Articles filed under West Chicago District 33

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Editorial: Teaching languages is serious businessMay 1, 2013 12:00 AM
The importance of dual language programs, already offered by many suburban school districts, will only grow in the coming years, a Daily Herald editorial says.
Newcomer Villa to serve on West Chicago school board Apr 9, 2013 12:00 AM
A former social worker for West Chicago Elementary District 33 will join her brother on the school board after being elected Tuesday along with three incumbents. Newcomer Karina Villa finished third among five candidates for four seats and will join incumbents Susan Stibal, Brenda Vishanoff and Juliann Pearson on the board.
Endorsements: Pearson. Scheck, Stibal, Vishanoff for West Chicago Dist. 33 schools Mar 19, 2013 12:00 AM
The Daily Herald endorses Christine Scheck, Brenda Vishanoff, Juliann Pearson and Susan Stibal for the West Chicago District 33 school board.
Strikes don’t add much heat to school board races Mar 10, 2013 12:00 AM
Suburban school districts have seen an unusual number of teacher's strikes in recent months. Yet, those strikes — and the disagreements that led to them — have not been a major force in campaigns leading up to the April 9 school board election.
Request for student information stirs FOIA controversy in West Chicago Mar 3, 2013 12:00 AM
A Freedom of Information Act request for student contact information filed during the final month of contract negotiations between West Chicago District 33 and its teachers union is pointing out some inconsistencies between FOIA regulations and federal laws meant to protect student privacy.
Contract, compromises approved in West Chicago Dist. 33Feb 20, 2013 12:00 AM
West Chicago District 33 teachers and school board members ended a 16-month contract battle Thursday night when the agreement gained final approval. The contract addresses several sticking points with compromises and forms committees to address two other issues the sides struggled to agree on. While the board says the contract is fiscally responsible, the union says it could have been reached much earlier and without a strike.
Susan Stibal: Candidate ProfileFeb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Candidate information for Susan Stibal, running for West Chicago District 33 School Board (4-year Terms)
Brenda Vishanoff: Candidate ProfileFeb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Candidate information for Brenda Vishanoff, running for West Chicago District 33 School Board (4-year Terms)
Juliann Pearson: Candidate ProfileFeb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Candidate information for Juliann Pearson, running for West Chicago District 33 School Board (4-year Terms)
Karina Villa: Candidate ProfileFeb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Candidate information for Karina Villa, running for West Chicago District 33 School Board (4-year Terms)
Christine Scheck: Candidate ProfileFeb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Candidate information for Christine Scheck, running for West Chicago District 33 School Board (4-year Terms)
West Chicago teachers ratify 3-year contract Feb 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Teachers in West Chicago District 33 have approved the tentative contract reached after last week’s three-day strike, a union representative said Wednesday. A majority of teachers voted Tuesday to ratify the tentative agreement reached early Thursday morning and send the document along for school board approval, said Mary Catherine Kosmach, chief union negotiator. The board intends to approve the contract at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21.
Parents ‘happy it’s over’ as Dist. 33 classes resume Feb 7, 2013 12:00 AM
West Chicago Elementary District 33 began calling parents overnight to tell them classes will be back in session this morning after a tentative contract deal was reached just after midnight.Parents Thursday said they were relieved their students could go back to their normal schedule after a three-day teachers strike. “I’m just happy it’s over with and they figured it all out because the kids need to be in school,” parent Stacy Rachus said.
Possible progress in District 33 contract talks Feb 6, 2013 12:00 AM
There were signs of possible progress in contract talks Wednesday in West Chicago Elementary District 33 as teachers walked picket lines for the third consecutive day. The school board and teachers union returned to the bargaining table with a federal mediator at 1 p.m. and were meeting into the evening. Mary Catherine Kosmach, the union's chief negotiator, said both bargaining teams are "close" to coming to terms on some issues, but nothing is official.
Financial challenges remain in Dist. 33 post-strikeFeb 6, 2013 12:00 AM
The teachers strike is over, a tentative contract has been reached and classes have resumed, but financial challenges in West Chicago District 33 remain, officials said Thursday night. “It took a long time to work through them, but we're glad we finally did,” school board spokesman Dave Barclay said. “Now we can look forward and get back to our mission of teaching our children.”
Dist. 33 teachers, board still talking, still disagreeing Feb 5, 2013 12:00 AM
Negotiating teams for the West Chicago Elementary District 33 school board and teachers union returned to the bargaining table Tuesday in hopes of ending a strike that entered its second day. But so far, it appears no deal is in sight. Hours after a negotiations session with a federal mediator began, key disagreements on salary, health insurance, class sizes and the extended school day remained on the table.
In West Chicago Dist. 33, even how talks ended is in dispute Feb 4, 2013 12:00 AM
Striking teachers were walking picket lines in West Chicago Elementary District 33 with little immediate hope of a contract settlement. Even the end of Sunday's last-ditch bargaining session was shrouded in controversy. The school board said the union rejected its settlement offer and rejected a suggestion that it postpone a strike, but the union said weren't aware the talks had ended. "The board walked out and didn't tell us," Mary Catherine Kosmach, the union's chief negotiator, said.
West Chicago parents scramble to keep kids busy during strike Feb 4, 2013 12:00 AM
As teachers in West Chicago Elementary School District 33 hit the picket lines Monday, parents of some 4,000 students had to find alternate plans to keep them busy. About 940 students in grades one through five were preregistered for the district's "alternative educational instruction" at Gary and Pioneer schools, said Dave Barclay, the school board's spokesman.
Classes canceled in Dist. 33 as teachers strikeFeb 3, 2013 12:00 AM
Teachers will be walking picket lines and thousands of students will be locked out of classes Monday in West Chicago Elementary District 33 after the school board and teachers union failed to come to a contract agreement following nearly 11 hours at the bargaining table. “Discussions have stopped,” School board spokesman Dave Barclay said said shortly before midnight. “There definitely will be no school Monday.”
District 33: Preparations in place for strike, settlement Feb 1, 2013 12:00 AM
There should be few surprises come Monday for parents of roughly 4,000 students in West Chicago Elementary District 33, officials say, whether teachers are back in the classroom or walking picket lines. Gina Steinbrecher, the district’s community relations specialist, says officials have been working to keep parents abreast of the developing strike threat through phone calls, emails and the website at www.wego33.org.