Oct 9
The
School Board Tuesday night unanimously approved the LFEA contract after 97
percent of union members voted to ratify it earlier in the day.
For
three of the five days the teachers were on strike, the district held
alternative classes, which the Illinois State Board of Education has determined
were not official school days. The district, however, disagrees.
“We’re
in the process of disputing that at this time,” Superintendent Michael Simeck said Tuesday night.
http://lakeforest.suntimes.com/news/15565713-781/lake-forest-teachers-contract-details-released.html
Additionally,
a committee will be formed with members appointed equally by the Board of
Education and the LFEA, with the goal of recommending a new salary schedule
consistent with recent pension reform legislation. “This is an important aspect
of the contract as it will move our district forward in addressing pension
reform parameters,” comments Mrs. Golan.
http://gazebonews.com/2012/10/09/lake-forest-high-school-board-union-ok-teacher-contract/
The
salary increases are, ultimately, more closely in line with the Board’s
submitted proposal than the LFEA’s,
http://lakeforest.patch.com/articles/details-from-lfhs-strike-agreement-released
Oct 11
Under
the new contract — approved late Tuesday by the District 115 board after it was
endorsed by 97 percent of teachers union members
earlier the same day — teachers are expected to get average raises of about 2.7
percent this school year and 3.8 percent next year.
The
size of raises in the last two years of the four-year pact won't be known until
new consumer price index figures are released, but teachers each year will
continue to receive "step" increases, estimated at about 2.4 percent
annually.
Tuesday's
school board meeting was in sharp contrast to the scenes outside the school
nearly a month ago. Teachers were walking the picket line, at times confronted
by angry counterprotesters but cheered on by many
students.
September's
weeklong walkout in the affluent North Shore community, which came just days
after Chicago teachers went on strike, was perhaps most notable for the
district's decision to reopen school during the strike, using community
volunteers, substitutes and administrators to oversee classes. But county and
state education officials determined the lessons provided to students on those
two days lacked the academic rigor to be counted as attendance days.
District
officials said Tuesday night they are trying to reverse that decision, but they
also added five days to the end of the school year to make up for days lost to
the strike.
The union, however, made the biggest concessions, union leaders
said. The 150 teachers sought increases ranging from 4.7 percent to 6.5 percent
and settled for nearly half as much.
The new contract calls for a 2.7
percent increase in the first year, 3.8 percent in the second, an estimated 3.6
percent in the third and 2.4 percent in the fourth year, depending on the
Consumer Price Index.
The pay increases include base pay, tenure and
CPI, district spokeswoman Anne Whipple said. “They are all-inclusive.”
The contract is retroactive to July 1, 2012. It will run through July 1, 2016.
http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/15679998-418/lake-forest-high-school-raises-range-to-38.html
Preliminary figures show the annual benefit
boost will be between 1 percent and 2 percent, which would be among the
lowest since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975.
The size of
the increase will be made official Tuesday, when the government releases
inflation figures for September. The announcement is unlikely to please a
big block of voters -- 56 million people get benefits -- just three weeks
before elections for president and Congress.
The cost-of-living
adjustment, or COLA, is tied to a government measure of inflation adopted by
Congress in the 1970s. It shows that consumer prices have gone up by less
than 2 percent in the past year.
This year, Social Security
recipients received a 3.6 percent increase in benefits after getting no
increase the previous two years.
The median income for all U.S.
households fell by 6.6 percent, when inflation was taken into account,
according to census data. But the median income for households headed by
someone 65 or older rose by 13 percent.
"That's all because of Social
Security," Certner said. "Social Security has the COLA and that's what's
keeping seniors above water, as opposed to everybody else who's struggling
in this economy."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/14/social-security-increase-for-2013-could-be-lowest-since-175/?test=latestnews#ixzz29LTdgOWz
Oct 16:
After hours of negotiations on Monday proved
unsuccessful, Highland Park's middle and elementary school teachers' union
declared a strike. All District 112 schools will be closed Tuesday.
Update 10/16/12 at 7:42 a.m.: In addition to declaring a strike, the North
Shore Education Association (NSEA) has filed unfair labor practice charges
with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board on Monday, according to
UniServ Director Mark Stein.
The Board negotiating team entered the
mediation session this evening fully dedicated to the negotiations process.
The Board presented the Union with an improved proposal that showed
substantial movement. The Board offered to pay professional growth for
teachers who complete graduate coursework at an annual recurring cost of
$225,000 and to pay insurance for part-time teachers on a pro-rated basis.
These proposals remain faithful to the Board’s pledge to deliver a balanced
budget. The Board also offered to address the Union’s concern about the
duration of the contract by eliminating the third year.
The Union responded to the Board’s proposals without offering any meaningful movement,
and then demanded that the Board counter its own proposal before midnight or
face a strike. Please refer to the updated chart that covers each of the key
economic issues, including the proposals from the most recent session on
October 15.
Although the Board President made an in-person
request to the Union to postpone the strike and continue negotiations, the
Union’s midnight ultimatum was conveyed to the Board not face-to-face but
through the federal mediator.
The Board remains committed to continuing
negotiations. Board members still believe that it is possible to arrive at a
fair settlement that will allow the District to live within its means, while
at the same time providing its employees with competitive compensation,
meaningful professional growth opportunities, and an excellent teaching and
learning environment.
In the early hours of October 16, the Union
declared a strike. All school buildings will be closed on Tuesday with the
exception of the Green Bay Early Childhood Center, Oak Terrace Elementary
School, and Northwood Junior High School. These three buildings will serve
as activity centers for children whose families pre-registered last week.
Please refer to the District’s strike contingency plans on the Strike
Planning Page on the District website for more information.
The next mediation session is schedule for
Tuesday, October 16 at 12:00pm.
http://highlandpark.patch.com/articles/photo-gallery-d112-teachers-march-in-advance-of-possible-strike