Wauconda teachers opt for pay freeze

A projected $1.6 million shortfall next year for Wauconda Unit District 118 all but disappeared this week with an assist from the teachers union.

The school board on Thursday approved a three-year contract with the Wauconda Education Association that freezes salaries, including steps, and benefits and cuts stipends for department chairs, facilitators and others for the next two years. The pact calls for a 3.5-percent salary increase the third year.

The agreement, which was approved by teachers Feb. 13, was hailed by both sides as recognition of tough financial times and the desire to maintain district programs.

Negotiations regarding a contract extension began last fall. The current agreement, which covers about 320 staffers, expires this summer.

“They were extremely reasonable and very, very cognizant of the economic times we’re in,” Superintendent Dan Coles said Friday. “They really stepped up in recognizing where the district is at financially and staying with our mission.” District 118 has about 4,500 students attending a high school, two middle schools and three elementary schools.

“We understand the hard economic times everyone is going through,” said Rich Coirier, a sixth grade teacher at Matthews Middle School and lead negotiator for the union.

Coles said the district had been dealing with an expected $1.6 million deficit for 2011-12. Without the compromise, 30 to 40 teachers could have faced layoffs, he said.

“The goal is to keep our programs and class sizes as they have been,” he said.

Coirier said he didn’t feel as if layoffs were used as a threat during negotiations, which he described as a “positive experience.”

“I’ve never felt that was the case. We realized the financial situation,” he said. “We wanted the best for the students, the best for the district and the best for the teachers.”

Before negotiations began, teachers were polled on several topics, such as salary and working conditions. Coirier declined to detail how teachers voted on the new contract.

“You need two-thirds majority to pass and it passed,” he said.

He added no teachers are expected to be released next year for economic reasons.

Coles said the district is in “much better shape” for the next few years, provided there are no surprises from the state regarding funding.

The district is owed more than $2 million from the state for the current fiscal year, which began last July, he said.

“It’s a moving target,” Coles said of expected state funding. “Typically, they drag their feet until May, which is long after we’ve made decisions on the budget.”