UPDATED: No Agreement Reached in D46 to Avoid Strike

Update, Tues. Jan. 15, 11:55 p.m.

From the D46 Facebook page:

Per Superintendent Correll at 11:52PM:
Unfortunately, the Board of Education and D46 teachers were unable to reach an agreement. The teachers have informed the district that they will be on strike beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, January 16th. Please watch the website for further updates.

Patch will be posting a separate post as more information becomes available.

From the D46 Facebook:

We would like to welcome all the new people who joined us today/tonight. We wish it was under better circumstances, but welcome none the less.

Just an update: the Board of Education and Teachers' Union are still negotiating in hopes of averting a strike tomorrow. As soon as we are notified, a School Reach call will go out, the web will be updated as well as an email blast, Facebook update and Twitter update.

We expect to know something at any time - and certainly by 5:00am tomorrow morning.

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 15, 11:05 a.m.

Superintendent Ellen Correll has posted the following statement on the D46 Website:

Dear Parent/Guardians:

As you are aware, the Board of Education and the Teachers' Union have been in negotiations for several months. As of this date, no agreement has been reached. The Teachers' Union has identified January 16, 2013 as a tentative strike date if no agreement can be reached during negotiations this evening.

I realize that this is a challenge, for you, the parents. I will be sending a School Reach call out either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning regarding the results of the meeting on Tuesday. I will notify you as soon as I know whether or not there will be a strike.

Please review our website (www.d46.org) for updates and other information regarding the impending strike. Hopefully, both sides will be able to come to an agreement on Tuesday night.

Sincerely,

Ellen Correll

Original post

Parents of students in District 46 are expected to learn tonight whether classes will resume normally Wednesday or if they need to make daycare arrangements as the result of a teacher strike.

The school board and teachers' union will meet at 3:45 p.m. this afternoon for one last bargaining session.

The main sticking point is compensation.

The district has agreed to a two-year teacher contract, but is holding firm on instituting a salary freeze with no step or lane changes. However, the board has offered to give all certified staff who have not submitted a notice to retire a $1,000 stipend in year two, which would cost the district about $300,000.

Initially, the union proposed a 3 percent salary increase for both contract years.

At the Nov. 28 negotiating session, teachers said they would agree to continue working at their current 2011-12 salary schedule for next school year, but they wanted lane change compensation paid in February 2013, which would cost $200,000, and two salary steps scheduled for Sept. 2013 and March 2014, which would cost $750,000, according to the district.

Friday's session included the union's suggestion of having a one year contract with a salary increase of about 1.75 percent for 2012-13, which the district has not agreed to.

"The school board has attempted to discuss different scenarios with the union. Unfortunately the union hasn't accepted or countered any of our attempts to resolve the issues," stated school board president Ray Millington on the district's Website.

According to a presentation at the town hall meeting Jan. 9, the cost of the school board's proposal would be an additional $300,000 in FY13-14.

The union's proposal would cost an additional $200,000 in FY12-13, and $950,000 in FY13-14. The union proposal would be equivalent to 23 teaching positions in FY13-14.

Prepared to strike

If a contract agreement cannot be reached today, teachers are prepared to strike Wednesday.

The following information was posted to the district's Website Monday morning:

An initial School Reach phone call by will go out Tuesday night if an agreement cannot be reached and school is cancelled. Additional information will be available at that time.

There will be no updates sent through our e-News email system, the District Facebook account, or Twitter account. Please bookmark and watch the website for updates and additional information.

Superintendent Ellen Correll said she has been working with Champions to develop childcare plans at Meadowview and Prairieview schools in the case of a strike. The Grayslake Park District will also offer two strike camps.

In addition, the district has been accepting applications for temporary substitute teachers to provide services to students if feasible.

Strike or no strike, "For Our Children's Future," a citizen initiative established by local activist, one-time State Senate candidate and Lake County Tea Party leader Lennie Jarratt, will host a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at State Bank of the Lakes to discuss teacher contract issues. Jarratt said all D46 school members are invited to participate.

Strike timeline

• Oct. 12, 2012: The school board declares an impasse. The union prepares to vote to authorize a strike.
• Oct. 16: Teachers' union approves an authorization to strike if necessary.
• Oct. 25: The board and teachers' union post their best and final offers of the contract.
• Oct. 30: The Board of Education and the teachers' union meet for the first time with a federal mediator.
• Nov. 12: A second bargaining session results in little progress.
• Nov. 13: A strike date of Jan. 16 is announced.
• Nov. 28: Some progress is made during a negotiation session between the two sides, however a contract agreement is still not reached.
• Dec. 11: The first 'Town Meeting' is held by the D46 Board to address concerns from the public.
• Dec. 20: The district announces it is accepting applications for substitute teachers in preparation for a potential strike by the union.
• Jan. 9, 2013: A second 'Town Meeting' is hosted by the D46 Board.
• Jan. 11: Another negotiation session is held.
• Jan. 12: Both sides agree to negotiate once more on Jan. 15.
• Jan. 16: The teachers' union will strike if a contract agreement is not reached.

Check back with Patch for the latest strike updates.