Westlake Teachers Urge School Board to Listen, Board Won't Negotiate in Public

"We question whether the board is listening ... or wants to listen," Westlake teacher Patrick McMorrow told Cleveland.com.

Westlake teachers met at Burneson Middle School to stand together with hopes that the Westlake Board of Education would listen and understand their frustration. The most recent contract had teachers take a pay cut and pay more for healthcare expenses.

Westlake voters have said no to three levies, the most recent defeat last May.

Cynthia Archer, who has been teaching with Westlake Schools explained her frustration to Cleveland.com:

"These are hard times for educators, the sinking feeling from within us isn't all about negotiations and receiving a fair contract, or our community failing multiple levies. It goes much deeper. Why now do teachers see evidence of the fact that they are less valued rather than more valued?"

Rob Pace, now a teacher at Westlake said that the current situation has all of the ingredients to create a situation similar to the Strongsville teacher strike. Pace participated in the Strongsville strike where he was a teacher in 2013.

Some at the meeting felt that the problem has been created by a lack of community understanding. "The community needs to recognize that we don't have the finances to get the raises," resident Jane Peer told Cleveland.com. "I don't blame the board. Quite honestly, I blame the community."

While the teachers stressed the urgency to negotiate, school board president, Carol Winter wanted everyone to know that the board "is not negotiating in public."

Winter did however, say that "Our teachers are of the utmost importance," and "We will continue to serve our role as board members, which is to ensure the financial stability of this community by listening to all our stakeholders."

Employee negotiation were placed on the agenda for the executive session that followed the meeting.

The next school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on April 25 in the Parkside Building, 24525 Hilliard Boulevard.