Lake Villa teachers, district reach tentative deal

After about 10 months of contentious contract talks, the Lake Villa Elementary District school board and teachers have reached a tentative deal, a union spokesman said Saturday.

The terms of the new contract will not be released until union members and the board ratify the pact, Illinois Federation of Teachers spokesman Kenzo Shibata said in a statement. Those votes are expected within the next few weeks.

With the threat of a strike looming, the tentative, four-year deal was reached early Saturday after a marathon bargaining session that lasted 17 hours, according to a joint statement by the school board and Lake Villa Federation of Teachers, which represents about 180 teachers.

Teachers had set a date to strike - Feb. 29 - if both sides were unable to come to an agreement.

"During nearly ten months of extensive negotiations, the Board and the LVFT worked hard to consider many options in our effort to develop a fair and fiscally responsible contract agreement that balances the best interests of all District 41 stakeholders," the joint statement said.

The school board has said both sides were divided on issues including starting salary and medical insurance.

• Daily Herald staff writer Russell Lissau contributed to this report.