Flint Community Schools were closed Wednesday after more than a hundred teachers called in sick.
The district says 119 teachers, members of the United Teachers of Flint union, called in sick
“The District certainly does not appreciate how this unexpected school closure will impact our families,” part of a statement posted on the Flint Community Schools website.
The district and the teachers’ union have been at odds for months after the school board rejected an agreement on pay and teacher retention.
The board says the agreement was rejected because the Flint Community Schools district cannot afford to implement it.
“Our schools are already struggling with an educator shortage, and Flint school board members are causing further damage by refusing to approve the agreement that their own administrators reached with our teachers,” said United Teachers of Flint President Karen Christian.
Union leaders are meeting with rank-and-file teachers this afternoon.
The two sides are expected to faceoff during a school board meeting this evening.
