As striking teachers hit the picket lines Wednesday, the Youngstown City School District has canceled its previously scheduled Wednesday start date, pushing it back to this Friday, according to their website and social media posts.

"As the YEA union has gone on strike, the first day of the 2023-2024 school year has been postponed. Youngstown Schools will begin the school year with remote online learning. Remote online learning will begin on Friday, August 25, 2023," the district said on Facebook Tuesday evening.

Families who need loaned technology to successfully participate in remote learning can pick up a Chromebook at their student's respective school on Wednesday, August 23, and Thursday, August 24 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm or from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

"We've been working around the clock to prepare for this," said Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor. 

The online program is called Edmentum and there will be teachers and administrators monitoring the student's progress on the platform. The district is not hiring anyone new to help assist with the program. 

In the statement, YCSD also said that grab-and-go meal sites will be available at Chaney Middle School, East Middle School, Harding Elementary School, and Wilson Alternative School for students. Each student can obtain one bag per day between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm, which will contain both breakfast and lunch.

Parents within the district voiced their disapproval of the plan at Tuesday's board meeting.

"My kids will not be taking part in remote learning," one woman said. "As that is no different than crossing the picket lines."

"I can't even imagine what it would be like trying to remote learning without the teachers," another woman added. 

To overcome the looming strike, YCSD says it "has many capable full-time substitutes who have been supplied with the curriculum, which has already been prepared, so that students may smoothly enter into the online learning experience. In addition to our substitutes, the District’s own administrators and those teachers who choose not to strike may provide online instruction to their students."

No negotiating took place Tuesday as the district has presented its best and final offer to the union.

"We offered language that I think is very fair," said Superintendent Batchelor to 21 News. 

This included a 2% raise for all teachers along with a 60-day extension preventing a strike offering a $600 bonus pay.

"We thought it was pretty generous ourselves because we do want to continue to have the conversations," Batchelor said. "We know we need our teachers. We want them here."

In regards to working conditions, the main sticking point involves language that allows the Superintendent to keep extraordinary power, similar to what the CEO had. While the Union wants the language removed, Superintendent Batchelor said it's not that easy and they never left the table.

"As long as the Academic Distress Commission continues to be in existence, then the language should not go away," Batchelor said. "And even if the Academic Distress Commission goes away, then the language has to be negotiated. It's not as simple as the union is trying to make it out to be and so we're really trying to be diligent to make sure that if we're really going to replace that language, we replace it with language that allows us to function in a manner that will make us continue to improve."

The district must meet future state benchmarks to retain its position in local control. 

"We've offered language that is very similar to our friends in Austintown and Warren," Batchelor said. 

YCSD is also currently awaiting a ruling on a request it filed with the SERB to declare the YEA strike as "unauthorized," which would give the district broad authority to force teachers back into the classroom, lest they face harsh penalties to their wages or even risk their careers.

That request, filed at 4:55 on Tuesday, must be ruled on by Ohio state law within 72 hours by the SERB. Coincidentally, 72 hours puts the deadline for that decision on Friday, which is now the day school is set to begin. 

"They [students] need the in-person," Union Spokesperson Jim Courim told 21 News on Tuesday. "They need their teachers there. That's why we want to be there. We want to help them reach their fullest potential and we can't do that unless we're not in the classroom. We can't be in the classroom unless we have a fair contract."

The union told 21 News their last paycheck from the previous school year comes this Friday.

After that, union members won't be paid until they return to the classroom. Teachers will be on the picket lines at all district buildings starting Wednesday at 5 am. WFMJ Today will be live with the union throughout the first day of the strike. 

The district released a communications plan to all parents in the district via email, social media and the district's website.