July 25:

 

We would like to once again update you on the status of the teachers' contract negotiations. On July 19, the Board and the Teachers' Union met with a Federal mediator for the second time for approximately three hours.

 

The Union's latest proposal is for a three-year contract with an average annual increase in compensation (salary and benefits) of 6.7 percent. The Board of Education's proposal includes a competitive average annual increase in compensation of 3.6 percent.

 

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs081/1102000766048/archive/1110510948270.html

 

 

 

 

 

July 26, 2011:

 

The proposal presented by the Union at the July 19 meeting called for a three-year contract with an average annual increase in compensation (salary and benefits) of 6.7 percent. The Board of Education's proposal included a competitive average annual increase in compensation of 3.6 percent which is very generous, particularly given our faltering economy and the 27+ % (5.5% annually) pay hikes teachers received over a five year period pursuant to their prior 5-year contract which expired in June of 2011.

 

If the Board of Education and the Union, with the assistance of the outside mediator, cannot produce a mutually acceptable agreement before the new school year starts on August 27th, the Board should take a hard stance against the Union if necessary to keep teachers' salaries and benefits at a reasonable level considering these hard economic times.

 

Though the disruption of a strike would certainly not be welcome, the continuing burden on taxpayers of supporting the ever-increasing costs of public education is even less welcome.

 

It seems to this taxpayer that current wages and benefits are extraordinarily generous, particularly in these times of economic distress, severely depressed property values, and high unemployment rates.

 

the total cost of educating one Lake Forest High School pupil is a staggering $43,061. As such, LFHS ranks as #1 in the entire state of Illinois in cost per student.

 

Not to be forgotten is that LFHS teacher benefit packages, including health insurance and pensions, add many thousands of dollars a year to teachers' overall compensation package.

 

Regarding pensions, a LFHS teacher who retires at age 55 at a $100,000 salary level has every chance of receiving a pension of $100,000 per year by the time he/she reaches what is considered retirement age for many individuals at age 65, given the built-in 3% compounding yearly pension cost-of-living adjustment that SS recipients often do not receive.

 

Not bad at all! At these pay levels, it may well be that some Lake Bluff/Lake Forest residents would be lining up as replacements should the LFHS teachers go out on strike. An extra income would be very helpful to families struggling to afford the hefty Lake Forest and Lake Bluff taxes that finance the salaries of LFHS teachers.

 

Insofar as teachers are public sector, taxpayer-paid employees, it would not seem too draconian should the District 115 Board insist on maintaining a wage and benefits freeze. It seems that the Union’s balking at the 3.6% increase offered by the Board is looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth.

 

Teachers obviously play a very important role in Lake Forest District 115 and in our society in general; they most certainly deserve fair compensation. But just as the private sector has been forced to make difficult adjustments in compensation (especially in medical and pension benefits) to reflect the harsh economic times, our School Board must similarly make adjustment in fairness to the taxpayers of Lake Bluff and Lake Forest.

 

http://lakeforest.going.com/blog_posts/hard-times-demand-hard-stances-even-in-district-115-union-negotiations

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 10:

 

Impasse was declared today by the Lake Forest High School teachers in an effort to end their ongoing contract negotiations and arrive at an agreement with the District 115 Board of Education, according to Lake Forest Education Association (LEEA) teachers’ union President Richard Moore.

 

Though the members of the LFEA want to start the school year with a new contract and without the pressure of ongoing talks, today’s move clears the way for a strike as early as Sept. 10. Representatives of both sides hold their next negotiation session August 23.

 

With impasse declared both the union and the Board must exchange their final offers by August 17 and their positions must be disclosed to the public by Sept. 24. After that, no further action can be taken before Sept. 7.

 

No strike can occur until 10 days after the LFEA declares a notice of intent to strike. It has not done that yet but can do so at any time meaning the teachers could be out of their classrooms Sept. 10.

 

None of this is new. In the last 35 years, the LFEA has negotiated between seven and 10 contracts with the Board and all but one have not been inked without a declaration of impasse, according to Moore.

 

Late last year, the teachers declared an impasse and in less than two weeks they agreed to a one-year deal with the Board with a pay freeze. That agreement expired June 30.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lfhs-teachers-declare-impasse-strike-possible

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 18:

 

The Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) teachers’ union released an overview of its final offer to the Lake Forest High School District 115 Board of Education Friday and the Board responded by criticizing the educators’ methods as well as some of their information.

