District 204 teachers OK new contract

[doctorwho]

District 204 teachers OK new contract
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www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2326558,6_1_NA28_D204_S1-100528.article

May 28, 2010

By KATHY CICHON [e-mail]
Teachers in Indian Prairie District 204 approved a proposed two-year contact Thursday, with just more than 60 percent of the union members voting in favor of the agreement, which freezes wages for the coming year.

Members of the Indian Prairie Education Association voted 1,175 in favor with 742 opposed. There are 2,170 members in the union.

"This was a carefully negotiated and thought-out agreement," IEPA President Val Dranias said in a news release. "The Association wanted to protect the teachers, yet remain cognizant of the monetary impact our contract has on the District. Our priority was always to do what was best for kids while minimizing the hurt to our members. Bringing back teachers and lowering class sizes was imperative to continue the kind of education our District 204 students deserve."

Along with the wage freeze for the 2010-2011 school year, teachers are asked to pay more for their health care through new deductibles and co-pays. In addition, teachers will not receive the annual step increase awarded for additional education or experience. This is expected to save the district $2.5 million in the first year of the contract.

For the 2011-2012 school year, teachers will receive a 1.26 percent increase on their base salary for the last 12 paychecks of the school year. Step increases for experience and a limit of one lane change for education will be allowed. In addition, year two of the contract calls for teachers to begin paying an additional $150 a month to insure their spouses if the spouse is eligible for coverage under his or her own employer's plan.

The terms of the contract allow for the rehiring of between 16 and 23 elementary teachers who were among the 145 released earlier this year because of the expected cuts in state education funding. That will reduce the class size at the elementary level from 31 to 30 students per class.

"Among the goals of the association, fiscal responsibility was paramount," Dranias said. "We also strove to do what was best for students and staff, to bring back as many released teachers as possible, to reduce class size and to stay competitive with benchmark districts. The association believes that this contract accomplishes those goals."

District 204 and union representatives began negotiating on the new contract in February. Last week, the two sides announced they had reached a tentative agreement. On May 19, the details were presented to the teachers, who voted in their buildings Thursday.

The Board of Education is expected to vote on the contract at its June 7 meeting.

[doctorwho]

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 teachers ratify contract
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 5/28/2010

www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=384264&src=76
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(3) | read | postBuzz up! Indian Prairie Unit District 204 teachers voted 1,175 to 742 Thursday to ratify a two-year contract providing roughly .65 percent annual salary increases.

The district expects to save $2.5 million next school year by freezing salaries and implementing a more efficient medical plan. Teachers also will not receive annual step increases they normally receive for additional education or experience during the first year of the new pact.

In 2011-12, teachers will receive a 1.26 percent increase on their base salary beginning with the 12th paycheck and "step" increases for education and experience will resume.

The contract also provides jobs for 16 to 23 elementary teachers who were released earlier this year.

The teachers will be brought back to keep maximum class sizes at 30.

"This was a carefully negotiated and thought-out agreement. The association wanted to protect the teachers, yet remain cognizant of the monetary impact our contract has on the district," union President Val Dranias said. "Our priority was always to do what was best for kids while minimizing the hurt to our members. Bringing back teachers and lowering class sizes was imperative to continue the kind of education our District 204 students deserve."

The union represents roughly 2,170 teachers.

Board President Curt Bradshaw has called the change to the health care plan key to the agreement.

As an example, there now will be deductibles or coinsurance in areas that have not had them before, such as emergency room visits and outpatient surgery. In addition, beginning in the second year, teachers will pay an additional $150 per month to cover their spouse if the spouse is eligible for coverage under their own employer's plan.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the agreement June 7.

The district, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook, is facing a projected $21.4 million budget deficit next year. It already has approved cost-saving measures that include the release and recent rehire of nearly half of the 145 nontenured staff, increased fees in several departments and cuts to several programs

[macrockett]

Why not go for some productivity gains by using interactive software to teach the basics? Kids today are proficient with computers before they hit first grade. Why not take advantage of that and reduce our costs at the same time?

The OECD (2005 study) says that for all the money the United States spends on education, it ranks near the bottom of OECD member countries. Quite an achievement... and one reason monopolies are against the law in the U.S. ... unless you are the government.

www.oecd.org/document/34/0,2340,en_2649_201185_35341645_1_1_1_1,00.html