17
CPS
teachers aren’t the only ones on strike. The affluent Lake Forest district has
also yet to resume classes for the year as their teachers walk the picket line
to force contract negotiations. However, Lake Forest teachers are being
undermined by the administration and some families whose kids attend the
school.
To
the frustration of the 150 teachers, and union supporters everywhere, Lake
Forest opened today for regular classes. The school has hired 50 substitute
teachers and recruited 50 volunteer parents to work with the administration and
the school board to reopen the school today in an effort to begin core
classwork and have the day count toward the required 170+ for the year.
Teachers from surrounding suburban school districts — and some CPS strikers —
joined their picket line to show support.
Teachers
in north suburban Lake Forest are meeting with school district leaders Monday
morning to try to hammer out a contract. Meantime, Lake Forest High School
students were back in class, despite the fact teachers have been on strike
since Wednesday.
CBS
2′s Courtney Gousman reports school board
members in Lake Forest have decided to resume classes led by substitute
teachers and school administrators, while teachers are out on strike.
As
negotiators were trying to hammer out a deal Monday morning, Lake Forest High
School students were back in class, after crossing a picket line outside the
school.
School
Board President Sharon Golan said, “We’ve got a full day of instruction in all
the key content areas.”
Golan
said 70 substitute teachers, and a number of assistants, and even parents are
on hand to help students get back to learning.
Professional
guest speakers have also been brought in to address students.
Golan
said the move to resume classes came at parents’ request.
“They
have asked that we keep the schools open, but [they] also asked that we hold
the line in terms of financial demands. Our numbers are real. We feel that the
demands are unrealistic,” she said.
Golan
said union teachers are asking for a 5 to 6 percent pay raise per year.
Union
leaders wouldn’t talk numbers, but said it’s time to make up for last year’s
pay freeze.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/17/classes-to-resume-at-lake-forest-h-s-despite-teachers-strike/
Despite
the throng of picketing teachers and dozen or so reporters on the sidewalk out
front, it seemed like any other morning drop-off at Lake Forest High School
today. Bill Geraghty was there to guide cars through
the driveway, busses seemed full, and many students arrived dressed in plaid
for the kick-off of Spirit Week, hoping to get the message across that they
want Homecoming to take place next weekend as scheduled.
Principal
Jay Hoffman was out front when I dropped my daughter off this morning, as was
Superintendent Michael Simeck and D-115 attorney
Michael Hernandez. The picket line seemed fuller, and
the picketers slightly louder. Turning into the school’s front driveway, I saw
LFEA spokesman Chuck Gress talking in front of a pack
of TV cameras.
The
teachers won’t get paid for strike days that take place while school is in
session and attendance is taken. Whether they’ll get paid for last week’s three
strike days, when the building was open but school was not in session, is up
for negotiation, Superintendent Simeck told me after
the Sunday parent meeting. He also said two teachers have crossed the picket
line.
http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/17/drop-off-smooth-at-lake-forest-high-school-boa-union-to-meet/
My
concerns lie with how the board is handling replacements. I assumed that the board was hiring
replacements last week when Lake Forest High School students had three days off
from school.
Now
it appears that school is in session today (9/17) but not with the usual class
instruction. The board said they will be
providing "quality offerings" and giving passports rather than simply
attending their scheduled classes.
If
District 115 does not hire replacement teachers, then it will have no choice but
to cave, as it stands to reason that kids simply cannot keep missing normal
instruction. I hope the board is
presently lining up teachers for jobs and that they are being hired.
Charles
Greiss, head of the LF teacher union was interviewed
by Dan Proff during his 8:00 a.m. morning gig at
WLS-890. According to Charles Greiss, Lake Forest has plenty of money in reserve to pay
teachers more. Furthermore, since the
board hired the teachers that are now on strike the district can afford to
honor what the union is requesting.
When
Dan asked if the teachers at LFHS are worth $30,000 more than what is the
average high school teacher salary in IL, Charles Greiss,
whose base salary was almost $150,000 during the 2011-2012 school year, would
only say that he had come from business to teach at LFHS and how teachers at
LFHS must be paid more so the very best teachers can be hired for our kids.
