Leaders of the teachers union at Evanston/Skokie School District 65 were rebuffed by union members last week who rejected a contract with the district the leadership had negotiated by a wide margin.
Now the union’s local president, Dorothy Millard, says the group plans to survey its 600 members to learn what they’re looking for in a new contract before the union return to the bargaining table with the school board.
Millars says the District 65 Educator’s Council, a unit of the Illinois Education Association, “is committed to negotiating a fair and affordable contract” the membership can support.
School Board President Mary Erickson said the rejected contract provided the richest salary increases the school board had offered in over a decade, in return for what she described as a modest increase in the length of the school day designed to improve educational opportunities for students.
Vouchers are the way to go
Does anyone know if there are public school districts in the state that have a majority of teachers that are not unionized
Here we are in the second week of school and the teacher’s union has rejected a plush contract and a raise that most people in the private industry would love to have.
All the while, the district changed without parental input the schedule of four elementary schools to essentially placate the teacher’s union.
The teacher’s union, locally and nationally, are wanting more than what the market place would bear and elected officials, who in many cases receive money and manpower from these unions, are negotiating teachers’ contracts.
The question is, on whose behalf are elected officials negotiating the teacher’s contract – taxpayers or the teachers?
Finally, why can’t Illinois offer a voucher system as some other states are successfully doing? Give working parents more choice, and make the schools more competitive and accountable.
Anonymous Al
What were the terms of the contract?
What were the terms of the contract?
How much of a salary increase were the teachers offered? Were the contract’s terms good for some teachers, and bad for others?
How much was the school day being lengthened?
What, if any, concessions were made in terms of “time on the job” (early release days, institute days) to compensate for a longer school day?
Why did union members reject this contract if their union negotiators recommended that they approve it? Isn’t this unusual?
EvanstonNow, where’s the detail on all of this? Is there some earlier story we should be reading?
I quote Mr. Anonymous: “The teacher’s union, locally and nationally, are wanting more than what the market place would bear and elected officials, who in many cases receive money and manpower from these unions, are negotiating teachers’ contracts.”
So, is Mr. Anonymous saying our unpaid, seven-member School Board is getting money and manpower from the Evanston Teacher’s union? Really? And how does that work, exactly?
More likely it’s another totally unsubstantiated assertion (a.k.a. cheap shot) from an anonymous poster.
Enough of that stuff. Someone give us the facts on the contract. Thanks!