Unionized teachers at Summit Academy in Parma have approved a new contract with Summit Academy Management.
The settlement ended an 8-day strike—the first such walkout at a charter school in Ohio.
Intervention Specialist Mike Meyers was on the negotiating team.
He says during talks Thursday teachers negotiated directly with the company’s C-E-O and curriculum director and that made the difference.
Summit Management agreed to limit class sizes to 18, and have two adults in each room, which were the teachers’ main concerns.
“It is a great step and a great blueprint for other charter schools to follow. And it’s possible. We did it. We are a small school of 25 teachers and we did it. So I think any school can do it.”
Meyers says a majority of the teachers approved the contract in a vote Friday afternoon. The school has been closed during the walkout. It will reopen Wednesday, March 6th.
A second Summit Academy in Painesville voted this week to unionize.
The company operates two dozen charter schools across Ohio, serving special needs students.