The
Chicago and the Lake Forest Teacher strike went national on Sunday (9/16) at
the American Thinker, a prestigious website with Thomas Lifson
as editor. Now Lake Forest is know throughout this nation for the absurd nature of its
strike. No longer is the Chicago strike taking all the wind out of the
sails. The Lake Forest situation now is
getting the attention that it deserves.
The
heat must be kept on for LF Board #115 to toe the line. The powerful influence of the IEA (NEA) must
be confronted for what it is or else education in the state of IL will remain
in control of an organization that has become too powerful, doing little to
advance educational standards here in Illinois for children, with its platform
that vehemently opposes school vouchers and home schooling.
Education
should be in control of local school districts, not vested in the IEA which
LFHS teachers are members is.
Negotiations
are under way in the fourth day of the teachers strike at Lake Forest High
School, as school resumed with instruction provided by 70 certified teachers
and 20 non-certified teaching assistants. Another 50 community volunteers — a
full roster — provided support help but were not teaching.
The
federal mediator called the negotiation session for 9 a.m. Monday in the high school’s
administrative offices. It is the first session since the mediator ended
negotiations about 4 p.m. Friday.
The
70 certified teachers heading up separate classes by grade level on Monday
included the school’s regular roster of certified substitutes, district
administrators and at least two teachers who crossed the picket line last week,
Whipple said. She could not confirm whether more teachers crossed the picket
line on Monday.
School
administrators worked with student leaders to create instruction for the day,
which included English, math, science and social studies as well as a session
on criminal justice lead by Lake Forest police and others on emotional
well-being and evolution by other guest speakers.
Lake
County Regional Superintendent of Schools Roycealee
Wood was at the school at the start of the day to evaluate whether the
programming school administrators put together qualified as an official day of
school.
She
is submitting her report to the State Superintendent of Schools Chrish Koch by Tuesday morning.
Wood
called the effort by District 115 as “precedent setting.”
The
union has said the district fund balance will grow by $20 million over the next
three years.
“We
don’t understand where those numbers are coming from,” Golan said.
The
LFEA has contended since August that the District 115 fund balance will
increase to $24 million in 2014-15 and that the increases it is requesting will
not affect residents’ property taxes in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood. The LFEA hired Larry Frank, an expert in the
school budgeting process, to calculate the results the LFEA’s offer would have
on the district.
The
LFEA is asking for a 5.6 percent salary increase in the first year, 6.5 percent
in the second year and 5.6 percent in the third year of a new contract. The
school board proposed a 2.6 percent increase in the first year and 3.4 percent
in the second and third years.
The
two-tier salary schedule — one for current employees and another for future
employees — the school board proposed and teachers opposed has been withdrawn.
“We’ve
taken that off the table and we’re putting it to committee — a collaborative
effort — made up of faculty, administrators and board members so they can come
up with answers over the next three years,” Golan said.
http://lakeforest.suntimes.com/news/15204153-781/negotiations-resume-in-lake-forest.html
Chuck
Gress: From what we’re hearing from the kids, there
were videos being shown.
Karina
Richter: And the highlight of the day, apparently, is when they had a police
dog come in, because the dog was so cute.
That’s
math teacher Chuck Gress with Karina Richter, the
parent of a student who graduated last year. They spoke to me from the picket
line, as a crowd waved signs outside the school. Some have dubbed Lake Forest
High a “scab school,” but that’s not how Gress -- a
teacher for 20 years -- sees it.
Gress: The people in that building
right now, the administrators, are among my friends. It has got to be one of
the worst days ever at Lake Forest High School for those administrators, and I
know that when this whole thing is settled, we’re going to have to pick up the
pieces.
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/education/chicago-area-school-stages-strike-workaround
High
school students in Lake Forest returned to class Monday morning, despite an
ongoing teachers strike.
Parents
received a mandatory order last week for all students to return to class. The
district said students will participate in educational programs run by
administrators, substitute teachers and community volunteers.
All
those things happened on prep football fields somewhere in the state last
Friday.
