McHenry District 156, teachers union will talk again Sunday
The McHenry High School District 156 school board and its teachers union were back at the negotiating table Friday afternoon - a day after teachers went on strike - and said they will return Sunday.
The district's East and West campuses were closed Thursday and Friday, and extracurricular and co-curricular activities were canceled for the 2,550 students after negotiations broke down at 1 a.m. Thursday.
The two sides were far apart on teacher raises and insurance benefits.
The school board's last offer was a flat 2.7 percent yearly increase on average for four years, including step and base pay raises.
Teachers were seeking an automatic step increase of 3.64 percent plus an extra 1.36 percent increase to the base pay, amounting to an overall 5 percent yearly increase, and that the district pay 100 percent of health insurance premium increases, according to school board President Steven Bellmore said.
Heidie Dunn, spokeswoman for the McHenry County High School Educators Association, said a couple of proposals were exchanged between the board and the union Friday, and there will be another negotiating session at 1 p.m. Sunday.
"We're hoping we can come to an agreement then, and get back to school on Monday," Dunn said early Friday night.
All Illinois High School Association interscholastic athletics and activities, including games and tournaments, are canceled or postponed during the strike period, per IHSA rules.
For updates on school events, visit dist156.org.