U-46 teachers approve new contract

The U-46 school board is expected to vote Monday on a contract agreement for 2014-17 with the Elgin Teachers Association, officials say.

The roughly 2,500 association members approved the agreement Friday; the vote was 1,292 in favor of the 2014-17 while 587 opposed it, according a news release from the district.

The current three-year contract for Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers expires Monday.

The proposed new contract runs through the 2016-17 school year and offers a base salary increase of 1.5 percent in the first year plus an extra 1 percent increase to compensate for additional days teachers spend on collaborative activities and meetings.

Increases in the following two years would be based on the consumer price index plus a half percent bump for the 2015-16 school year and another 1 percent increase for additional teacher time, and consumer price index plus 1 percent for 2016-17 with no additional teacher time compensation. The combined increase would be no greater than 2.8 percent for 2015-16 and 3.8 percent for 2016-17, per the proposed agreement.

For the full text of the tentative agreement, visit theeta.org.

• Daily Herald staff writer Madhu Krishnamurthy contributed to this report.