But
none of them happened on the pitch at Lake Forest High School, where the lights
didn’t shine, and neither did any of the players as the game was ruled a
forfeit — Lake Forest on the losing end due to a teachers strike in the school
district.
Stuff
like that happens in life. We do know the games will go on — presumably
starting this Friday with Lake Forest playing its Homecoming game against Zion-Benton.
What
we don’t know is who, if anyone, lost out on the
opportunity of a football lifetime last week because the game wasn’t played.
Regarding the Lake Forest
teachers.
It’s such a shame that these people who are educated and are supposed to love
their jobs and there to do the good for the children have to strike at this
time. They’re so selfish when there are people who don’t even have money to buy
their pencils, books, lunch money and have lost their homes. Shame
on you teachers. You are greedy, selfish and inconsiderate people.
http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/15194085-418/talk-of-the-county.html
LFHS
resumed with a "mandatory student attendance day" this morning - with
busses running and lunch being served - with a full day of programming for all
students. While students will not be following their traditional class
schedule, a LFHS newsletter to the parents noted that; "After extensive
development by our administration and over 50 student leaders vetted the plan
with our administration and concluded it would be great. We also reviewed our
schedule and offerings with community leaders. They were very excited about the
plans and programs."
The
newsletter noted that the Board decided to resume mandatory attendance as
oppose to waiting for the strike to end (as the Chicago Public Schools are
doing during their ongoing strike) because "community feedback on this
issue has been emphatic - our parents expect us to open school." The
newsletter also noted that "We are trying to do what no one has ever done
before. Simply put: we're working very hard to provide meaningful experiences
and instruction for your children and will do it as long as we feel that it is
worthwhile and meaningful for your student."
While
the school noted in a press release last week that
teachers are invited back to class on Monday - but will not be penalized if
they do not cross the picket line, nor will they face consequences if they do
cross it - there was still a bevy of teachers marching in front of the school
this morning. Their numbers have also grown, with teachers from neighboring
districts - such as Highland Park, New Trier, Sherwood, Stevenson and Chicago -
marching along side them in support.
http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lake-forest-high-school-negotiations-both-resume-this-morning
The
program - which was developed and reviewed by the LFHS administrative team, 50
student leaders and community leaders, included a variety of courses, ranging
from Criminal Justice (where Lake Forest Police Department Officer Any Shiu and his K9 dog Duncan taught the student about the
training of dogs, and their fourth amendment rights) to teen motivational
speaker Josh Shipp. The curriculum also included online courses from Khan
Academy, which presents a series of online courses covering math and science
for K-12.
The
Board noted that the programming was in accordance with state guidelines,
specifically those found in Administrative Code, Title 23, Section
1.410: "The basic curriculum shall include organized experience which
provide each student with ample opportunity to achieve goals for which the
school system exists."
http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/it-s-business-as-usual-for-lake-forest-high-school-students
The
school plans to continue with the outside help until a contract is reached with
teachers, who have been on strike since Sept. 12.
“We
have done our homework about what constitutes a school day and anticipate that
the day will count,” the board said.
The
board said it is asking students to cross the picket line in response to
community feedback, which it described as “emphatic” that school reopen.
“This
school belongs to the community and its children,” the board said.
Both
sides ratcheted up the rhetoric by day’s end. The school board issued two
statements, one indicating members are obtaining legal advice on permanently
replacing striking teachers, and another outlining the board’s own set of
unfair labor practice allegations filed Friday with the Illinois Educational
Labor Relations Board.
The
teachers union on Sept. 10 filed four unfair labor practices charges against
District 115 board members, alleging a change in the school calendar to make
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week teachers institute days was a
violation, among other issues.
The
school district reactivated teachers’ district email to deliver the message
that they are welcome to come back to work on Monday.
“The
board needs a commitment by 7 a.m. Monday from any teacher who intends to work
on Monday,” the statement said.
Working
through the mediator, the school board has offered to defer the two-tier salary
schedule to a faculty and board committee to come to a consensus, and agreed to
phase in an HMO insurance change that would require teachers to pay more
out-of-pocket, according to a statement released by the school board.
