No Agreement In D124 Contract Talks

Negotiations will continue as the D124 school board and teachers union failed to reach a contract agreement Monday night. 

The two sides are scheduled to once again sit down on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m for another round of talks. The teachers union has already filed an intent to strike letter and a walkout could take place as early as this Friday. 

After the last negotiation session on Sept. 10 both sides released what was dubbed as their final offers. 

Read both proposals.

As the negotiations drag on, teachers have reached out to parents and community members by starting an online petition. In the latest flyer distributed by the union they argue that Evergreen Park teachers are paid lower than many area district, yet possess a much higher rate of graduate degrees. 

The flyer, which is attached to this article, also brings up a point that teacher advocates have been voicing for some time. District 124 is sitting on a nest egg of more than $16 million, or about 75 percent of its operating budget. A 25 percent surplus is required to receive the highest financial rating from the state.

The school district counters that a surplus of that size is necessary for several reasons in a response to that argument the district posted on its website.

Among the explanations is the need to prepare for rising costs and capital expenditures that current revenues will not cover and the necessity of maintaining an emergency fund. 

Discussions are still focusing on salary, insurance and retirement issues. The board is proposing teacher salary increases in line with the consumer price index (CPI) and an additional bonus of up to one percent for student progress to specified performance goals. 

The union is looking for CPI increases plus .35 percent in the first year and a maximum of 3.5 and 3.75 percent for the second and third year.

The union is also looking to increase each step of the support staff structure by $1 per hour. The school board wants increases tied to the CPI, but not less than 1 percent or more than 3 percent per year. Possible student performance bonuses would be $100.

The two sides are also negotiating insurance and retirement details.

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