River Trails school board approves 4-year contract

The River Trails Elementary District 26 school board this week approved a new 4-year contract for teachers and support staff.

"We're very pleased to have reached this agreement," Superintendent Dane Delli said. "The bargaining process went well, and this contract should be good for all interested parties."

The contract provides union employees a raise of 4.5 percent in the first year, followed by raises of 3.5 percent in each of the remaining three years, Delli said. In a departure from previous deals, the contract does not include "step" pay increases, which are traditionally awarded with each year of completed service, he said.

The deal also includes a slightly restructured health-insurance plan and numerous provisions related to working conditions. It is effective retroactive to July 1.

The River Trails Education Association, the union for teachers and support staff, ratified the deal earlier this month. Union representatives could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The contract, which will expire on June 30, 2018, is considered final, but the district is in the process of producing a final draft. Delli said it should be available for public viewing in a few weeks.

The district and the union started negotiating the contract in February. They used an approach known as Interest-Based Bargaining, which puts an emphasis on the two sides finding common interests at the start of the process.

"The whole spirit of the process is fundamentally different than the traditional method," Delli said. "This is the third time we've taken this approach."

More than 200 people are part of the RTEA. Its members include teachers, school nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers and other employees. Administrators are not included.

District 26 is based in Mount Prospect, and includes two elementary schools and a middle school.