19
"We
would like to announce that we were able to reach a tentative agreement with
the [u]nion," Board President Sharon Golan was
quoted in a news release Wednesday. "We are pleased that our teachers and
students will be back in the classroom in the morning."
The
teachers union's Facebook page also indicated there was a contract deal and
that classes would be in session Wednesday.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8816109
Twelve
and a half hours of contract talks that ended at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday produced
the new deal, which still needs to be ratified by both sides.
In
the meantime, though, Chuck Gress – a math teacher
who speaks for the union – says the teachers are putting down their picket
signs and going back to class after the first strike district’s history.
“It’s
going to take some time for us to get past what happened. All of this
unpleasantness could have been avoided, and now what we have to do is to go
back to school and put together the pieces,” Gress
said.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/19/teachers-strike-ends-in-lake-forest/
All
classes, including early bird, will resume today, Wednesday, September 19.
http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/19/strike-ends-at-lake-forest-high-school-classes-start-wednesday/
Regardless
of your views or opinions on the teacher strike one must applaud the efforts
made by the administration to provide LFHS students with a safe and positive
environment for the past two days. Many students and parents have complained
about the curriculum lacking a strong educational value, but look at the
alternatives. We are blessed to live in a community that believes so strongly
in the success of our students that many of us have stepped forward to help the
administrators in providing some form of structure for the school day.
This
brings up another point. While classes may not be in session, LFHS is still
making strong efforts to help those seniors who are in the process of applying
for college. They have held several courses the past two days on college essay
writing, picking your major, and other topics that
seniors could find useful during this part of their academic careers. On top of
that, LFHS has still kept the college visit schedule to the best of their
ability. The people who have worked around the clock on this should be thanked,
not mocked with snide Internet comments.
http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/19/applause-for-lake-forests-strike-education-plan/
The
proposal must still be ratified by teachers and the school board. Specific
terms were not released Wednesday, but school spokeswoman Anne Whipple called
it a 4-year deal.
Before
the strike, the school board had offered the teachers an
average estimated total salary hike of 2.6 percent for the 2012-13 academic
year, while the Lake Forest Education Association sought 5.6 percent.
Teachers
wanted a total average raise of about 6.5 percent in
2013-14, while the school board was offering 3.4 percent.
For
the 2014-15 academic year, the board was proposing a
total average pay hike of 3.4 percent. The union wanted total raises of 5.6
percent.
The
dual strikes could impact teacher-union negotiations in other communities, said
Mike McGue, president of the Lake County Federation
of Teachers.
“I
would hope that school boards will see this is not a time to take advantage of
teachers and make even more demands on their evaluation and transfer rights,”
he said.
Teacher
evaluations based largely on standardized tests scores is not what’s best for
students, McGue said. He suggested alternative
methods will come into play.
Teachers
also are concerned about increased pressure from school districts to take
advantage of the economic times during contract talks, McGue
said.
Lake
Forest students were ordered to school Monday and Tuesday despite the strike.
Volunteers and nonunion workers offered movies and other activities.
State
education officials on Tuesday ruled the programs won’t count as legal
attendance days.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120919/news/709199896/
Negotiators
for the Lake Forest Education Association and the Lake Forest High School board
of education reached a tentative agreement on a new contract early Wednesday
morning, ending the strike that began one week ago.
http://www.ieanea.org/featured/strike-over-lake-forest-teachers-return-to-work/
Lake
Forest High School teachers are expected to review the tentative four-year
agreement after school on Thursday.
Lake
Forest Education Association spokesperson Chuck Gress
said the teachers likely will vote on the agreement on Friday.
If
a majority of the membership agrees to the contract terms, it will go to the
Board of Education for approval. Once that process is complete, contract
specifics will be shared with the public, according to a statement issued by
the school board.
It's
back-to-school Wednesday, and not just for Chicago Public Schools.
Lake
Forest High School teachers head back to class after agreeing to a deal late
Tuesday with the school district, according to a statement from the school
board.
Teachers
were back in class Wednesday at Lake Forest High School, which saw its first
ever teachers strike when contract negotiations hit a wall over salary raises.
Teachers
are expected to review the tentative four-year agreement after school today,
Sept. 20. Lake Forest Education Association spokesman Chuck Gress
said teachers likely will vote on the agreement Friday.
http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/15248382-418/lake-forest-high-school-strike-ends.html
The
LFEA and the Board have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year
contract after 12 hours of negotiations Tuesday night and into Wednesday
morning, according to an announcement form the Board.
http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lake-forest-high-school-strike-ends-after-six-days
State
education officials said late Tuesday that the two days of classes held at Lake
Forest High School while teachers have been strike should not count as legal
attendance days.
With
the new development, it wasn’t immediately clear whether school will be held on
Wednesday. Lake Forest High School District 115 spokeswoman Anne Whipple said
late Tuesday she had not been apprised of the Illinois State Board of
Education’s statement.
Classes
will resume today at Lake Forest High School after the school board and
striking teachers reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract early
this morning.
The
deal was reached around 3 a.m. No
details were released, and the agreement must still be ratified by the school
board and the union. But the school's 150 teachers agreed to return to the
classroom.
Union
spokesman Chuck Gress, a math teacher, called the
weeklong strike a "teachable moment." itself.
"This
is really a lesson in democracy and standing up for your rights," he said.
"We stood up for quality education in our schools.
. .These are rights (collective bargaining) we have in the state of Illinois,
thank God.
"There's
going to be a lot of healing to take place with our students," Gress said.
Teachers
in the affluent North Shore district walked out on Sept. 12 after failing to
reach a deal with the district over salaries and benefits.
Sticking
points 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.
The
teachers' strike in Lake Forest is over.
The
teachers association announced, it reached a tentative 4-year contract
agreement, and teachers are back at work this morning.
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-lake-forest-teachers-return-to-work-20120919,0,6610086.story
The
announcement from the board came early this morning. A teachers
union spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.
In
a brief statement posted on the school’s website, the Lake Forest High School
Board of Education and the Lake Forest Education Association announced they had
reached a deal on a four-year contract, which now goes up for a vote by the
union’s members.
“We
are pleased that our teachers and students will be back in the classroom in the
morning,” Board President Sharon Golan said in a statement.
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2535932&spid=