 

The LFEA set forth its overview in a news release from spokesperson Chuck Gress and the Board reacted to the information by issuing a statement to Patch a few hours later.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lake-forest-teachers-release-demands

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 19:

 

The teachers of Lake Forest High School believed when we ratified the last one-year contract that it would demonstrate to the Board our intention to create a feeling of good faith, shared sacrifice, and good will during the limited time that the district felt financial pressure. To this point we have been disappointed in the Board’s response.

 

The LFEA was hopeful when we resumed talks with the Board this April that both sides would use their previous positions as starting points for negotiations. However, the Board’s offer regressed in the important areas of salary and healthcare benefits. So far, in our ongoing negotiations, there has been little substantive progress on financial and benefit issues. Therefore, the LFEA declared impasse in order to allow community members to view its offer within the restraints of collective bargaining, and to help facilitate a fair and equitable contract for its members and the district.

 

 

http://gazebonews.com/2012/08/19/what-lake-forest-teachers-want-lfea-issues-statement/

 

 

 

Aug 23:

 

 

Should the two sides reach an agreement there will be no worries for the many Lake Forest High School student athletes but if they do not, there could be a work stoppage as early as Sept. 11, three games into the football season.

 

According to the Illinois High School Association bylaws, in the event of a teachers’ strike, "no team or other entity representing a member school may participate in an interscholastic contest or activity during the time the member school is not in session".

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/if-lake-forest-teachers-strike-questions-on-participation-coaching

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 23:

 

With the opening of Lake Forest High School just around the corner, Lake Forest Patch editor, Steve Sadin, posted an article today (8/23) which created enough interest for sixteen posts to have been made by concerned citizen by mid- afternoon. "What would the teacher strike mean to football season?"

 

Not surprising is that not one of the sixteen comments made were favorable toward the LFHS teachers.

 

The common cry was that the focus should not be on football, but instead on the demands of the teachers that are unrealistic in this economic environment.

 

http://lakeforest.going.com/blog_posts/common-cry-allow-strike-to-occur-dismiss-importance-of-football

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/topics/lake-forest-high-school-contract-negotiations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 24:

 

the cost of educating each student at LFHS is a staggering $43,061. Although teachers’ salaries are just a part of that cost, they are a large part, and the cutting needs to start there.

 

The most recent data issues by the Illinois State Board of Education website (ISBE) indicates that Lake Forest High School teachers are already the highest paid on the North Shore edging out Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools by $421 a year.

 

Whatever happened to what now seems like an old fashioned idea for those choosing the teaching profession: That teaching is a noble profession, that salaries would never be on the same par as those earned in business, but that the desire to impart knowledge to those who will become future leaders and responsible citizens mattered most.

 

At LFHFS it seems that teachers have voted to convey the idea that money gained through the threat of a strike is more important than staying on the job and doing what they were hired to do.

 

If Board 115 were really interested in holding the line, they should be mobilizing substitute teachers now.  Hopefully the board is not just feigning holding the line momentarily on teacher salaries, with no intention of allowing a strike to happen..d.

 

http://www.championnews.net/2012/08/24/lake-forest-h-s-dist-115-should-hold-firm-on-impasse/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 24:

 

No agreement was reached Thursday when representatives of the Lake Forest High School District 115 Board of Education and the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) teachers’ union met together with a federal mediator for the first time since July 19.

 

This is also the first time the groups met since the teachers declared an impasse in the negotiations August 10 setting in motion a chain of events that could lead to a strike as early as Sept. 10.

 

Under Illinois law, once one side declares an impasse, the two sides must exchange final offers within seven days and those offers are made public seven days later. District Communications Director Anne Whipple indicated both proposals would be available to the public by Monday on the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board website.

 

After the final offers are exchanged, the union must wait 14 days before a work stoppage could begin, according to Illinois law. The LFEA must also issue a notice of intent to strike 10 days prior to any cessation of teaching. No notice has been issued. No one has indicated when the next mediation session will be held.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lfhs-teachers-board-meet-no-pact-reached

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 24:

 

Lake Forest High School teachers will stop working at 12.01 a.m. Sept. 12 if no agreement is reached with the Lake Forest High School District 115 Board of Education, according to a statement today by Lake Forest Education Association teachers’ union (LFEA) spokesperson Chuck Gress.

