COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Education Association (CEA), the union representing more than 4,500 Columbus City Schools educators, has officially launched CEA’s 2025 Contract Campaign alongside parents and community members from the Columbus Education Justice Coalition. In a video released today to celebrate the campaign launch, the union announced that for the first time ever during CEA negotiations with the Board of Education, a parent or community observer will be present during every negotiation session.
“As our union sits down this month to begin negotiations on a new contract, our message to politicians at the local, state, and federal levels is clear; our schools and our futures are in our hands!” said CEA President John Coneglio. “These schools don’t belong to those on the School Board, at the Statehouse, or in Washington D.C. They belong to our community. That’s why for the first time ever we’re bringing parents and community members directly to the negotiations table at every bargaining session, using the power of collective bargaining to win the resources our students and educators deserve.”
In 2022, CEA negotiations culminated in a historic three-day strike, the first Columbus teachers’ strike in 50 years. The strike resulted in CEA winning a guarantee of climate control in every learning space across the district, amongst other wins such as smaller class sizes and a groundbreaking Community Campus School pilot program. Subsequently, during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, Columbus City Schools students have not missed a single day of instruction for “heat days” as had been routine for decades prior to the hard-won 2022 contract.
In 2025, negotiations will occur against the backdrop of school funding threats at both the state and federal levels. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s initial state budget proposal, for example, would cut roughly 35 million dollars from Columbus City Schools over the next two years. CEA members are committed to holding Ohio state legislators accountable to their constitutional mandate to fund public schools, as well as fighting for the rights of their most vulnerable students currently under attack by the current President and his unelected billionaire friends.
The Columbus Education Association is the Union representing over 4,500 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and other education professionals in Columbus City Schools. The Columbus Education Association is a proud affiliate of the Ohio Education Association and the National Education Association.
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