School Board Waits to Take Action, Strike Unlikely Until School Ends

The Westlake Board of Education met behind closed doors on Monday to discuss how to proceed after the Westlake Teachers Association rejected their last, final offer by a vote of 247 to 12. The board chose not to make any decisions on the matter.

What the lack of a decision means, according to Cleveland.com, is that if a strike does take place, it may not happen until after the school year ends.

Westlake Teachers and the Board of Education have been negotiating for a year on terms of a new contract — something teachers have been working without for the duration of the school year.

Teachers have said that they don't want to strike and have asked the school board to sign a pledge to prevent a strike:

"It is our sincerest hope that the board signs the pledge and returns to the negotiating table," the union's statement said. "Negotiating is what is best for the students of Westlake."

If negotiations do not continue and the board chooses to enforce their final offer, the teachers could vote to strike.

However, since there is not a regular board meeting scheduled until late June, a special meeting would need to be called if any decisions regard the teacher's rejection of the offer were to be made.

Board president Carol Winter told Cleveland.com that she didn't know what that action would be, but that it would be a board decision made at a later date.

Teacher Association spokesperson, Loretta Tindall, said that while teachers remaining in the classroom is a good thing, the union wants to see this issue settled. She added that the simplest move would be for the board to return to the negotiating table.