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Meeting of teachers' union, superintendent called "productive"

Ryan Delaney
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WRVO News File Photo
Syracuse school superintendent Sharon Contreras at a school board meeting last week.

Updated, 1:55 p.m. with comment from superintendent:

The first meeting between the president of the Syracuse teachers' union and the superintendent of the school system since their relationship publicly disintegrated last week has been called "productive."

Syracuse Teachers Association President Kevin Ahern and Superintendent Sharon Contreras met Friday morning under the invitation of Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.

Credit Ryan Delaney / WRVO
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WRVO
STA President Kevin Ahern.

Last week the teachers' union held a "no confidence" vote in Contreras and staged a protest at a school board meeting.

The meeting, held in the mayor's office, was also attended by school board commissioners Michelle Mignano and David Cecile.

Miner issued only a brief statement following the meeting:

This morning I met with Superintendent Sharon Contreras, STA President Kevin Ahern, and several members of the Board of Education to discuss their ongoing concerns in our schools. We had a wide-ranging discussion. It was productive and we agreed to continue these discussions.

Ahern would only say through an assistant that the two sides had agreed to meet again.

In response to a tweet, Contreras tweeted, "I am committed to moving forward."

Teachers are upset over safety within the schools and poor implementation of new curriculum and teacher evaluations, Ahern said last week. Teachers feel disrespected, he said.

Contreras has said she continues to have full confidence in the city's teacher corp.