In the face of a vote Friday to authorize a strike by , union representatives are trying to accelerate the mediation process to avoid a work stoppage, according to .
voted 261-2 Friday to allow its leaders to call a strike if negotiations, which have been ongoing since their contract expired in August, fail.
Both sides were disappointed at the with a federal mediator.
Neither Board President Ellen London nor District 109 communications director Cathy Kedjidjian responded to Patch’s request for comments before deadline.
The next mediation session is scheduled Feb. 21 but Jensen hopes it will be sooner. “We have asked our Illinois Education Association representative to see if they (the mediator and the District 109 negotiating team) have time next week.”
Before the union can actually strike, either the DEA or District 109 must declare an impasse, according to Jensen. Once the two sides reach that point, they have seven days to submit their final offer. The mediator then has seven days to make it public.
“Then there is a 14 day cooling off period. On the 29th day there can be strike but that doesn’t mean there will be one,” Jensen said. “I don’t know,” he added when asked if the union would declare an impasse before the next session.
Though no impasse has been declared, the DEA took the strike vote because Jensen believes the negotiations have stalled. “No substantive progress has been made on the core issues,” Jensen said. “We believe that this has gone on long enough.”
The core issues are certain workplace rules the teachers feel they must have, the method of evaluating teacher performance, compensation and special education.
According to Jensen, the union wants a r, freedom for teachers to offer their opinion on special education issues without reprisals or consequences, more time to meet with aids to determine the best way to service caseloads and minutes kept of meetings to be approved by everyone present.
have also been a point of contention between the parties. Jensen believes the District wants to revamp the process to give teachers less ability to know how they are being evaluated and how they can make adjustments to their performance.
Though teacher salaries have not been mentioned as a point of disagreement, union members are concerned about the amount of burden they must bear over increasing health care costs as well as possible decreases in pension benefits. Jensen has previously said salary will likely be the last thing negotiated.
Tough to present both sides when one side does not comment...
$17 million surplus is there for what reason? Not meeting special education minutes according to IEP's....isn't that against the law and a disservice to all of us? They would save money if they didnt need all these lawyers for their mistakes, and didn't overcompensate themselves. Interesting though from 2002, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-10-15/news/0210150222_1_teachers-union-tentative-strike-date
The teachers voted 261 - 2 to authorize a strike if an impasse in negotations is reached. The Deerfield 109 School Board is comprised of 7 members. So, at best their vote could only be 7 - 0 to maintain the status quo. Next, we should canvass the eligible voters within the District and get their opinion. A simple method would be to have people chime in on their perspective. I suggest that the concerned parents who recently organized circulate a petition for recall of board members. Use the model from the recent recall petition drive in Wisconsin that presented a strong indication of the will of the people. For illustration, the 2010 census indicates a population of 18,923. http://www.deerfield.il.us/assets/1/community_development/ExecutiveSummary-4.pdf There are 2.84 average persons per household. There are 6,586 households in Deerfield. A simple majority of 3,294 households is a nice target to achieve within the next two weeks. If you are concerned about the state of education in Deerfield Dist. 109 and wish to make a change....sign the petition. One person one vote...democracy works when people exercise their freedom of speech and their right to vote! Simple math. A few thousand trump 7 misguided individuals!! Katie, get cracking on circulating those petitions!
"The Harlem Federation of teachers expresses a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Deluca, and urges the board of education to call for his immediate resignation," Dave Comerford, the teachers' union representative from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, told a crowd of cheering parents and students outside Harlem High School Tuesday Night. " more here... http://www.wifr.com/mobi?storyid=9437261
How many times have I heard that teachers make enough money, too many. If you don’t feel like they deserve to be paid fairly then keep your kids at home and home-school yourselves. Try not to cast aspersions until you know what it is like. These teachers are the ones who are educating our children while helping to shape their future. Many times the teachers spend more hours per day with our kids than we do, while educating them, while dealing with their own child(ren), while maintaining a relationship and a home, and having time for themselves. It is life, absolutely. But again if you don’t like the system, show up and change it instead of griping to those in your path. Be the change….. Try to refrain from coming into this open forum and shouting just to shout, KNOW THE FACTS!!!! The teachers are not asking for a 19% salary increase over 3 years, which is clear if one would check their facts by reviewing Appendix B on page 86 or the below link. http://www.dps109.org/humanresources/Contracts%20and%20Agreements/2008-2011%20Collective%20Bargaining%20Agreement%20Between%20Board%20of%20Education%20and%20Deerfield%20Education%20Association%20(DEA).pdf
That may be true. 'all we can give them' says it all. Deerfield will become unaffordable for many people if we keep increasing taxes. If the teachers are underpaid for their peer group (comparable pay with other teachers) then by all means we should get them to an on par status. We don't want to pay less than the profession earns elsewhere. Should we pay more? Sure, provided we can afford it. Now, I'm sure we pay better than most districts and we have a great group of teachers because of it. We just can't make statements like giving them raises just because they deserve it. We may not be able to afford it.....now, or someday and it does compound.
It is a clear and deliberate plan to maintain complete control over every aspect within her district. As you know she has hired most of the school’s administration and as a result they are useless and silent puppets as this all goes down under their watch. Simply put, the teachers are asking for respect. I think they should take a vote of confidence in the administration and I’m sure it would come back along similar lines as the strike vote. Her policies are hurting morale and her “push in” philosophies are hurting the education of all our children. The experiments should stop and the resource rooms restored. The time is now for change. Supt. Goier must go.
You have every right to be concerned. Sadly, those statements are not isolated to just your child. In the past few years, many parents have been told things like that and even worse. We have started a parent support group for parents who have kids with IEP's and 504's, however, we welcome all parents to come and learn how to empower themselves in the advocacy of their children's rights by law. The group is just beginning but is long overdue. Please email me at lpolisner@hotmail.com and I will put you on our distribution list so you can stay informed about our next meeting.