District 300 OKs pay cuts for three groups

The Community Unit District 300 school board approved pay reductions for three employee groups Monday, including administrators, ratcheting up pressure on the teachers union to agree to significant concessions.

The reductions, which include salary freezes and furlough days, will save more than $900,000 next year, the district estimates.

The cuts came one week after teachers rejected concessions that could have saved the district $2.2 million next year, according to the district.

The rejection sparked a war of words between the district and the union, with the district essentially accusing teachers of being selfish and the union countering that teachers have borne the brunt of layoffs.

The back-and-forth continued Monday with several board members criticizing the teachers for rejecting concessions.

"I am extremely disappointed in what (the teachers union) has done," board President Joe Stevens said. "Teachers voting 'no' doesn't help class sizes a bit. It only exacerbates a problem."

Despite their disagreements, the union and the district are set to meet Thursday. While Stevens hopes the sides can still come to an agreement, the school year ends in just two weeks - making it difficult for teachers to ratify any deal.

One of the main reasons teachers did not back the concessions, according to the union president, was they doubted the district would follow through on promised reductions for administrators.

But the board kept its word Monday, voting unanimously to implement three furlough days and higher insurance premiums for administrators - moves expected to save more than $430,000.

The board also ratified a new three-year contract with its secretaries and custodians. The contract freezes salaries for next year and eliminates overtime, saving more than $500,000, the district estimates.

Finally, the board enacted a salary freeze and three furlough days for its nonunion staff of 53 employees for the 2010-11 school year.

The board is still expected to vote later this summer on cutting extracurricular costs by $35,000, mainly by running buses more efficiently and setting a 20-student minimum for club membership.

OKs: District follows through on administrative cuts