River Trails teachers ratify new contract, school board to vote Sept. 16

The teachers union in River Trails Elementary School District 26 has ratified a tentative employment contract, union leaders said.

That means formal approval of the deal by the District 26 school board is the last action needed before it becomes final.

Neither side will discuss specifics of the contract until is formally approved. Linda Moric, president of the River Trails Education Association and a teacher at Euclid Elementary School, said the union vote showed strong support of the tentative deal. She called the negotiations "a very positive experience."

Superintendent Dane Delli said he expects the contract will come up for a vote at the school board's meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The union and the school board have been negotiating since February. The two sides agreed to use "Interest-Based Bargaining," an approach designed to identify common ground between the parties involved.

The teachers' last contract expired on June 30. They have continued to work under the terms of that deal since then.

The RTEA represents more than 200 teachers and support staff members. District 26 is based in Mount Prospect and consists of two elementary schools and a middle school.