Wheaton Dist. 200 OKs 1-year teacher pay freeze
With residents calling for administrator and teacher pay cuts and a board member saying Wheaton-Warrenville District 200 should be at the forefront of teacher salary reform, officials ratified a deal Wednesday that results in a one-year freeze of teacher salaries.
Teachers gave the OK on the two-year deal March 26 and it goes into effect July 1.
The contract helps the district close what was once an $8.6 million projected budget deficit.
Under terms of the pact, the pay freeze will affect both base pay and annual step increases. In the second year of the contract, step increases will again be frozen but the base rate will increase 1 percent. District officials estimate the two moves will save the district about $2.5 million.
"Like any negotiation, neither side is 100 percent happy," said board member John Bohmer. "But clearly teachers recognized the very challenging time the district is in. For them to vote to share in the sacrifice should be deeply appreciated by the community."
The deal will increase the teachers' portion of health care contributions and decrease discretionary spending reimbursement, which generally covers materials teachers buy for the classroom.
In a statement released by the district after the contract's approval, Wheaton Warrenville Education Association President Bryce Cann expressed support for the agreement.
"As education funding from Springfield becomes increasingly less dependable, it becomes even more important for all District 200 stakeholders to work cooperatively toward establishing a strong financial base for the district and continuing to provide the best possible education for children," he said.
Teachers have already taken a hit as the district has tried to balance its budget. In March, the district laid off around 200 teachers, including several third-year teachers. However, district Spokesman Bob Rammer said when they return in the fall, he expects about 150 of those will have been called back because of the now-balanced budget.
Parent David Kafer wondered if the $6.7 million in cuts along with the new contract were going to be enough to change the financial picture in the district.
"We need to cut salaries," he said. "I'm sure nobody wants to take a salary cut. But I'm sure those 200 that got laid off didn't want that either."
The budget woes are not new to the district this year. Last year, the district had to close a gap of $14 million. One option introduced by Bohmer Wednesday had to do with teacher salaries. Bohmer pointed to a bill that passed the Florida legislature last week that would embrace merit-based pay and eliminate teacher tenure as an example of reform the district should investigate.
"It's important that going forward we have to step back and think about the broader context of compensation for teachers," he said.
"You see this debate taking place nationally. We need to discuss seriously with our leadership, (incoming superintendent Brian) Harris and with the WWEA, to develop a compensation system that, in my view, is fair to teachers but is not unfair to taxpayers."