Friday, March 15, 2013
Former Grayslake District 46 Board Member Shannon Smigielski said she received the threatening phone call in January during the teachers' strike.
A man was arrested for making a threatening phone call to former Grayslake District 46 board member Shannon Smigielski at the height of the teachers' strike in January, according to Grayslake Police. Christopher Culp, 43, of 691 S. Rose Hall Lane, Round Lake, was charged with disorderly conduct-telephone harassment, a Class B misdemeanor, said Grayslake Det. Sgt. Jeff Myhra. Culp was released on $5,000 bond, Myhra said. Smigielski said she was also granted an order of protection against Culp at the Lake County Circuit Court last week, which states that Culp can't come within 500 feet of her home. In addition, the document requires that Culp also stay at least 500 feet away from Prairieview and Grayslake Middle Schools, Smigielski said. …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The vote took place Jan. 30.
The District 46 teachers' union has officially ratified the new contract. Jim Pergander, business agent for the Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504, said the union voted 247-60 to ratify the two-year contract. The District 46 Board is anticipated to vote on the contract at its next meeting, slated for Feb. 6. "It has been a long road," said Pergander. "(It's) a bit of relief and a bit of satisfaction to come to a conclusion." Teacher compensation was the main sticking point throughout negotiations. The district, which is projecting a $2.2 million deficit next school year, repeatedly said it could not spend money it didn't have despite the union's argument that the district had a bloated fund balance and could afford salary …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
School resumed Tuesday, Jan. 22 for some 4,000 District 46 students following a three-day teacher strike. A board meeting will be held Wednesday night, but the agenda does not include approval of the new union contract.
Wednesday night will be the first regular meeting for the District 46 Board of Education since the teacher strike was settled following negotiations on Jan. 20, but don't expect to hear any details of the contract agreement. Superintendent Ellen Correll told Patch Wednesday's meeting, to be held at 6:30 p.m. at Frederick School, will not include approval of the contract, which has to be ratified by the union first. "The team hasn't set a date, but with what needs to be done, I would not be surprised if it were (not until) next week," said Jim Pergander, business agent for Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504. The next board meeting at which the contract could be on the agenda for approval would be Feb. 6. The tentative agreement …
Monday, January 21, 2013
School resumes Tuesday for students in District 46.
The District 46 teacher strike has ended following more than six hours of negotiations between the school board and union at Park School Sunday. The following statement is posted on the district Website: The District 46 Board of Education and the Lake County Federation of Teachers local 504 have reached a tentative agreement in their contract negotiations, and the three-day school strike has been suspended. Classes will resume at Avon Center, Meadowview, Prairieview, Woodview, Frederick, Grayslake Middle School, and Park Campus on Tuesday, January 22, following the already scheduled day off Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday. The tentative agreement outlines the terms of a new two-year contract. No details will be shared until it is…
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Letter to the Editor: District 46 Board Member Shannon Smigielski writes an open letter to the person she said threatened her family in a phone call about the ongoing teacher strike. Another negotiating session will be 5 p.m. Sunday at Park School.
- OPINION
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Sunday, January 20
Please, leave my daughters alone. This is to the man who threatened my daughters: At 11:45 p.m. last night, Sat. January 19, 2013, you called my home. My family was sleeping so you opted to leave a message on our answering machine. While I cannot write verbatim what you said because of the vile and abusive language it contained, I can paraphrase with accuracy since it remains on our machine. “You are a (expletive) liar. I’d really hate to see what happens to your daughters at school when I have my kids (expletive) taunt them every day because their mother is a (expletive) liar. Settle the (expletive) strike.” First, you must know that the police were contacted and I have filed a report regarding your call. If their investigation leads …
Friday, January 18, 2013
District 46 teachers, along with some parents and their children, hit the picket lines again Friday before Sunday's next negotiating session.
On Friday afternoon came a big push from the District 46 teachers union to stand unified for a contract agreement. Teachers, along with some parents and students, lined Route 83 between the district offices at Frederick School and Grayslake Middle School. The Queen song "We Will Rock You" could be heard blaring from a stereo on the picket line as passing vehicles honked loudly and picketeres erupted into cheer. Students have been out of school for three days. The District 46 Board of Education and teachers' union have scheduled another negotiating session for 5 p.m. Sunday at Park School. Parents who walked the picket line with teachers told Patch they plan to be present outside Park School on Sunday to show their support for the teachers…
District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll posted this statement to the district Website at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18.
- SCHOOLS
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Friday, January 18
January 18, 2013 Dear District 46 Family: This has been a tough week for everyone. The School District and the Board of Education recognize that the community would like to see negotiations conclude and the school strike end immediately. We share this sentiment, and will continue to work hard toward resolution. School District 46 is committed to fair compensation for our quality teachers, but we must balance that against very challenging financial realities. Our School District faces serious multi-year budget deficits, diminishing funds from the state, and declining revenues. At the same time, unlike other neighboring school districts, we have avoided teacher lay-offs and kept class sizes small, preserving jobs, and maintaining …
The following is the latest statement posted to the District 46 Website regarding the teacher strike. Another negotiating session is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday at Park School.
- OPINION
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Friday, January 18
The school board recognizes the community would like to see the strike issue resolved for both the staff and the students. The school board would like to continue to give annual raises at least 2% above Consumer Price Index as they have every year in the last decade. The financial reality does not allow us to do so. The State of Illinois, under it’s own financial pressures, underpaid the district by $1.5 million dollars last year. Furthermore our financial projections show a $2.2 million dollar deficit next year, even if we do not give raises to the staff. The Board is trying to avoid deficit spending. What does that mean for D46 students and community? For the teachers and their many community supporters it must seem that the Board of …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thursday's negotiating session between the District 46 Board of Education and teachers' union ended after about five hours with no agreement, forcing school to be cancelled Friday, making it the third day of the strike.
D46: 'Fiscal Reality' Won't Allow for Teacher Raises Gallery: From the District 46 Picket Lines District 46 Residents Turn Out for Citizens' Strike Forum District 46 Strike is On UPDATED: No Agreement Reached in D46 to Avoid Strike Few District 46 Students Attended Strike Camps on Day One D46 Childcare Plans in Case of Teacher Strike Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Letter to the Editor: Resident Ron Skiba debates fairness of contract proposals.
- OPINION
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Thursday, January 17
At this point whether you support the District 46 Board of Education position or the teachers' union position, I think there is consensus that the longer the strike goes on, the more the kids are hurt. Per the signs they carried, all the teachers want is a fair contract. From a previous article on the Grayslake Patch, the two proposals are this: Board of Education: Two-year contract Retirement: Compensation: Teachers' Union: Two-year contract Retirement: Compensation: They disagree on two points, salary increase/percentage three to four years before retirement and staff increase/percent amounts for all non-retiring teachers. I think the majority of us in our past employments have received increases based on our work performance with no …
volunteer2000
4:40 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
Ellen and the BOE follow through, ha ha! They just bully too and give lip service according to their audience. I am sorry for Shannon. On a different note even if the Bako case are preliminary hearings the few honest volunteers seeking justice and restitution still go to the court house spending their own time and money to follow through and stand against corruption. More patch coverage should at… more ›