COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Schools has reached a tentative agreement with a local union on salary increases and benefits that will affect thousands of workers.
The Columbus School Employees Association (CSEA) represents roughly 3,000 employees within Columbus City Schools, from teachers, to custodians, food service workers and bus drivers.
The agreement reached Tuesday includes a base salary increase of 3% for all members in the 2021-2022 school year, as well as an increase of 2.25% for members during the 2022-2023 school year.
Additionally, CSEA members will receive a $2,000 bonus for retention and recruitment, delivered over a two-year span. According to a release from Columbus City Schools, the bonus money will be provided through the district’s federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.
Among other benefits, the agreement adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday and moves some workers from seven to eight-hour workdays.
“These bonuses are another way of showing our appreciation for our CSEA employees who have continued to help support our students and our community during the pandemic,” CCS Superintendent and CEO Dr. Talisa Dixon said in part in a statement.
The agreement still needs to be approved by the Columbus Board of Education. Board members will discuss the contract during a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. If approved, the contract will be signed and enacted, it reads in the release.
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