Post by casey on Apr 21, 2010 15:00:25 GMT -6
Wheaton Warrenville teachers approve 2-year contract
Deal expected to save district $3 million over its term
Health and Safety at School
By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune
April 21, 2010
The Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District. 200 board voted last week to approve a two-year contract with its teachers union that will freeze teacher salaries in the first year and increase them by just 1 percent in the second year.
Almost 1,100 teachers in the 13,600-student district will be affected by the pact, which teachers ratified last month. The agreement, which takes effect on July 1, is expected to save the district $2.1 million in the first year and more than $1 million the following year.
The deal also will help to close a once-projected $8.6 million budget deficit for the coming year that administrators recently have attacked by cutting more than $6 million worth of administrators, staff and programs.
As a result, district officials believe they will be able to present a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
"I'm pleased to have this finalized," said Board Chairman Andy Johnson. "It doesn't satisfy everybody, but it's a good step in the right direction for balancing the budget this year and next, and it also shows a good commitment on behalf of the teachers to be responsive to the challenges that everybody out there is feeling."
The pact requires District 200 teachers to make co-pay contributions for their health insurance for the first time and also increases their deductibles. And it suspends teacher discretionary funds for classroom materials.
"This agreement represents a strong commitment from the teachers of District 200 to be part of the solution," Bryce Cann, the president of the Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, which is the district's teachers union, said in a statement. "As education funding from Springfield becomes increasingly less dependable, it becomes even more important for all District 200 stakeholders to work cooperatively toward establishing a strong financial base for the district and continuing to provide the best possible education for children."
Mark Stern, a member of the district's finance committee, praised both sides for "largely" following his panel's recommendations. He took issue with the pact continuing to give 6 percent raises to retiring teachers in order to give them the highest possible retirement pensions, and complained that the district has not yet released the contract to the public.
"I have no problem with them doing the negotiating and the collective bargaining in private, but once they're done, let's see what's in there," he said.
Deal expected to save district $3 million over its term
Health and Safety at School
By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune
April 21, 2010
The Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District. 200 board voted last week to approve a two-year contract with its teachers union that will freeze teacher salaries in the first year and increase them by just 1 percent in the second year.
Almost 1,100 teachers in the 13,600-student district will be affected by the pact, which teachers ratified last month. The agreement, which takes effect on July 1, is expected to save the district $2.1 million in the first year and more than $1 million the following year.
The deal also will help to close a once-projected $8.6 million budget deficit for the coming year that administrators recently have attacked by cutting more than $6 million worth of administrators, staff and programs.
As a result, district officials believe they will be able to present a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
"I'm pleased to have this finalized," said Board Chairman Andy Johnson. "It doesn't satisfy everybody, but it's a good step in the right direction for balancing the budget this year and next, and it also shows a good commitment on behalf of the teachers to be responsive to the challenges that everybody out there is feeling."
The pact requires District 200 teachers to make co-pay contributions for their health insurance for the first time and also increases their deductibles. And it suspends teacher discretionary funds for classroom materials.
"This agreement represents a strong commitment from the teachers of District 200 to be part of the solution," Bryce Cann, the president of the Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, which is the district's teachers union, said in a statement. "As education funding from Springfield becomes increasingly less dependable, it becomes even more important for all District 200 stakeholders to work cooperatively toward establishing a strong financial base for the district and continuing to provide the best possible education for children."
Mark Stern, a member of the district's finance committee, praised both sides for "largely" following his panel's recommendations. He took issue with the pact continuing to give 6 percent raises to retiring teachers in order to give them the highest possible retirement pensions, and complained that the district has not yet released the contract to the public.
"I have no problem with them doing the negotiating and the collective bargaining in private, but once they're done, let's see what's in there," he said.
