Where DuPage districts stand after summer contract talks

Of six DuPage County school districts waging teacher contract talks during summer vacation, four were able to negotiate new agreements that either have been approved or are expected to be finalized soon.

But with the 2016-2017 academic year looming, two other districts still remain at the bargaining table. Here's a look at where those two districts stand, and the deals that have been made in the other four:

Addison Dist. 4

Negotiators have requested to meet with a federal mediator after making little progress in the latest round of talks.

At the end of a bargaining session last week, the two sides agreed that they “would probably be best served by starting to work with a federal mediator,” Superintendent John Langton said.

Since early March, the Addison Teachers Association and the district's negotiating team have met nearly a dozen times. The previous contract expired in June, and talks on a new deal have not resolved salaries and benefits issues, Langton said last week.

The union has more than 300 members in the district, where about 4,300 children are taught in an early learning center, seven elementary schools and one junior high. Students in first through eighth grades are due to resume classes Aug. 23.

Wood Dale Dist. 7

Teachers and the school board in Wood Dale Elementary District 7 are scheduled to return to the table later this month and again during the first week of September.

The two sides have met 11 times since talks began Jan. 14. The most recent teachers contract expired after two years on June 30.

The Wood Dale Education Association represents 92 teachers and 27 paraprofessionals in the district, which serves 1,176 students in four elementary schools and one junior high in Wood Dale.

Neither Superintendent John Corbett nor WDEA spokesman Joe Krause would comment on what, if any, issues remain on the table.

“We're hopeful to settle as soon as possible,” Corbett said previously. “We always are.”

Krause previously said negotiations are progressing. “We are hopeful this process can be completed before the upcoming school year,” he said.

Bloomingdale Dist. 13

Teachers are expected to ratify a tentative contract agreement one day before students return to school in Bloomingdale Elementary District 13.

Members of the Bloomingdale Council of Teachers are set to vote on the proposed pact Tuesday, Aug. 16. Students will begin classes the next day.

School board President Diane Birkley has said she won't disclose the terms of the agreement until the two sides approve it. The board is due to vote on the deal during its meeting Monday, Aug. 22

Negotiators brokered an agreement in late July, about a month after the previous, three-year contract expired. Talks also involved a federal mediator.

The district enrolls roughly 1,300 students who are taught in two elementary schools and one middle school.

Lombard Dist. 44

The Lombard Elementary District 44 board of education and the Lombard Education Association approved a new 4-year contract on June 26, after approximately five months of bargaining.

The new agreement began Aug. 1 and eliminated the traditional “step and lane” schedule, replacing it with a new salary structure. For the first year of the contract, all returning teachers will receive a salary increase of $3,950.

In the second year, teachers will receive a 3 percent increase. In the third and fourth years, the increase will be tied to the consumer price index and fall between 2 and 4 percent.

The contract also added 20 minutes to the teachers' work day, one extra work day to the yearly schedule, seven early release days, capped health insurance contributions and modified and eliminated some retirement benefits.

The Lombard Education Association represents about 250 teachers who instruct about 3,180 students in six elementary schools and one middle school.

DuPage Dist. 88

The DuPage High School District 88 board of education and the DuPage District 88 Council Local 571 of the American Federation of Teachers approved a two-year contract on June 13.

The deal went into effect July 1. For the first year of the contract, salary increases will amount to 50 percent of the consumer price index, plus step and lane increases.

There will be no raises based off the CPI in the second year of the contract, but teachers will receive step and lane increases.

The union represents about 240 teachers who instruct roughly 4,000 students at Addison Trail and Willowbrook high schools.

Lisle Unit Dist. 202

A tentative agreement has been reached between Lisle Unit District 202 and its teachers, the result of multiple meetings held since March, officials said.

Members of the Lisle Education Association — the union representing roughly 150 teachers and other certified staff — are expected to take a vote this week on the proposed three-year contract.

“I'm very pleased by the entire process and both sides working together,” said Superintendent Keith Filipiak, adding that negotiations were amicable. “In the end, I'm hoping we'll have a positive vote.”

If the proposed pact is approved by the teachers, the school board will vote on it during a yet-to-be scheduled special meeting.

District 202 enrolls roughly 1,500 students in one high school, one junior high and two elementary schools.

• Daily Herald staff writers Robert Sanchez and Justin Kmitch contributed to this report.