The Buck Stops at Sara Jonas

Teacher contracts for the Forest Hills Local School District (FHSD) are set to expire on July 1, 2024. But there is a roadblock in the way of a fair teacher contract in FHSD … Her name is SARA JONAS.

Public schools provide a well-educated, well-prepared, workforce of citizens. Teachers play a pivotal role and should be paid accordingly for their service to the community. In May of 2023, the community of FHSD passed an operating levy to do just that. Information from the levy campaign layed out the fact that most of the district’s expenses goes towards salaries and benefits. We get it, and we totally agree! When the biggest asset of your service is PEOPLE … you pay them! You also have to pay them fairly, so they stay. THAT is why we passed an operating levy.

Turns out, the school board has trouble scheduling dates for bargaining. We received word that they cancelled the last bargaining meeting the night before it was supposed to happen. Board leadership — President Sara Jonas and (to a lesser extent) Vice President Katie Stewart — are in charge of coordinating their schedules so they can be there at the table. Why did they cancel? More important things to do? Hundreds of employees and their livelihoods hang in the balance and they are too busy to talk? We get that your kids are in private school and don’t attend school in the district, but it is not a reason to care this little about human beings that depend on you. You were elected to a public school board. This negotiation should be priority NUMERO UNO!

We need all community members who care about the district and care about the students and care about the teachers to show up! Be at the board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26 at Mercer Elementary School. Dress in black out of solidarity for the teachers. Tell the board to negotiate a fair contract.