Strike talk leaves parents scrambling for alternatives

If teachers in Huntley Unit District 158 go on strike Monday, Brian Collins won't be going to work, either.

Collins' day off won't come out of support for the teachers, but rather out of need: He'll be the only one available to watch his son, a second-grader at Chesak Elementary School in Lake in the Hills, during hours he normally is in class.

"This puts a burden on the parents," he said.

Collins is far from alone in facing that burden.

If teachers and members of the District 158 school board fail to reach a labor deal by Monday, the families of about 8,200 students in Huntley, Lake in the Hills and Algonquin will find themselves contending with life without school.

Kathy Bailey, a Carpentersville resident who drives her grandchildren home from Chesak most days but works while they are in school, said the family would not know what to do with the children if teachers strike.

Teachers striking "really messes up other people's lives," she said.

One place the students will not be able to go is school.

Superintendent John Burkey said the district has no plans, or ability, to provide a place for students if teachers walk out.

"Obviously, we wouldn't have the staff because they would be on strike," he said. "It's just not something we can do."

The Huntley Park District will maintain its regular hours for its recreation center, but Executive Director Thom Palmer said the facility cannot serve as an alternative to school.

"We only have so much space," he said. "Our recreation center cannot handle the number of children in District 158."

The park district, Palmer said, would discontinue its before- and after-school programs in the schools should teachers walk out.

Lake in the Hills has neither the facilities nor staff to handle an influx of students during what would be their school hours, said village Parks and Recreation Director Trudy Wakeman.

Many parents Friday turned to local child care facilities, flooding them with inquiries about their availability should a strike occur.

"We're getting a lot of calls from parents asking if we can accommodate them," said Peggy Hansen, director of The Learning Tree in Huntley.

If most cases, the answer is "yes," though it helps if the affected student already attends a program at the center or has a sibling there.

A strike not only would cancel classes, but also all athletic and extracurricular activities for the duration of the walkout and, in some instances, even longer.

"They would not happen," Burkey said. "Our coaches would be on strike."

Under Illinois High School Association rules, districts in which teachers are striking may not participate in interscholastic activities.

On Monday and Tuesday alone next week, 19 school sports teams are scheduled to compete, including varsity golf, volleyball and soccer squads. A weeklong strike would cancel as many as 43 athletic events.

If the strike lasts more than a week, it could force the school's football team to cancel games even after teachers return to work. IHSA rules require if a team misses a week of practice to a strike, it must hold at least three days of practice after teachers return before it can play a game. If the strike lasts two weeks, the team would need five days of practice before playing.

Teacher aides, food service workers, bus drivers and others who work at the school are preparing for time off the job, in most cases without pay.

Yvonne Tovar, president of the 400-member Huntley Educational Support Personnel association, said

many of the workers she represents get paid only when school is in session.

To make ends meet during a strike, they have two options: collect unemployment, or receive a loan equal to their paycheck from the Illinois Education Association.

Because the school year is limited, the support staff may be unable to make up the hours they would lose in a strike.

"They would lose the school days that might not be made up," she said. "It would affect all my members."

Tarver said the school board has always negotiated in good faith with her union, but added that she is encouraging her members to "be very supportive, but from afar" of the teachers.

"I give my support to the teachers," she added. "I pray that they can come to an agreement."

Staff writers Kerry Lester and Jameel Naqvi contributed to this story.