Last chance for District 158 contract talks

The train carrying the last hopes of a deal between Huntley Unit District 158 and its teachers is about to leave the station.

Both sides say tonight is their last chance to reach a deal before all teachers return to work Aug. 21.

There have been some signs of progress this week. The union said Monday's meeting was positive, while the district said the same about Tuesday's meeting.

But the district and the union will have to get on the same page fast.

The district says its latest proposal, presented to the union Tuesday, makes significant movement on the main contract items.

I can't judge whether this is the case, as the district refuses to release details of its proposals (aside from its initial offer), and the union won't comment on the district's offer.

But it doesn't seem like the board left much room for significant movement.

Even with the modest increase the district initially proposed, the district would have to make budget cuts to leave a 1-percent surplus, which Superintendent John Burkey has said he intends to have.

Still, District 158 board member and chief negotiator Larry Snow said this week, "We're fully committed to coming to an agreement shortly and without deficit spending."

Whether that means the district hasn't really made much movement at all (it was already proposing a not-unreasonable increase of 4 percent) or that the district will have to cut more out of its budget, I don't know.

Maybe it's something really cool that I don't even know about.

Whatever the case, we'll find out soon enough.

If the district has little wiggle room, the union has a lot more - which means the union, unless the district has really bumped up its offer, will have to significantly reduce the size of its proposed increase in just a couple of days' time.

That's especially true if, as the district says, the union is still proposing an increase in teacher compensation of 30 percent over three years.

But as we've seen throughout negotiations, the relative openness that has characterized this round of bargaining has its limits.

Perhaps both sides have a complete final offer stashed away - maybe with 5 to 7 percent annual raises - that they've been waiting until the eleventh hour to reveal.

Which would raise the question of why they've wasted so much time and money to complete a week's worth of real bargaining.

Library gets tech grant:

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development has awarded a $12,500 technology grant to the Huntley Area Public Library.

The library will use the money to replace outdated equipment, including a computer server, as well as to buy a digital sign that will announce library events and services.

The library says it found out about the grant from state Rep. Mike Tryon and expects to use the grant money by the end of the year.