revision, or simply that taxpayers paid their delinquent tax bills, she said.

In addition, received a payment for TIF, or tax increment financing.

“This payment is made by businesses in lieu of paying property taxes. In previous years, the district received $895,000 from one TIF project. For the first time, this year money was collected for a second TIF project," Herrmann said. "With the addition of this second TIF project, the district received a payment of $1.3 million, of which $1.2 million was unanticipated.

In summary, the school district received unanticipated funds of $1.5 million in delinquent taxes, $1.2 million in TIF payments and $500,000 in additional tax collections. ”

The TIF money will continue as a steady revenue source, but Herrmann said the delinquent tax revenue should be "considered a one-time payment."

Frazee said the district will continue to estimate conservatively, and will use the unanticipated money to "meet student, parent and district needs," including possibly reducing the general education and pay-to-play fees.

The School Board also enhanced its offer to the SEA to include partial step increases.

"As we look to the future, these funds will allow us to stretch out the number of years that we will be able to keep our district in the black," Frazee said.

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For other stories on the teachers' strike, click here.

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