Dist. 128 OKs teacher raises

Teachers at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools will receive raises ranging from less than half a percent to 1.5 percent over each of the next three years under a contract approved Monday night.

Even though the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 facilities aren't facing the same financial crunches as other local schools, the deal does reflect the nation's economic struggles, officials said.

"We recognize the effort put forth by (the teachers union) to recognize the hard times we're in," said District 128 board member Alex Delli Polli.

The contract, approved without dissent after a roughly 70-minute closed-door board meeting, followed about nine months of discussions between administrators, board representatives and the union.

The deal applies to the district's 254 teachers and certified staff members, a group that includes guidance counselors, librarians, nurses and other employees. It doesn't cover about 196 other employees, such as administrators, secretaries and custodians.

The contract calls for 0.37 percent salary increases for the 2009-10 school year, 1 percent increases for the 2010-11 term and 1.5 percent increases for the 2011-12 school year, officials said.

Both negotiating parties agreed to revisit the contract annually to discuss whether those percentages should be increased, based on the economic outlook at the time. Delli Polli said he didn't expect the rates to change.

The rate wouldn't go down after those annual reviews, only up, Delli Polli added.

The new contract also increases the salary for beginning teachers in the district to $47,026, up from $46,853, an increase of about 0.37 percent.

Superintendent Prentiss Lea praised union president Joe O'Brien for developing a working relationship and trust that allowed for "good, frank dialogue" during the negotiations.