Negotiations between the Youngstown City School District and the Youngstown Education Association, the union representing the approximately 400 teaching staff members, are set to begin Monday afternoon.

Negotiations come at a difficult time after the district announced the need for cutbacks after a performance audit of the school district revealed a $4.2 million by next school year and a $16.9 million deficit by 2028, the same audit that also noted that teachers within the district are underpaid.

This also comes after a strike within the district that closed city schools at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year for nearly six weeks.

The first scheduled negotiation is set for Monday at 4:30 p.m. at the Youngstown Board of Education building, and both sides are expected to exchange proposals.

On Saturday at a board work session, Youngstown City School District Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor told 21 News that initially, there will be no teachers cut and that he and the board are looking at all classifications.

Last fall, voters approved the renewal of the emergency 9.51 mill levy, which will generate nearly $5.3 million annually in operating expenses, but the audit noted the deficit was still expected.

This also comes after an FBI raid in mid-January that is looking into spending by the district and contracts they entered into, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The audit also discussed the spending of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds by the district, showing the district spent nearly $2,800 more per student in comparison to peer districts.