Dennison, Ohio - Claymont school officials say students will see things getting back to normal when they return from spring break after a 22-day labor strike.

The Claymont Board of Education voted Monday to accept their last, best and final contract offer with OAPSE Local 390. The union represents the school district’s bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, teachers aides, and others. They were on strike from March 22nd until last Friday when they voted to accept the board’s contract offer.

Superintendent Scott Golec said some of those workers will be back on the job right away and the rest will come back when the students return on Monday.

"So they will start back on Monday, April 22nd. That will be our ‘back to a normal routine’ where everybody is working," he says.

The board’s vote was three to zero after an hour and 45-minute executive session with Collin Fawcett absent and Michelle Sproul abstaining.

Board President Austin Beckley said after the vote that now is the time to put aside differences and come back together for the sake of the students.  

"We do have a lot of good employees and the one thing that everybody has to be reminded of, we all have to work together, and it’s time for this community to start healing," he said.

Beckley said he was grateful to the union for calling a vote to end what he called a no-win situation.

"I do appreciate the vote of 57 to 24 that OAPSE took in favor to go back to work. I’m just dumbfounded that this is our last, best offer, and this is something that in my opinion could have been settled on March 21st and everybody could have been back to work and wouldn’t have lost a day’s pay or their insurance," he said.

Golec said the board finalized the same offer that’s posted on Claymont’s website.OAPSE Attorney Thomas Drabick says they’re glad the board followed through on their end so their members could get back to work.

"I think that the employees are glad that this experience is over with. They felt they had to take a stand and stand up for their collective rights," he said. "Now that the process is over, everybody hopes to go back to providing services to students, to the community and doing the best job they can for Claymont schools."

Golec said arrival and departure times, food service and transportation will all be back to normal when students return.

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