Elgin U-46 teachers to review tentative contract next week

Members of the Elgin Teachers Association will get their first look next week at a tentative agreement on a new teachers contract.

The union board will review the agreement Monday before presenting it to the union's Representative Assembly on Wednesday. Informational documents about the agreement will be posted around this time on the ETA website.

"The work is far from done," ETA President Barbara Bettis wrote in an email to members. "I know there are a number of questions that members currently have and many of them are focused around when our membership will finally get a look at the final product from the work our bargaining team has done."

Last week, the Elgin Area School District U-46 administration and union announced "significant progress" reaching a tentative agreement on compensatory items - salary, health insurance, retirement and rates of pay - and issues related to early learners, parent-teacher conferences, safety, professional development, technology, supervision and support systems for behavioral needs.

Several informational sessions on the tentative agreement are planned for later this month - April 22, 24, 25, 26 and 29. Times and locations are yet to be determined.

"In addition, we will have opportunities for members to reach out to our leadership team to answer questions regarding the tentative agreement," Bettis wrote.

A general membership vote is scheduled for April 30. If ratified, the deal will go before the U-46 school board for a vote May 6.

The district's more than 2,400 teachers have been working without a contract since the previous one-year extension expired Aug. 10.