 

The union issued a Notice of Intent to Strike to the Board at 4 p.m. today after Thursday’s mediation session failed to produce a deal and the LFEA found the District’s last and final offer under the collective bargaining process unsatisfactory.

 

Gress said in a statement. “Since there was no movement by the Board at last night’s negotiation session, the LFEA feels it has no choice but to take the next step in the collective bargaining process.”

 

“The Board remains steadfast in its efforts to provide fair compensation that’s reflective of today’s economic realities,” it said in a statement. “If needed, the Board has prepared a Strike Plan to address any potential work stoppage.”

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lfhs-teachers-issue-strike-notice-for-sept-12

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 27:

 

 

As a result of the impasse declared by the teachers August 10, both sides were required to disclose their final offers to each other for public viewing. Those documents are available for viewing on the Illinois Labor Relations Board website.

 

The District indicated Friday it had a strike plan but Board President Sharon Golan was not ready to disclose details when questioned by Patch Sunday. Whether or not the students would be in school during a strike is an issue being considered.

 

“We do have a strike plan,” Golan said. “As part of our discussions we have discussed what is the safest place for the students to be.”

 

At this point, the teachers believe their demands can be met without a tax increase while the District maintains an average positive fund balance in excess of 40 percent through the life of the contract, according to union spokesperson Chuck Gress.

 

Golan disagrees with the teachers’ economic analysis. She indicated the Board has set a goal of a 10 percent positive fund balance as it digs itself out of a hole created when it attempted to maintain the school’s quality in difficult times.

 

“We made a conscious decision to spend down our reserves in hopes of things getting better until we could get back on an even keel,” Golan said. “It did not have a negative impact on the children.”

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lfhs-teacher-talks-perception-of-resources-divides-sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 30:

 

Last fall, teachers were picketing in front of Lake Forest High School and went so far as to declare impasse requiring both sides to make their final offers public. Shortly after that, the teachers and administration agreed to the one year freeze.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/citizen-concern-for-teacher-strike-remains-low

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 30:

 

 

LFHS teachers are faced with a dilemma, particularly since, as I recently learned, the initial vote to strike by the teachers was an open vote.

 

Teachers who are not in favor of striking hesitate going public with that view, as they fear retaliation from the strong and powerful union. Only three teachers dared to do so at LFHS.

 

There isn't a snowball's chance that Governor Quinn will ever challenge the IEA and its union clout in a meaningful way as did Governor Walker of Wisconsin, as unions represent the "bread and butter" of the Democrat Party here in Illinois.

 

But will District 115 have what it takes to defy the IEA, as the IEA and the local union are in cahoots to wrangle an agreement from LF District 115 that is perceived to be too rich by many at a time of belt-tightening and a down economy for private sector workers, even in the upscale communities of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff?

 

If so, this could start a positive effect if other school districts who are struggling to keep teacher salaries in check are emboldened to do the same.

 

 

http://lakeforest.going.com/blog_posts/part-1-the-iea-continues-to-hold-hostage-with-a-heavy-hammer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Board of Education's 3-year proposal includes average raises of 2.6% for the first year, 3.4% for the second year, and for the third year, a formula based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI)," according to D115's website.

 

Meanwhile for the Lake Forest Education Association teachers’ union (LFEA), the announcement doesn't move salary talks forward.

 

"We hope that we have real news for you after the next collective bargaining session on Sept. 6," Gress said.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/lfhs-issues-update-on-teacher-contract-negotiations

 

 

 

 

 

 

(end of aug and begin of sept)

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 1:

 

It is only fitting that residents and taxpayers of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff would be focused at the moment on the union imposed strike called for on September 12th by Lake Forest High School teachers.

 

What has certainly slipped under the radar is an awareness that Lake Forest School Districts 115 and 67 have signed on to what is known as the Common Core State Standards Initiatives…

 

The target date for the implementation of the Common Core assessment program throughout the state of Illinois is set for the 2014-2015 school year. Might you find Common Core as a replacement curriculum in Lake Forest School Districts 115 and 67 as questionable as I do?

