
Teachers in the Earlville (IL) School District filed an intent to strike Tuesday. The formal notice, filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, does not mean a strike is imminent, but must by law be filed 10 days prior to teachers strike. The earliest date teachers could strike is Sept. 22.
Denise Funfsinn, co-president of the Earlville Teachers Association, said the notice was issued after a series of federal mediation sessions failed to produce a contract settlement. Funfsinn said points of contention include compensation, student safety, retention of experienced teachers, health care and teacher retirement.
"The only thing our teachers are seeking is justice and a fair contract. As far as the teachers are concerned, we're being forced into this action by a board that is not coming to the table with fairness in mind," she said in a press release issued Thursday.
The school board said it cannot afford to increase teachers' salaries as high as teachers are proposing. "We are spending down our reserves rapidly because our expenditures have exceeded our revenues for some years now and we have been using our reserves to fund the difference," said Jerry Meyer, board president, in a press release the district issued. "Now that our fund balances are so diminished, the board cannot provide as much in the way of salary and benefit increases to the teachers as we have in the past. We must balance our budget in the immediate future."
The board believes it is offering a fair compensation proposal: a 4.85 percent salary increase in the base salary over the next three years and a 25 percent increase in the board-paid premium on teachers' insurance during the same time frame.
If a strike does occur, it would be the first in the K-12 district's history. According to Funfsinn, there is no official strike date set, though the union may set a date soon if no progress is made.
"Our goal is to help the school district attract and retain the high-quality teachers that we need to provide quality education to students," Funfsinn said. "We are not asking for the moon, and we do not want to strike. But we do want fairness. That continues to be our goal."
The board hopes teachers will continue to work as negotiations continue since a strike would be most disruptive to students.
"We look forward to getting past the current financial hard times," said Superintendent Patricia Hahto. "Teacher support is crucial to solving the district's financial problems."
Contract talks began in February and teachers have been without a contract since July 1. The next mediation session will be Thursday.
(mywebtimes.com)