Dist. 204 approves 3.9 percent teacher raises

The Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board Monday approved an average 3.87 percent raise for the district's 2,155 teachers by a vote of 6-1, with Christine Vickers the lone board member voting "no."

Superintendent Stephen Daeschner, Deputy Superintendent Kathryn Birkett and 13 other administrative level staff, however, will forgo the recommended raise for teachers and instead receive a 1 percent increase.

Daeschner said the move was made in an effort to help balance the district's budget.

The one-year pact includes a 2 percent raise, in addition to the annual step increases of about 1.87 percent teachers usually receive for additional training or education.

"This year was a little bit different, but we really strived to maintain a competitive level of salaries and stay fiscally responsible and we think we have done that," said Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Nancy Valenta.

As part of the agreement, teachers will be required to participate in a weekly staff-training session every Wednesday morning about school improvement. Elementary teachers will have 75 minutes of training and middle and high school teachers will have 50 minutes of training.

During this time, teachers will work on increasing student performance through improved instruction.

Several board members stated they received negative comments urging them not to approve the deal under current economic conditions. But they countered that district revenues are capped at the Consumer Price Index, which will be 4.1 percent for next fiscal year, then will drop to 0.1 percent in 2010.

"Most of the contacts I've had on this have largely expressed the view that the current economy is inconsistent with giving much in the way of a raise at all, much less one that equals 3.87 percent, and that's a true statement," said board member Mark Metzger. "But that ignores the fact that the education funding system in this state is based on the property tax that is paid in arrears so that in 2009 we're paying 2008 taxes. That's not to say that we ignore the economy forever, it's only to say that the point in time when today's economy effects the teacher contract is during the 2010-11 school year, and that's a contract yet to be negotiated."

Across the dais, board member Chris Vickers praised the district's teachers and said she understood their desire for an annual raise. She even called the agreement fair and reasonable.

"It's in the papers weekly that teachers in other public school systems are being cut by the thousands," Vickers said. "People are scared and unsure about tomorrow, and a vast majority of e-mails we received pared this out."

Indian Prairie Education Association President Val Dranias thanked the board and said the economy played a part in the negotiations.

"Both teams are acutely cognizant of the economic issues facing the nation, the state and the school district community," Dranias said. "The agreement is for one year so that the concerns that all parties have for the future can be addressed."

To accommodate the weekly teacher training time, the start of school on Wednesdays will be adjusted next year as follows: elementary school start times will move from 9:05 to 9:15 a.m.; middle school from 8 to 8:20 a.m.; and high school from 7:25 to 7:45 a.m. Bus pickup times on Wednesday mornings also will move by 10 minutes for elementary schools and 20 minutes for middle and high schools to accommodate the delayed start.

The existing contract, scheduled to expire Aug. 25, affects 2,155 teachers in 31 schools in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.

Signed three years ago, that contract provided salary increases of 4.4 percent in 2006, 4.2 percent in 2007 and 3.9 percent in 2008.

Under that agreement, the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience was $39,225. A teacher with a master's degree plus 60 hours of additional college credit and 23 years experience makes $95,796.

The district also is negotiating a contract with its support staff. That group's three-year deal expires in April and included a 5.15 percent increase in salary and benefits for 2006-07, a 4.11 percent increase for 2007-08 and a 4.02 percent increase for 2008-09.