Flint Community Schools announced all school buildings will be closed on Wednesday, March 13 after 119 teachers and employees called in sick.

The teachers are part of the United Teachers of Flint, and the employees are MEA/NEA employees, the district said.

“The district certainly does not appreciate how this unexpected school closure will impact our families. While the district understands that this school closure will hurt our scholars more than anyone else, the district hopes that UTF employees will return to work tomorrow, so scholars can be educated tomorrow,” the district said in a statement.

Principals, secretaries, and all central office staff are still expected to report to work.

“Our immediate reaction to that is thinking about our scholars and families and trying to make sure that we get what was best for our scholars and families. As it pertains to being up this morning, getting to the bus stop, and driving in, we have a lot of single parents that unfortunately had to change their work schedule today. It is not the desire of the district that that happens. We wanted to make sure that we reached our families this morning to ensure that they were home and as safe as they could be,” Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones said.

The union said the Flint Board of Education rejected a settlement agreement that was reached between the district’s administrators and the union. The union said that agreement would have improved pay for Flint teachers, who are among the lowest paid in the state.

“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,” United Teachers of Flint President Karen Christian said. “Each day that goes by without action from the school board leads to more and more talented educators leaving Flint for other school districts, where they can be treated with professionalism and dignity.”