The Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA), representing the faculty of , does not think a collective bargaining agreement, in this case between the LFEA and the District 115 Board of Education, should be negotiated through the media, but should be worked out by democratically elected representatives of each side at the bargaining table.
But, the LFEA feels it must respond to recent Board and administrative assertions about the negotiations process that have been placed on the LFHS website and transmitted to the media. We assert that many of these claims are inaccurate and do not reflect the nature of the ongoing negotiations or the proposals each side has made.
Board representatives have alleged that the LFEA is seeking a two year proposal that would raise teacher’s salaries 9 percent. The LFEA has made no such formal proposal.
As required by law, after an impasse has been reached in negotiations (this was declared on Nov. 8), each side is required to post their Impasse Final Offers on the State of Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board website, found at http://www2.illinois.gov/elrb/Pages/default.aspx.
The Cost Summary Packages of each side will be posted on this site within 14 days. We invite the public and the press to critically examine the proposals, and the rationale supporting each.
To set the record straight, LFEA negotiating team has been negotiating in good faith since April. The LFEA officially notified the Board in a letter dated February 11 of our readiness to begin negotiations. It took one month for the Board to respond to this letter and another month for the Board to agree to the first meeting date on April 11.
The LFEA and Board negotiating teams have met a total of 11 times since then. On two occasions the Board canceled scheduled meetings, and on June 29 three members of the Board’s team (whose presence was critical to language proposals) were absent. This rendered the meeting a complete waste of our time.
On meeting dates when the LFEA was responsible for making proposals to the Board, the LFEA came prepared with typed proposals. On several dates when it was the Board’s turn to make proposals/counterproposals, the LFEA team was made to wait while the Board caucused to formulate its proposals. On one occasion, the Board delayed discussions nearly two hours while the LFEA waited for a response, and on another the Board merely wrote their proposal on a white board.
We view the lack of preparedness and delays on the part of the Board both unprofessional and disrespectful. Sadly, this has been the case in prior negotiations, as well. On Nov. 7, the last day of negotiations, it was the Board’s team that decided to end negotiations early. The LFEA team was prepared to meet for an extended time until a fair settlement was reached.
In previous contract negotiations, the LFEA worked diligently to obtain salary and benefits that are competitive with nearby districts. Most recently the 2006 collective bargaining agreement helped close the gaps in compensation with strong performing nearby high school districts such as New Trier, Stevenson, and Deerfield-Highland Park.
Previously, the compensation of educators at LFHS significantly lagged behind that offered by each at these comparable districts by thousands of dollars. We believe the 2006 agreement was a fair and equitable one for both sides. It is important to note that it was the Board’s request that the agreement last for five years instead of three, the length proposed by the LFEA negotiating team.
The LFEA recognizes that many factors contribute to the success of an educational institution, including the dedication and hard work of students, parents, staff, administration, and the community as a whole. We consider yesterday’s Parent-Teacher Conferences as a fine example of how parents and faculty work collaboratively to meet the needs of our students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being.
We are also very proud that the faculty has played a significant role in the school’s recent record of exceptional student performance. District Superintendent Dr. Harry Griffith addressed the faculty last year and praised our faculty for contributing to the best five years in the history of Lake Forest High School, with each successive year improving on the performance of the prior one.
Information detailing this performance, including such factors as Advanced Placement test results, graduation rates, and aggregate ACT scores, was posted on the LFHS website earlier this year. We question why it is no longer conveniently available for our school community to review?
The LFEA understands that the economic climate has been altered since 2006. We empathize with those in our community who have experienced economic hardship, but also know that many of our faculty members have been financially impacted as well. The LFEA recognizes that the Board faces challenges as a result of recent economic downturns.
However, even with the same economic conditions, the school boards at New Trier, Stevenson, and Highland Park-Deerfield and others have managed their resources in such a way so as to negotiate, and already finalize, contracts with their respective faculties which keep them competitive. These contracts provide justifiable increases in total compensation, without loss of health benefits, or an erosion of widely accepted salary structuring methods.
The LFEA estimates that if the multi-year proposal put forth by the Board was implemented, the net salaries of LFHS faculty would once again quickly fall behind the other schools by thousands of dollars. The LFEA feels that these significant gaps in salary and health benefits would make our district far less competitive compared to neighboring districts.
Annually each Illinois school district is required to publish its Annual Financial Report (AFR) which details the district’s overall financial position. The LFEA encourages the public and the press to examine the AFR from the Board which is expected to be released on Nov. 15. Because the Board asked for an extension for auditing purposes, the current AFR has not yet been made available for our review.
The LFEA believes that once the information is made available, it will indicate that the Board can negotiate a fair and equitable settlement and still have significant fund reserves, especially when the retirement of approximately one sixth of the veteran teachers in the next few years occurs. We also emphasize that the current LFEA proposal will entail no increase in taxes for the community.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, frustrated by the prolonged period during which our faculty has faithfully worked without a contract, the membership of the LFEA met and held an intent-to-strike vote. The motion passed by a margin of 109-5.
According to Illinois labor provisions, the earliest possible date for strike to occur would be Dec. 7. The LFEA negotiating team has not set a strike date at this time.
Instead, the LFEA sincerely hopes that the current negotiations can be brought to a fair and equitable conclusion on Nov. 15, the next scheduled date for bargaining. We want to avoid any disruption in school activities. In the history of Lake Forest High School, we have never had a strike.
As educators, mentors, and coaches, we passionately desire to return our full energies into educating, guiding and nurturing the students of Lake Forest High School. The LFEA believes its contract proposal is a moderate one, one that both recognizes the economic conditions the district is facing, but also one that compensates the LFHS faculty equitably for its continuing high levels of commitment and performance at Lake Forest High School, a great educational institution.
Lake Forest Education Association
