No Mandatory Loss of Accreditation for Huntley If Strike Days Not Made Up

An interesting thing happened at last Thursday night’s Huntley school board meeting.

First, Superintendent Burkey was unable to attend the meeting, being at a Superintendents’ meeting of Large Unit District Association officials.

So, second in command Terry Awrey was in charge. Awrey addressed the issue of making up school days.

But for some reason Awrey expanded the topic to include whether you have to make up days or not.

Awrey talked with Gene Goeglein the County Regional Superintendent of Schools. Goeglein informed Awrey that unless the District made up the school days the District would lose accreditation. Based on this Associate Superintendent Terry Awrey said Thursday:

“If we were to miss those three days, not only would we lose our general state aid for those three days, we’d lose our accreditation as a school.” (Northwest Herald)

It just so happens there is no requirement to lose accreditation.

The Illinois State Law Survey says:

“The school district may also suffer recognition penalties.”

“May.”

Not “Shall.”

Big Difference.

I would expect District 158 officials will clarify this at a future meeting.

They wouldn’t want the teachers who just went on strike to incorrectly believe the District will lose accreditation, if they don’t make up the days.

The Huntley teachers union wanted to make up the days and not lose three days pay.

So much so the union agreed to drop four alleged unfair labor practices against Huntley District 158.

What happened to the teachers the union were fighting for in these legal actions?

Sounds like the union leaders sold their interests down the river.

The Board, you see, had no intention of making up the three days. And in order for the union not to lose three days pay, the union had to give the Board something.

One of those items the union wanted badly was very hotly contested during negotiations and was included one of the unfair labor practices. The union wanted to go to the legal mats for it in the hope they could get lucky with a ruling.

The result was the teachers union had to give up its legal claims on it and more or keep on striking.

It seems it was not a Norma Rae moment.

Julie Hunter and Kim Aschenbach, Huntley teacher union co-presidents and grievance chair Jane Kantor threw solidarity out the window.

Solidarity is when teacher union leaders want their “professionals” to march with signs, and chant slogans while striking.

But what do you call it when their fellow teacher leaders sell out the interests of individual teachers?

I can’t come up with a word that really fits.

The sold out teachers clearly would have been better off if there hadn’t been a strike.


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