While
the union said it put another financial offer on the table, the board contends
the union is still demanding salary increases of 5 percent to 6.5 percent a
year. The board has rejected those terms and requested an undisclosed counter
proposal, which the union declined.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/15198985-418/lake-forest-high-school-open-despite-strike.html
Teachers
from Highland Park, Deerfield, New Trier Township and Stevenson high schools,
as well as Chicago Public Schools, joined Lake Forest teachers on the picket
line Monday morning.
They
marched in front of Lake Forest High School as parents dropped off students at
school, where administrators, substitute teachers and volunteers planned an
educational program.
"We
are encouraged the board agreed to meet," Gress
said this morning. "Now we just hope the board will continue to negotiate
in good faith."
He
said that the teachers are trying to be an example to students by
"sticking up for something we passionately believe in. ...values, fairness
and compassion. "
The
board has said that it could not agree to the union's request for raises of 5
to 6.5 percent, which the union said were necessary to make up for a pay freeze
last year.
"We
remain deeply disappointed with the union leaders' unrealistic salary
expectations," the board statement read.
The
board also has proposed a two-tiered salary schedule, which would slow the pace
that new teachers move up the career ladder. Teachers argue that the district
will not be able to compete with other North Shore districts under the plan.
Several
students reported some confusion inside the building and described some of the
educational offerings as substandard.
"It's
been boring because we're not learning much," senior Janelle DeWitt, 17,
said during her lunch break, adding that she's not taking sides. "I just
want things to be resolved quickly."
Fellow
senior Alex Sennello said in a phone call from the
school that instead of physical education, "they stuck us in the gym with
no instruction for an hour and a half."
Hannah
Hart, 17, a junior, described how a group of students was sitting on the floor
in the school auditorium. At one point, she said, the teens weren't paying
attention to a movie on a Lake Bluff orphanage, and so teachers turned it off
and showed a video of a student talent show instead, she said.
"It
was scary," Hart said. "It felt like jail."
She
and her friend tried to leave, telling a teacher that they wanted to join the
teachers on strike outside, she said. They were not allowed to leave the
building, though others "escaped" before the school day ended, she
said.
Picketing
teachers would not discuss the school being open, referring questions to their
spokesman.
"It's
a sad day for our high school," said Chuck Gress,
spokesman for the Lake Forest Education Association. "This whole thing
could have been avoided."
On
Monday, Lake Forest teachers found support on the picket line from other school
districts, with teachers coming from New Trier Township High School in Winnetka
as well as others from Lincolnshire, Deerfield, Highland Park and Chicago. Many
had the day off for the Jewish
new year.
Sticking
points during Lake Forest talks have included salary raises, benefits and a
proposed two-tier salary structure. Teachers have adamantly opposed the last
because it would move new teachers up the career ladder at a slower pace.
Todd
DeMitchell, a former California educator and school
board negotiator who now teaches at the University of New Hampshire, said
bringing in substitutes during a strike used to be a common pressure tactic
used against teachers but that in the past decade, school officials became less
likely to use it.
He
said that's partly because it's hard to run a school for long with substitutes
and other temporary workers. But it's also because officials grew wary of
stirring up hard feelings that often linger long after the strike ends.
Though
replacement workers are commonly deployed during strikes in private industry,
Bob Bruno, director of the University of Illinois' labor education program,
said trying that approach with public school teachers can provoke a backlash.
Taxpayers, he said, quickly get fed up with lower levels of service, especially
when it affects their children.
Classes
resumed in the Lake Forest school district this morning, five days after the
teachers walked out; and the school board and the teachers association are
resuming their contract talks.
Teachers
from Deerfield, Highland Park, Stevenson and New Trier High Schools joined the
striking Lake Forest teachers on the picket line this morning.
A
suburban Chicago school district where teachers are on strike says there'll be
school today no matter what.
About
150 Lake Forest teachers have been on strike since last Wednesday. But district
officials say school will resume today and attendance is mandatory.
http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/-Lake-Forest-Therell-be-class-despite-strike-170006116.html