Strike free! Class as usual in Dist. 211
It will be classes as usual today for the 13,000 students in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211.
School board members in the state's largest high school district approved a new two-year deal with teachers at a special meeting Thursday, averting what would have been the first strike in the system's history.
School board President Robert LeFevre said the deal was definitely one he and the district could live with.
"It is clearly within the parameters established many months ago," LeFevre said, referring to the fact that terms are what the district promised the community two years ago when voters passed a tax rate increase.
After the vote, teachers union President John Braglia said the approval of the contract means teachers will be in school as normal today.
"I am pleased that this is settled, but I am not happy that we have had to endure what we have," Braglia said.
The contract approval by the school board followed months of sometimes bitter negotiations and came one night after the 1,400-member teachers union approved the same deal.
Under the new contract, teachers will get base-raise increases of 3.25 percent for 2007-08 and a raise that is tied into the Consumer Price Index, the rise of inflation, in 2008-09. The CPI for 2008 was recently increased to 2.8 percent.
Earlier Coverage Stories Dist. 211 labor relations sticky in past [11/09/07]Classes resume as usual in District 211; strike threat moves to Friday [11/08/07]School's open in Dist. 211 today [11/08/07]Dist. 211 students have mixed reactions [11/08/07]Teachers say decision to strike is never easy [11/08/07]Dist. 211 union rep: 'We're really close', but talks snagged on salary [11/07/07]Six more hours, still no Dist. 211 deal [11/07/07]12 hours of talks yield little in Dist. 211 contract negotiations [11/06/07]Still time to avert teacher strike in Dist. 211 [11/05/07]Dist. 211 strike talks on break [11/05/07]District 211 support staff won't sympathy strike [11/04/07]Dist. 211 Teachers plan to walk Thursday [11/03/07]No deal, no strike date in Dist. 211 [11/02/07]Dist. 211, teachers back at the table; could declare strike today [11/01/07]Disgruntled District 211 teachers call strike for Thursday [11/02/07]Ex-Dist. 211 chief blames state [11/03/07]Police, union make plans for peaceful picket [11/01/07]Union, Dist. 211 board make postseason demands [11/01/07]Strike FAQ: The facts behind the issues [10/30/07]Looks like it's a win for sports [10/30/07]New Dist. 211 stance puts coaches on spot [10/30/07]Teachers picket Dist. 211 meeting [10/26/07] Audio Dist. 211 student Alex Luke on the contract dispute Dist. 211 student Carlita Shen on the contract dispute Dist. 211 student Jacklyn Tiango on the contract dispute Have any questions? We'll do our best to get you answers. Email Daily Herald reporter Ashok Selvam at aselvam@dailyherald.com. Related Links Twp. High School Dist. 211NW Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1211
Teachers will also receive lump-sum payments of 0.75 percent this year and 1.2 percent next year.
The school board voted 5 to 2 in favor of the deal, with members Anna Klimkowicz and Bill Lloyd the two dissenting votes.
Klimkowicz said she had several concerns with the deal, including the additional money, $700 a year, teachers who earn National Board Certification will receive.
"That is money that could be spent in other ways," Klimkowicz said.
The sticking point in the negotiations during the last week was over the base salary increase for the second year of the contract.
The district had been offering a 2.5 percent increase, but teachers said they were holding out for the increase tied into the rise in inflation. Braglia had said the difference in the two offers was about $217,000.
On Wednesday, the teachers approved the deal and told the school board they had until Thursday to accept it or they would be marching the picket lines today.
Superintendent Roger Thornton said he was not pleased with the union's "take-it-or-we-strike" offer.
"It is kind of a dare-double-dare kind of thing," Thornton told the school board. "You deserve better."
Braglia said the teachers never wanted to strike but needed to let the district know how serious they were.
"It is something that we needed to do to raise awareness of how serious our concerns were," Braglia said.
The district had been in the last year of a three-year contract that was set to expire in July. When that contract was agreed to in December 2005, there was no base-salary increase included for the 2007-08 school year for teachers, though step increases for teachers who qualify, that reward education level and experience, were included.
The two sides agreed in 2005 that they would later negotiate teacher raises when the district was on strong financial ground. Two years ago, the district asked voters for a tax increase to save its current programming and extracurricular activities, as its budget surplus had been depleted.
Braglia has said the teachers sacrificed when agreeing to that contract and now are entitled to more money. Thornton has said the monies from the referendum weren't earmarked to boost teacher salaries.
By agreeing to a two-year deal, Braglia said he hopes some of the animosity between the teachers and school board will die down.
"It could begin to create a positive atmosphere," Braglia said.