The teachers strike in Columbus has raised awareness about a litany of issues facing those educators, but the head of the largest teachers union in Northeast Ohio says those teachers are not alone in being under-resourced.
Melanie Hameed, president of the North Eastern Ohio Education Association, said teachers and other school staff are struggling with too-large class sizes, outdated technology, and a lack of support staff. Plus, the ongoing workforce shortage – due to teachers leaving the profession and fewer students choosing education as a profession – is making things worse.
“It’s a horrible thing when you can’t cover classes or you have to reduce the number of sections being offered to kids because there aren’t enough educators to cover it,” Hameed said.
She said in some cases that means intervention specialists – sometimes known as teacher aides – are being split between five different teachers.
Hameed said poor working conditions and low pay at Niles City Schools in northeastern Ohio have teachers prepared to strike if a resolution isn’t reached by Sept. 1 (classes start Aug. 29).
“They have seen a 9% raise in the last 10 years,” Hameed said. “And the last contract that they had, they had straight zeroes so you know, who could live on that?”
The Niles Education Association and school officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment with Ideastream Public Media, although Superintendent Ann Marie Thigpen told The Vindicator earlier this month that the Niles Board of Education was working hard and negotiating in good faith. The union and school are scheduled to meet again on Aug. 26.
Meanwhile, teachers in Canfield were prepared to strike had they not reached a tentative agreement with school officials earlier this month, Hameed said.
And in Akron, Akron Education Association President Pat Shipe said negotiations with the school district have hit an “impasse,” although she declined to comment on what the sticking points were. Superintendent Christine Fowler-Mack said in a statement provided to Ideastream Public Media that “the district is committed to a successful outcome” of negotiations with the union, and is “optimistic that we will reach a positive outcome.”
Scott DiMauro, head of the statewide Ohio Education Association, said there is not “widespread labor unrest” with Ohio teachers despite the Columbus strike and these other developments. But teachers across the state are feeling “under-resourced” and stretched thin, partly because of the teacher shortage. That shortage is due to a number of factors.
“One is not enough people are going into education as careers, and the need for competitive salaries and benefits is a driver of that,” DiMauro said.
The other issue is that, especially out of the pandemic, many teachers are feeling burnt out and thinking about leaving the profession. Politically motivated attacks on their ability to teach an “honest” curriculum don’t help, DiMauro said, referencing several bills in the Ohio Legislature meant to crack down on the teaching of so-called critical race theory.
Shipe, with Akron, and Paul Palomba, with the Canton Professional Educators’ Association, visited Columbus Tuesday to show their solidarity with the striking Columbus teachers. They also got a tour of some of the schools’ facilities, which Shipe called “deplorable.” Palomba said the teachers’ concerns ring true with teachers’ priorities across the state.
“Everything they’re asking for is reasonable, they’re trying to protect the safety of the students, making sure the buildings are well-maintained, making sure the students have a well-rounded education that includes the arts, and just making sure there’s equity in all of their schools instead of some of them,” Palomba said.
Shipe and Palomba both gave kudos to their own school districts for aggressive approaches to replacing old buildings with new, modern facilities. In Akron’s case, the new Kenmore-Garfield Community Learning Center, which replaces the historic Garfield and Kenmore High Schools will have a ribbon cutting this Saturday (Aug. 27.)
Shipe said one concern for her school district moving forward – as well as other school districts across the state and country – will be finding enough staff to keep class sizes manageable.
“We’re opening the school year with not nearly enough staff so at some point we won’t even have the depth of substitute teachers to fill some of the vacancies,” she said.
