McHenry County Blog

A press release from Huntley School District 158 and its teachers’ union:

A Joint Press Release from the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 and the Huntley Education Association

Teachers will be on the job at Heineman Middle and other District 158 Schools even though they do not have a new contract.

ALGONQUIN, IL – The District 158 administration and the Huntley Education Association (HEA) negotiation team have met regularly throughout the summer for the purpose of working toward a contract agreement with the HEA.

The parties, including representatives of the Board of Education, last met on Thursday, August 9, 2012.

At the end of this meeting, both sides have agreed that our next best step is to work through a mediator.

Although D158 teachers will be starting the year without a new contract, all parties remain committed to seeing this through without affecting the school year or students.

A joint statement from District 300 and its teacher union:

Board and LEAD300 jointly request mediator in negotiations

The negotiating teams for the D300 School Board and the D300 teachers’ union, known as LEAD300, have requested a third‐party mediator to assist in their ongoing negotiations.

The School Board and LEAD300 filed the mediation request in keeping with a new state law that was passed last year, called Senate Bill 7.

This law requires that if the parties have not agreed on a new contract in a certain time period prior to the start of the upcoming school year, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) will initiate mediation.

The involvement of a mediator does not mean that the Board and LEAD300 are at an impasse, but rather it reflects compliance with the new law as well as the desire to bring negotiations to a timely conclusion.

The mediator is a neutral, third party, who is appointed by the IELRB to assist the parties in coming to an agreement. There is no cost to the school district for using a mediator.

In spring 2011, the D300 School Board and LEAD300 agreed to a one‐year collective bargaining agreement for D300 teachers and other certified staff, which expired on July 1, 2012 (The terms of this contract will automatically roll forward until/unless both parties agree to a new contract.)

The School Board initiated an invitation to LEAD300 in January 2012 to begin negotiations for a new agreement. That month, the first negotiations session took place for what the School Board hopes will result in a multi‐year contract to give stability to students, teachers, and district taxpayers.

However, in the sessions that have taken place since then, LEAD300 has not presented to the School Board any specific proposal as to the salary schedule and benefits that LEAD300 would like for its members. The School Board has been unable to develop or present a counterproposal because no dollar amounts or percentages have been proposed by LEAD300.

LEAD300 presented, among other concepts, a proposal to substantially lower class sizes.

The School Board very much shares this desire to lower class sizes.

But without knowing specifically how much LEAD300 is seeking in terms of salaries and benefits, the School Board
cannot determine to what extent the district could afford to do so, if at all.

The bigger picture of these negotiations must also be considered by all parties.

D300 inevitably faces increased costs in the near future due to state pension reforms, which will push more pension costs onto school districts.

As early as next year, D300 will likely have to pay at least $1 million to $3 million more a year in increased pension contributions. Furthermore, the district will not see the financial benefits of the renegotiated Sears EDA for another three years.

Even then, at roughly $3.2 million a year, the increased EDA funding will only begin to partially offset the state funding cuts that D300 has recently suffered in transportation and other areas.

The School Board had hoped to be further along in the negotiations process by now, especially in light of the good faith measures it has taken.

Administration had decided this spring not to recommend any budget‐related layoffs of teachers or other certified staff for the upcoming 2012‐2013 school year, despite the additional financial pressure this would place on the district’s already tight budget. The Board supported this recommendation against layoffs as a good faith measure to pave the way for collaboration during negotiations.

The D300 School Board remains deeply committed to working with LEAD300 and optimistically aspires to find a resolution which allows the district to focus on students.

Student achievement and fiscal responsibility are the mutual job of every Board member, educator, and staff member in the district.

Together, all parties must be mutually committed to living within the district’s limited financial means in order to ensure that students have the resources that they need to thrive.

The Board and LEAD300 believe that using a mediator can positively support this goal and allow them to come to a timely agreement.

D300 student attendance begins on Monday, August 13, for the 2012‐2013 school year.

Here’s the summary for McHenry Elementary School District #15 new Five-Year Teacher’s Contract:

Compensation changes for the life of the contract include the following;

• New compensation increase = 0.47%
• Investment in professional learning communities = 2.20%
• Total compensation increase = 2.67%

Other parts of the contract with financial implications:

• Tuition savings
• Retirement savings
• Reduction in lane changes
• Stipend savings and health screenings

Here’s the press release about the teachers’ contract which the Cary School Board ratified last night:

Cary Junior High and elementary school students will get a shorted school day after Thanksgiving.

District 26 Board Ratifies Teacher Contract
November 1, 2011

The Board of Education of Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 announced today that they have ratified a tentative agreement with the Cary Education Association (CEA) addressing all issues related to a new collective bargaining agreement.