 

There is still time to register your complaint against implementing a federal education program that should have no place in the Lake Forest School System. Attend scheduled school board meetings to let your opinion be heard.

 

http://lakeforest.going.com/blog_posts/part-2-questionable-common-core-state-standards-initiatives-given-green-light-in-lf-districts-67-and-115

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 3:

 

On Friday, District 115 posted its 3-year budget plan, including projected salary increases.

 

Meanwhile the Lake Forest Education Association teachers’ union (LFEA), issued a statement saying this plan presents "no new news." According to LFEA spokesperson Chuck Gress, the union is hoping that collective bargaining session on Sept. 6 will better push the conversation forward.

 

http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/review-lake-forest-high-school-teacher-s-strike

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 7:

 

On Thursday, September 6, the Board and LFEA met and an agreement was not reached. The LFEA suggested a mediation session on Tuesday, September 11, (the date of the school board’s meeting and state-required budget presentation); the Board has requested a Monday, September 10 mediation date. The LFEA has announced through the media that they will strike effective 12:01 am, Wednesday, September 12.

 

http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/07/lake-forest-high-school-board-school-will-stay-open-but-kids-dont-have-to-attend/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 7:

 

The teachers’ union represents 152 certified staff members. Union and school board negotiators differ over salary increases, out-of-pocket insurance costs and pay scales for new teachers.

 

In the event of a teachers’ strike, District 115 officials said Friday, there will be no school for the first three days of the walkout, but classes will resume on the fourth day, which it anticipates will be Sept. 17. All students are requested to attend school on that day.

 

According to Chuck Gress, a LFEA spokesman, no progress was made after two hours of negotiations Thursday.

 

The LFEA has launched its own Web site at www.lakeforestteachers.com  to update the community on its position.

 

http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/15001749-418/lake-forest-teachers-set-sept-12-strike-date.html

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 9:

 

The Lake Forest Education Association released a statement Sunday asking for community support at the District 115 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night to pre-empt a teachers strike scheduled to begin Wednesday.

 

“We urge parents who are concerned about the future of the school to attend this meeting and make their voices heard,” the LFEA statement says.

 

The teachers union is opposed to the district’s offer of a two-tier pay system that would lower pay for new teachers at Lake Forest High School.

 

http://lakeforest.suntimes.com/15049810-781/lake-forest-teachers-seek-show-of-support.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 10:

 

This is to inform you that today the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) has filed unfair labor practice charges with the State of Illinois in four significant areas regarding the behavior of the District 115 Board of Education (BOE) in the collective bargaining process. The BOE has acted illegally in an attempt to disrupt the lawful actions of the Teachers of Lake Forest High School in their efforts to secure a contract with the district.

 

The charges relate to the BOE making public statements in the media and directly to the parents on their website claiming that the LFEA leadership may have acted unlawfully in publishing their offer to the public. The LFEA contends that the BOE intended to undercut our negotiation team’s credibility with our membership and the public. The charges also include the failure to bargain in good faith over contract issues, including demanding unreasonable contract reopeners and refusing to bargain over aspects of the wage proposals.

 

http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/10/lake-forest-union-district-115-acted-illegally/

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, school buses will not run, nor will students be required to attend. School doors will remain open, however, from 7:50 a.m. until 3:10 p.m., and lunch will be available. Resource facilities in the school also will be open and available for students.

 

Next Monday, all students are expected to be in school.

 

According to the school district, most athletic participation (practices and games) and extracurricular activities will continue.

 

http://seasonpass.suntimes.com/news_article/show/176923?referrer_id=612433

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Lake Forest High School District 115 board of education dug in its heels, teachers were left with the only threat they could issue: Take to the sidewalks around the venerable and historic high school. This is Lake Forest, after all, one of the wealthiest communities in Lake County and Illinois.

 

The last unemployment numbers in the U.S. showed the overall percentage of unemployed fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July. But the rate fell because fewer people — 368,000 of them — were actively looking for work and thus weren’t counted. Worse, the economy added only 96,000 jobs, well below the number needed to keep pace with population growth. In Illinois, the jobless rate is worse.

 

http://newssun.suntimes.com/opinions/15108529-474/our-view-labor-pains.html