DID THE LOUISVILLE BOE/TEACHER DISPUTE JUST BECOME POLITICAL?

(BOARD MEMBER PHOTOS EXTRACTED FROM LOUISVILLE BOE WEBSITE)

VIDEO

LOUISVILLE CITIZEN

TIM ARAL

SPEAKS OUT AT COMMISSIONERS MEETING

ON

LOUISVILLE TEACHER/UNION IMPASSE

Normally,  local board of education (BOE) elections are not political.  Candidates do not run as a matter of Ohio law as Republicans, Democrats or whatever.

BOE candidates run as "non-partisans."

Of course, "organized" Republicans and Democrats know who is who in terms of BOE candidates' political affinity and communicate same through the political grapevine.

Where BOE membership can really get political is when a labor dispute.

Many times, while there is a lot of "huffing and puffing," the two sides (the board and the unions representing teachers and others) come to an amicable agreement and life resumes as it was before the temporary discord developed.

However, here and there the "huffing and puffing" escalates in "bad blood" and results in a work stoppage that is likely to have political reverberations years going forward.

As the SCPR sees it, the Louisville City Schools are now on the "brink of no return" in the BOE/unons impasse that may be sliding over into the "bad blood" scenario which might bring on political repercussions beginning with the 2017 Louisville City Schools board of education election.

In 2015, Frank Antonacci (the board's president) and Michael Thomas were elected.

(SOURCE:  STARK CO BOARD OF ELECTIONS)

Monday night, in excess of 500 Louisville residents packed the Louisville Elementary cafeteria (see Teachers, community urge Louisville school board to return to negotiating table, Kelli Weir, 10/24-25/2016), mostly in support of the union position (according to Weir) to pressure for a resumption of contract negotiations to prevent a November 2nd walk out by teachers and perhaps involving other unions.

At yesterday's Stark County commissioner meeting, Tim Aral of Louisville, who works at the Stark County Jobs and Family Services took front and center during the Public Speaks portion of the commissioners' regular Wedneday (1:30 p.m.) meeting to address his concerns about the Louisville BOE/union impasse.

Tim attends the commissioners' meeting nearly every week "on his own time" (his lunch hour).

Back in May, 2014 wrote a blog (LINK) which featured Aral.

Here is what Tim had to say yesterday about the Louisville BOE/teachers et al impasse.

To the SCPR, the current situation in Louisville if it results in an actual walkout and the hiring of substitute teachers, bus drivers and whatnot bodes political recrimination perhaps for years to come in Louisville BOE matters.

Next year, a majority (three ) of the five member board have to stand for re-election.

(SOURCE:  LOUISVILLE CITY SCHOOLS WEBSITE)

Make no mistake about it.

It is critically important that all sides come together between now and next Wednesday (November 2nd) and resolve the impasse.

For it they do not, Louisville City Schools Board of Education elections will likely be a political battleground for years to come beginning in 2017.

And this is to say nothing of the figurative bad blood that likely will be flowing down the hallways of the buildings creeping into the classrooms and administrative offices of the Louisville City Schools complex for who knows how long.