U-46, union reach tentative agreement

Elgin Area School District U-46 and its 2,700 member teachers had expressed hopes for an expedited contract bargaining process.

Those wishes were fulfilled Saturday, as the sides reached a tentative agreement on a one-year deal.

Elgin Teachers Association and U-46 officials declined to release information on the contract, noting that details must be shared with union members first.

ETA President Tim Davis called the tentative agreement "another step in the journey," noting that teachers "bargained with a full understanding of the current economy and the budget challenges facing all Illinois school districts."

After failing to come to an agreement in the five originally scheduled negotiating sessions in mid-April and early May, the eight-member bargaining teams met Saturday for roughly four hours, Davis said.

"Some issues went quickly, others required lots of conversation," Davis said, adding that having negotiations facilitated by an outside lawyer "helped the process a lot."

The ETA plans to review the tentative agreement with district lawyer Pat Broncato early next week, to "make sure we've accurately captured all the details for bargaining."

That information then will be put together for review by the union's representative assembly, and then for a vote by its general membership.

Broncato said he appreciated that teachers were willing to enter an expedited process this time.

"Our contract with the teachers union is a major component as we develop a budget for next school year," he said in a statement.

Roughly 80 percent of the district's operating budget comes from salaries and benefits. Representing more than half of U-46's 5,000 employees, the teachers union is by far the biggest player.

This year's negotiations saw a major departure from past practices. U-46 teachers went on strike seven times between 1978 and 1991. The last teacher contract negotiations ended in December 2007 only after a federal mediator had been brought in.

This spring, both sides brought significantly fewer items to the table with the intent of reaching an early deal.

A focus on salary and benefits were chief among them.

U-46, expected to begin next school year $41 million in the red, in mid-March announced $30 million in budget cuts.

That included pink-slipping 1,100 employees - 732 of them teachers. Chief Financial Officer Ron Ally has said the district "over-RIFed" - made more cuts than necessary - to pad itself against funding uncertainties.

More savings - and the ability to recall teachers - hinge on the new teacher contract as well as the state's budget.

According to district estimates, salary and/or benefit reductions could save anywhere between $2 million and $20 million.

"We're going to need more teachers than they have right now to have a program for next year," Davis said.

If this contract is approved by teachers, it would then go to the U-46 board for approval.