No classes Monday as Dist. 23 teachers remain on strike

Prospect Heights Elementary District 23 schools will be closed again Monday, and teachers will remain on strike amid contract negotiations with the school board, according to a notice on the district's website.

The Prospect Heights Education Association, representing 150 teachers, went on strike after walking out of negotiations last week, and school has been canceled for the district's 1,500 students since Wednesday.

After the parties failed to reach an agreement at a meeting Thursday, negotiations continued Sunday evening.

Earlier Sunday, the school board announced that it would propose a two-week "cooling off" period that would allow students and teachers return to school Monday even if the two parties didn't come to an agreement, Board President Mari-Lynn Peters said in a statement on the district's website. Discussions between the two sides, guided by a federal mediator, would remain open, she said.

But the union rejected the proposal, the notice said, and teachers will remain on strike Monday.

Union representatives could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Teachers held a community meeting before negotiations began Sunday and asked district residents to walk with them to the administration building to support contract discussions, according to the union's website.

"We will continue to negotiate in good faith for a contract that supports both the educational quality and the financial stability of our District," Peters said.