COLUMBUS, Ohio — The union representing teachers and substitute teachers inside Columbus City Schools is suing the district, claiming CCS violated state law.
The union said the district notified 28 building substitutes that their contracts were not being renewed for the upcoming school year. The Columbus Education Association argues this notice was sent outside a window outlined in state law regarding bargaining agreements.
The lawsuit filed in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas is asking for a declaratory judgment mandating the Board of Education to issue one-year contracts to these 28 substitutes and pay any wages and benefits that have been lost.
“We don’t want to comment on details of ongoing litigation, however, CEA takes its obligation to enforce member rights under our contract and state law very seriously,” read a statement from John Coneglio, CEA president. “Our preference is always to work towards solutions collaboratively with the District, however when that is not possible, we will not hesitate to protect our members.”
Columbus City Schools employs more than 240 building substitute teachers. These are full-time CCS employees who work in the same building every day. Some are retired teachers and others are working toward getting their teaching degrees. These substitutes joined the CEA in 2023, citing the need for representation as their duties increased.
10TV reached out to Columbus City Schools on Wednesday. Interim Executive Director of Communications Jacqueline Bryant sent the following statement:
“During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Columbus City Schools took a proactive approach by creating the building substitute program to enhance the substitute experience and strengthen their role within the education system. The program was subsidized with federal (ESSER) funds.
Unfortunately, these federal funds expired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Therefore, the District had to make necessary staffing adjustments. We are committed to supporting our schools by continuing to allocate building substitutes to the locations with the highest needs, ensuring coverage for long-term vacancies and teacher absences. CEA’s Complaint is based on its misinterpretation of the applicability of Ohio Revised Code Section 3319.11 to the action taken by Columbus City Schools.”
Kim Maupin is a building substitute at Avondale Elementary School. She’s also the senior faculty representative for the building substitutes. She said their roles in the district are vital.
“We’re in the same building every day, five days a week. We aren’t just a part-time babysitter while the teacher is out, we’re actually teaching,” she said. "We know all the students, we have relationships with all the students, the staff and the parents.”
She said even though there are more than 240 building substitutes spread across the district’s more than 110 buildings, they really can’t afford to lose any.
“Even with the 240 plus subs we have now, there were still classes getting split up,” she said. “Just taking away any of our subs is going to have a strong effect on the classroom, the students and the teachers.”
She said substitutes in the district are tasked with covering more than day-to-day classes. Building substitutes are also called upon to cover long-term leave situations or if a teaching vacancy occurs. In these situations, a sub is handling lesson planning, grading and parent interactions.