Teachers at Lake Forest High School on Monday morning, Sept. 10; the strike began on Wednesday morning.
Lake Forest High School teachers began striking at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, after the union and District 115 Board of Education failed to reach an agreement on Tuesday night. Lake Forest Education Association spokesman Chuck Gress told GazeboNews early Wednesday morning that no new negotiations are scheduled at this time.
Here are separate statements from the LFEA and D-115:
Statement from the Lake Forest Education Association, received at 11 p.m. Sept. 12:
The Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) is disappointed that the Board of Education (BOE) did not respond to the LFEA’s last salary submission. Although it was only 10:00 PM (on Tuesday, Sept. 11), and the LFEA was prepared to negotiate to settlement, the BOE chose not to counter. The teachers of Lake Forest High School will be on the Strike line at 7:30 AM (Wednesday, Sept. 12).
Statement from the LFHS District 115 administration, received 11:50 p.m. Sept. 12:
Monday evening, the (District 115) Board of Education offered to meet with the Union to continue negotiations. The Union chose not to attend this meeting. Through this action the Union made it clear that they only wished to negotiate following the Board meeting tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 11).
After a very brief mediation session, following tonight’s Board of Education meeting, school officials and union leaders did not come to an agreement. The Union’s final proposal continued to request compensation increases of more than double the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Board remains committed to offering highly competitive salary and benefit packages to attract and retain employees, while remaining fiscally responsible to the community it serves.
The Union informed the Board of Education that they are going on strike effective 12:01 am Wednesday morning. Therefore, the Board of Education will be following the strike plan outlined in a communication released to parents this afternoon (click here to read) and posted on the district website www.lfhs.org. This plan will keep school open and offer essential services.
The Board is very disappointed. We feel that leaving negotiations until the final hour is unfair to our students, parents and community. The Board regrets that this timing creates such an imposition for our families.
We will keep parents informed through daily updates on the website and school E-Newsletters. Be assured we are committed to continuing to work in the best interest of our students and school community.
Has anyone taken into account how all of this is effecting the students? If their best interests were taken into consideration this would be resolved by now. The damage to the seniors, especially, cannot be undone, especially the athletes who are trying for scholarships and to get recognition from the colleges. In addition, not everyone in this area has a “fat” bank account – there are many families out of work who have been struggling, some for lengthy periods of time. It is offensive to sit and watch all this greed and selfishness. It is certainly not in the best interest of our kids who are supposed to be the priority.
No fair minded, logical thinking individual could possible take the position that unions serve the best interest of their members. It is all about intimidation, power and money. Teachers deserve good pay and reasonable job security. If they are good, communities will fight to keep them. It should not be overpaid union representatives calling the shots as the expense of our children. This is one of the reasons why private and charter schools have waiting lists. Union support in this country is on the downfall and it is very easy to see why
While we empathise with the real issues going on down in Chicago with their teachers strike we don’t feel those should in any way lessen our ability to stick with Range Rover auto allowances. We have worked hard over the past decades to earn this right and we will not be stuck with only BMW dollars. It is a slipery slope. The next thing you know they will want us to survive with Infiniti or Lexus dollars for our auto allowances. We have to draw a line in the sand somewhere!
In the past 5 years I have been laid off twice, currently make 40% less than I made in 2009 and feel fortunate to be working in my industry. I am not protected by a union. I am not guaranteed tenure. And I cannot make tax free dollars tutoring students after school at the Lake Forest Library to supplement my income and pick up the slack of some of my counterparts. I am a Lake Forest resident who is being asked to pay more but earn less. Wake up teachers…..you already have it pretty good working in the community. Some of you are even fortunate enough to live in it. Recognize the reality of the world, count your blessings, and move on to doing the job we hired you to do.
WAKE UP !
Industries of every type have cut back. Employees have been let go. Those positions are either not being filled or if they are, the person hired is making less than what the person laid off was making so that the company can simply survive. After a quick review of salaries of other teachers along the North Shore, teachers at LFHS are among the highest-paid. The bulk of our property taxes already pay their generous salaries. By bringing attention to the salaries and 9 month pay cycle, these teachers have become their own worst enemy. They sound as spoiled as many of the over-indulged children of this area.
Having looked at the LFEA’s contract proposal, it is fair and completely in line with the rest of the Northshore. Being rigid on tying their contract offer to CPI is a lame attempt to justify their position. The teachers took the high road last bargaining session and this is what they get ? Unions exist PRECISELY for this reason. Were their offer unfair/unreasonable/unaffordable then I would side with the board, but that is not the case. Although I have a child directly impacted by this strike, I would tell the teachers to stand firm and that at least some in the community stand behind them. Blame for this one appears to be on the board.
The starting salary of a BA-equipped first-year teacher at LFHS is over $50,000 — for 9 months of work. Annualized, that’s over $66,000. How many other jobs out of college pay that much? How many other jobs *period* offer the opportunity to pay so little for one’s health care? How many other jobs promise a pension — not a 401k, but a pension — that provides, annually, 75% of the average of the highest 5 years’ salaries? How many other jobs provide rigid job security not simply through a contract (how many private-sector jobs have that?) but also through tenure?
Those who are defending the union, explain one thing to me…why is the highest paid teacher a gym teacher making $169,000 plus a year? how does that make any sense and how can you defend it. Someone needs to stop the non sense
This is one of the numerous reasons why we are fed up with unions in this country. Most teachers are dedicated individuals who would normally never be associated with people like this. Unfortunately, they do not have the right to choose in situations like this. The only way to stop this bullying is to clean house, break the unions and allow incentives that give good teachers the ability to earn salaries based on merit and results. Get rid of the deadbeats who abuse the system and erode our ability to compete with the rest of the world in the future.
Well said!
You make the faulty assumption that “we” are fed with unions. On the contrary, they are a necessary part of any free market and not all of us are as upset as some. History has proven that “dedicated individuals” are easily walked over if their interests conflict with employers. That is not to say however, that I would side with the union if they were making an unreasonable offer, but they are not. I want our teachers to be highly paid and there should be merit pay…but that is not the issue here…it is fair pay level in line with the rest of the northshore, no unilateral changes in contract terms (what idiot would sigh that contract??), and single tier pay system. I make no case for the CPS strike with this.
Teachers – please remind me how this is benefiting the children.