Kaneland Dist. 302, teachers begin mediation Thursday

Giving into demands by teachers on higher salaries and retirement benefits could mean delaying the opening of the new middle school in Kaneland School District 302, according to Supt. Charles McCormick.

The Kaneland Education Association, which could not be reached for a response, voted 267-11 Sunday to file a 10-day intent to strike, giving the 360-member union the option to strike as early as Thursday, Oct. 16. The two sides will begin mediation on Thursday, Oct. 9.

McCormick said the increases in overall salary which the association has proposed would cost the district more than $1 million over the current proposal by the school board. He says those funds are needed to open the new middle school.

"The bottom line is that we have promised the residents of the district that we will open the new middle school in August of 2009, and that's a promise that we are not going to violate," McCormick said.

"We are very concerned about the impact of a strike on the community," McCormick added. "The IHSA (Illinois High School Association) prohibits after school activities and sports during a strike. The impact this would have on families, including child care, is hard for me to imagine."

The district's second middle school is being constructed on Harter Road in Sugar Grove.

A statement released Monday by the Kaneland Education Association says the district has the money within its budget to offer competitive compensation packages and to staff the new middle school.

The teachers are working under a contract that expired in June. Talks on the new contract began in February. McCormick said the teachers association is currently proposing a contract that calls for a 5.8 percent increase in overall salaries in the first year, a 6.5 percent increase in the second and a 5.1 percent increase in the third, for a total of 17.4 percent.

The board countered with proposals that call for a 4.5 percent increase in the first year, a 6.0 percent increase in the second and 5.3 percent increase in the third, for a total of 15.8 percent.

McCormick noted that the proposed increases are on overall salaries, which include automatic increases from step to step, and not on base salaries. The base salary for a starting teacher in the district is about $34,000.

McCormick said the combined effect of increases on overall salaries is called the internal index, and that Kaneland 302 has one of the highest in the Chicago area.

"The higher the internal index, the less money we have to put into base salaries," McCormick said.

The Kaneland Teachers Association said in a statement it is seeking to prevent Kaneland from becoming a "training ground where new teachers gain experience before they move on to high paying neighboring districts."

The dispute also centers around retirement benefits with the district's offer substantially below the teachers' request. More specifics can be found at kaneland.org.