Dist. 158 pitches contract talks in public
With teacher contract talks set to begin in the next two weeks, the Huntley Unit District 158 school board is exploring the unusual step of holding negotiations that are open to the public.
Negotiations between the board and the Huntley Education Association, the district's teachers union, have traditionally taken place behind closed doors.
But board members say opening the meetings to the public will make them more transparent and more responsive to the union membership and the full board.
"There's so much mystery … from the public's point of view," board President Shawn Green said. "It would be good for them to see what the proposals are that are being discussed."
But the teachers union has not agreed to hold public negotiations, and it is uncertain if the idea will survive the parties' discussion over the ground rules in the next two weeks.
Teachers union Co-president Christy Henderson didn't rule out the idea but said it would be an unprecedented step in District 158.
"I think we would have to discuss that with our membership before we would agree to anything," said Henderson, a kindergarten teacher at Chesak Elementary School.
Even some board members expressed doubt that the union would accept public negotiations.
"It probably won't go forward," board Vice President Tony Quagliano said. "I guess it's a revolutionary idea. Maybe everybody's not ready for it."
Board member Aileen Seedorf, who will serve on the district's negotiating team with Green, wouldn't say if she supported public negotiations but questioned her colleagues' decision to go public with the idea last week.
"If it was a strategic move on the part of the district, it would be nice if the other member of the negotiating team knew about it," Seedorf said.
Henderson said the district told her about the idea before it was publicized. She didn't raise any issues with the fact that it was publicized.
"That's up to them," Henderson said, though she added, "It'd be nice if we had better communication."
The Huntley Education Association includes more than 500 teachers and support staff members. The union's two-year contract with the district expires June 30.
Contract: Public meeting not embraced right away