Strongsville mayor's offer to help end the teachers' strike rejected by school district

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - It looks like there will not be a meeting between the two sides in the Strongsville teachers' strike at the mayor's office on Friday.

Mayor Thomas Perciak called on union leaders and the school district to get together at his office and negotiate a deal to end the strike, but only one side will be there.

"We're getting into Easter next week and I would hope at this point that everybody would rethink this whole process and understand what's really important and that's our kids," Mayor Tom Perciak said.

The Strongsville Education Association said its bargaining team will be at the mayor's office Friday morning, adding "Unless the SEA and the school board speak, it is impossible to negotiate."

As for the school district, superintendent John Krupinski said his side will only meet when a federal mediator calls for negotiations, which he said only happens if one or both parties change their position.

"We have listened to the voters and, just as the mayor must do, we must operate within the budget that we have been given," Krupinski said.  He said his team presented the last best offer on March 2.

"It is truly disappointing to me and the community that leaders of both sides with settlement authority will not make themselves available for meaningful discussions in a neutral setting at city hall," Perciak said in a news release on Thursday.

"Continued failure to negotiate in good faith is irreparably harmful to the students who have a right to a quality education, their parents and ultimately the community as a whole," Perciak said.

Meanwhile, students plan to walk out of school at 10 a.m. Friday to show their displeasure with the strike.

"This is tearing our community apart," said Louie LaQuatra, the student who organized the walkout. "It's tearing our families apart, our friends apart and I'm sure its tearing the teachers apart."

The strike is nearing the end of its third week.