October 17, 2014 – Hinsdale, IL – The District 86 School Board voted to approve the tentative agreement reached with the teachers last week.
John Bowman, president of the teachers’ association, was not surprised that the board approved the contract. “The school board met many of their goals in this negotiation, including pension reforms, reduced health-care costs, and structural changes to the salary schedule.”
“The board’s approval marks the end of the most contentious negotiation in my memory,” said Jeff Waterman, chief negotiator for the teachers.
The school board voted 4-3 to approve the contract. Mr. Kuhn, Ms. Gallo, Ms. Planson and Mr. Casini voted to approve.
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October 9th:
While no details have been released, the teachers have reached tentative agreement with the school board’s new negotiating team.
Teachers support two-year deal
October 5th:
The Hinsdale teachers’ association today release the results of a test vote on the Board’s offer and the teacher’s proposal.
“The vote was overwhelming. The teachers rejected the Board’s offer and approved our negotiators’ offer on today’s private ballot,” said John Bowman, president of the teachers’ association.
“President Skoda likes to claim that the teachers would accept his offer if they could see it. They’ve seen it, and 99% rejected it. 80% of the teachers also approved our offer in the test vote.
None of the results of the test votes are binding, but they provide a clear indication of the sentiments of the teachers about the two offers.
We have made a sustainable, competitive offer that is fully-funded using the district’s projections. We began school on time and have delivered uninterrupted, top-quality education to our kids. We agreed to a huge number of the board’s demands,” said Jeff Waterman, chief negotiator for the teachers. “We are hopeful that the board will approve our two-year compromise at Monday’s meeting, so we can build bridges instead of battling in the press.”
The school board will hold a regularly scheduled meeting on October 6 at 7:00 PM in Hinsdale Central’s cafeteria. The venue was changed because over 1,000 people are expected to be in attendance.
October 4th:
The board majority of Skoda, Corcoran, Manley and Casini are at it again. They’ve sent out another glossy mailer, at taxpayer expense, filled with half-truths and deception touted as “fact.”
One of the biggest deceptions is their loud proclamations that the teachers’ proposal and the board’s proposal are $6,000,000 apart. Right on the cover of the latest glossy mailer this figure is superimposed on a photo of a pile of cash. Very subtle!
So, what are Mr. Skoda and Mr. Corcoran trying to imply with this figure? That the teachers’ proposal will cost $6,000,000 more than the district is currently spending, right?
Wrong.
This figure represents the difference the board majority calculates between the two proposals.
The board includes in this sensationalized figure the “savings” they claim their extreme proposal will include, implying the teachers’ proposal will cost the district $6,000,000 in new revenue.
Why don’t they compare the teachers’ proposal to the actual budget? They think the community won’t catch on to their shenanigans and instead be outraged that the teachers would be so greedy as to ask for $6,000,000 in new revenue.
So to avoid any confusion the board majority would like to continue to cultivate:
The teachers’ proposal creates a surplus.
The teachers’ proposal is sustainable.
The teachers’ proposal represents significant compromise.
The teachers’ proposal is competitive.
The board majority of Skoda, Corcoran, Manley and Casini just can’t shoot straight. Their extreme agenda is so full of holes they have nothing but deception left to advance it.
Our students and our community deserve better. Tell them to end the deception and accept the teachers’ proposal at BoE@hinsdale86.org.
from HHSTA
From Fred Klonsky, (October 21st):
ReplyDelete“Each year there are difficult negotiations in Illinois. Usually they concern salary and health care costs. What is unique about Hinsdale is that the issue became the right to collective bargaining, the right to have a union contract and the union itself. That is because a low turnout election put radical right-wing extremists on the Hinsdale board.
“The goal of these extremists was not to bargain and reach agreement through negotiations. The goal was to destroy the teachers union and collective bargaining. It took some time, but eventually the community saw through the Tea Party smoke screen. They demanded genuine bargaining.
“Following a board meeting a few weeks ago in which over a thousand people showed up, the radicals were removed from the bargaining table and an agreement was reached. You can bet that when the next election for school board in Hinsdale, people will be paying closer attention.
“We should all learn that lesson.”