Beachwood Schools Union Contract Under Vote Tonight

The Beachwood City Schools Board of Education will vote on a support staff union contract tonight at a special meeting.

District administration and the Beachwood Union of Support Staff have been in negotiations for a contract for months. Members of the BUSS, which falls under the umbrella of the Ohio Federation of Teachers,

The district and the bus drivers, who, with the rest of the district's support staff, merged with the Beachwood Federation of Teachers union, ratified a contract Friday.

 — the district’s drivers were laid off and hired by CBS — and the bus drivers filed an unfair labor practice suit because they were in the process of forming a union.

Superintendent Richard Markwardt said the district made the move to save money and improve operations.

Beachwood City Schools offered a settlement, re-hiring the drivers to the district and ending the contract with CBS to manage the routes.

The drivers make up about a quarter of the support staff union.

The special meeting is open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Watch Beachwood Patch for more information.