The new three-year agreement calls for:

• Reduction in teacher compensation by 3% in the 2011-2012 school year and a pay freeze in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.  Teachers will be permitted to change lanes and “move horizontally” on the salary schedule by taking additional course work during the contract but will not receive automatic “step” or longevity increases.
• A change in the employee insurance program. Previously, the Board paid 100% of single coverage and between 20% and 50% of family coverage depending on a teacher’s years of service in the district. Under the new agreement, the Board will pay 50% of single coverage, and between 10% and 40% of family coverage depending upon a teacher’s experience in the district.
• The school day for students has been lengthened from 5 hours and 45 minutes last year to 6 hours and 15 minutes under this new agreement. Student instructional time will be increased by 30 minutes a day over last year’s amounts. The parties expect to transition to a new daily schedule corresponding to the change in the school day after the Thanksgiving holiday.
• The tuition reimbursement program under the previous collective bargaining agreement has been eliminated from the new contract.
• The retirement program under previous contract has been eliminated. Under previous agreements, eligible employees could receive up to four years of 6% increases in their last years of employment; up to $20,000 in lump sum payments following retirement; and up to $10 a day for unused sick leave.

At the start of this school year the Board had imposed contract terms for the 2011-2012 school year which provided for reductions in pay and in the insurance program greater than those agreed to as outlined above.

Through a series of meetings with a federal mediator after the start of the school year, however, the parties were able to reach agreement on all economic and language issues for a three-year contract.

The parties expect to finalize the contract language and execute an agreement as soon as possible.

Chris Spoerl, the Board President, said,

“These negotiations have taken a long time to complete — since November 2010 in fact – in large measure because of the very serious financial challenges faced by the district. These were not easy labor talks but the board is confident that the new agreement will help put the district on a more stable financial ground for the next three years.”

The Cary School District's Administrative Office.

A press release from Cary Elementary School District 26:

Board and CEA Reach Tentative Agreement on All Issues

The Board of Education of Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 and the Cary Education Association, which represents the teachers in labor negotiations, announced today that on Wednesday evening they reached a
tentative agreement on all outstanding issues.

The parties have been in negotiations since November in an effort to reach agreement on a new contract.

The previous collective bargaining agreement expired at the start of the 2011‐2012 school years.

The terms of the contract will be presented to the teachers for ratification next week and the Board of Education soon after. Details of the agreement will be released after ratification.

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Unlike McHenry County College, which released a summary of the contract its board will approve tonight, local school boards, such as Cary’s, won’t let taxpayers know how the bulk of their taxes will be spent.  Typically, 80% of a school district’s operating expenditures go for salaries.  Some, of course, are for non-teachers, but faculty salaries make up most of that 80%.

I cannot understand why this does not disturb more people.

CORRECTION

When this article was posted, I misread the document below.  It does not apply to McHenry County College faculty.  It applies to the non-certified staff.

I have made the corrections.

= = = = =

Unlike almost all local school districts over the last five years, McHenry County College President Vicki Smith is giving the taxpayers an indication of what’s in the contract that will presumably receive Board approval Thursday night.

Kudos for the transparency.

Here’s the summary of the McHenry County College contact for  employees who don’t teach, which is being presented to the MCC Board.

I see I cannot copy and paste it, so downgrade the transparency kudos above.

What you see below is an image of the report which is not searchable over the internet:

Click to enlarge.

Here’s what’s on the web site:

The signed copy of the press release.

Joint Press Release Cary BOE and CEA
posted 5 hours ago by Caryil d26

The Board of Education of Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 and The Cary Education Association which represents the teachers announced tonight that they have reached a tentative agreement to resolve the significant financial issues between the parties and are optimistic that they can reach full agreement on all remaining issues.

The parties are set to meet next week in an effort to reach an agreement on all remaining issues.

The details of the tentative agreement will be made after the board of education and association members have ratified it.

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Again, I would point out that taxpayers should be able to read proposed contracts before they are ratified by thr elected representatives.  In my memory only Huntley School District 158 did so and that was for the contract before last.  That was when Larry Snow was on the school board.

Marshall Lowe put political messates on his sign on Route 14. Last week's was in support of the Distrit 26 School Board.

The teachers in Cary Grade Schools are teaching.

They could be striking as the School Board imposed a contract on them.

But, they’re not striking.

They want to talk more.

The meeting is at the Cary Junior High.

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The message on Marshall Lowe’s sign says,

DIST 26 BOARD

FOR SOME ITS A HARD

PILL TO SWALLOW BUT

STAY THE COURSE

Wednesday was the first day of school and teachers were not striking.

They were asking for more negotiations.

Here's the entrance to the Cary Grade School District's Administration Center.

Maybe there will be a meeting next week.

In what is labeled a “Joint Press Release,” the Huntley School Board and teachers union announce agreement has been reached on a one-year teachers’ contract.

District 158 teachers will not be walking picket lines this year.

Algonquin, IL – After a collaborative and constructive process, the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 and the Huntley Education Association have come to a tentative agreement on a contract for 2011-2012. Contract language is now being finalized.

Both sides understand the current economic reality facing the District, and the agreement is within the constraints of the tentative budget that the Board approved in June.

Both sides have agreed to a “hard freeze” contract that does not add additional total compensation over the 2010-2011 year.

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The First Electric Newspaper asks the relevant question concerning what a “hard freeze” means. Here’s what Pete Gonigan discovered:

“[Tony] Quagliano told FEN the tentative terms don’t actually freeze the last contract’s steps and lanes by which teachers can increase their salaries.

“They’ve been adjusted, he said, so they’ll result in ‘no net increase’ in total expenditures.”