Forestville teachers reach agreement, end strike

Teachers in the Forestville Union School District are back in school Friday after they reached an agreement Thursday night with the school district on a three-year contract.

The 16 teachers went on strike Monday afternoon after a bargaining session ended without an agreement.

District Superintendent Renee Semik announced the end of the strike Thursday night on the Forestville Elementary School and Academy’s Facebook page.

Semik said:

“I am very happy to let you know that the teacher strike is over.” 

Semik said:

“Tomorrow our teachers will be back in their classrooms and school will resume with our regular Friday schedule beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 2:55 p.m.” 

Ryan Strauss, Forestville Teachers Association bargaining co-chair, said the teachers asked for a three-year contract with a 5 percent raise in the first and second years of the contract that is retroactive to 2018-2019, and a 3 percent cost-of-living wage increase in the third year. The district offered a 2.5 percent raise in the third year, Strauss said.

Strauss said:

“The difference [in the third year] is less than $6,000 a year and one-tenth of one percent of the school’s budget.”