Students return to school in Prospect Heights Dist. 23

Students and teachers returned to Prospect Heights Elementary District 23 schools Monday after a seven-day teachers strike ended over the weekend, a relief to many parents who dropped their kids off for the first day back.

Some 1,500 students from Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Wheeling were out of the classroom during the walkout, leaving parents scrambling for ways to keep their children busy.

"We're excited. We're glad to be back to school. We're glad everybody worked it out," said Scott DeGraf, as he dropped off his 7-year-old daughter, Addison, at Betsy Ross Elementary School. "We were getting a little frustrated there for a while, but what are you gonna do? We like all the teachers, we like the school, (but) Addison was definitely getting bored."

Students' and teachers' return to the district's four schools came after teachers ratified a tentative four-year contract Sunday afternoon - a deal reached after a marathon 13-hour bargaining session with the school board that ended early Saturday morning.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the agreement Tuesday night.

Neither side has released details of the agreement, but both sides say they will after the school board votes.

The board and union had been split over raises and other issues, leading 154 teachers and support staffers to hit the picket lines Sept. 16.

Superintendent Debbie Wilson said everything was running smoothly on the first day back to school Monday, including food service, extended day care programming, busing and crossing guards. After-school activities, including cross country practice at Douglas MacArthur Middle School, resumed in the afternoon.

"It's a normal day," Wilson said.

The end of the strike came just in time for band students to audition in Grayslake for the chance to perform with other suburban students in November. The Illinois Music Education Association, which coordinates the performance, wouldn't have allowed the students to audition if their teachers were on strike.

Just after the school board and union reached a tentative agreement at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, district officials quickly notified band students and families.

"We were really planning on going no matter what," said school board President Mari-Lynn Peters. "If they slammed the door in our face, so be it. But it was such a big deal, we didn't want to be left out."

Teachers returned to their classrooms after their ratification vote Sunday afternoon to get their key cards and iPads, and make preparations for their students' return. The district also turned back on teachers' email accounts and wireless Internet coverage at the schools, Peters said.

The seven-day strike means students likely will have to attend school beyond the scheduled last day of classes, currently scheduled for June 13. Schedule details will be worked out after the contract is ratified by the school board, officials said.

The district's calendar committee, which includes school board and union members, is expected to meet, though it's also possible district administrators will talk with union President Bob Miller to resolve the situation as soon as possible, Peters said.

"People are anxious to know," she said.

After the first teachers strike in district history, Peters said she hopes the board and union will be able to repair their relationship. The first sign may have come by breaking bread early Saturday morning, when union negotiators invited the board's bargaining team to have some of the pizza they ordered, Peters said.

"When we left Saturday morning, we had been in the same building for 13½ hours. We shook hands with everybody," Peters said. "I'm sure there will be a little bit of strain or tension, but I know I'd like to move past things and move forward. We'll put this behind us and look to the future."

Teachers ratified the contract with a majority vote Sunday, though union officials haven't said by how large of a margin. They previously rejected the school board's "best and final" offer, which called for smaller raises than union officials had proposed.

• Daily Herald photographer Mark Welsh contributed to this report.