Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for December 8, 2005 CCHS - INFORMATIONAL PICKET

Brrrr...and the weather is cold too!

From today's Southern Illinoisan...

Teachers at CCHS to picket

BY NICOLE SACK, THE SOUTHERN

CARBONDALE - Despite the cold winter weather, the members of the Carbondale Community High School Education Association will conduct an early morning informational picket today starting at 7:15 a.m.

However, the teachers will be in the classrooms by 8 a.m., ready to teach in time for the morning bell.

The bitter cold morning temperatures are similar to the icy negotiations between the teachers' union and the Board of Education as the groups continue with talks.

The three-year CCHS teachers' contract expired on Aug. 15. Negotiations are continuing and according to Jim Tammen, UniServ representative for the Illinois Education Association-National Education Association in this region, the teachers have not yet filed an intent to strike.

"The board is really stalling us, they have negotiated but they haven't compromised at all - their last three offers have been the same and that is really tough to negotiate against. The teachers really want to settle this," said Cynthia Donoghue, spokeswoman of the CCHS Education Association.

The teachers' last proposal, presented on Nov. 21, requested a three-year total dollar increase of 22.51 percent. This includes increase of 7.12 percent in year one, 7.68 percent in year two and 7.71 percent in the last year.

"That sounds pretty big, but it is not. We have to include insurance money, which has gone up in cost by 15 percent and we have to negotiate annual step raises that are usually added by other employers for each year of experience," Donoghue said.

At that same meeting the board of education presented a three-year proposal that contained a total dollar increase of 13.5 percent, which includes a 4 percent increase in year one, a 4.5 percent increase in year two and 5 percent increase in the final year.

The union said during the last two negotiation sessions there have been no concessions made by the board. As a result the teachers' union asked the board to consider binding arbitration - which the board refused.

The teachers say the district has a $3.4 million surplus in the education fund and a surplus of $5.3 million in four other major funds. The board counters that the union's claim is misleading since those numbers include funds earmarked for specified uses. In addition, the board said the district is still in deficit spending as it spends $1.04 for every $1 it takes in.

"Teachers should be compensated appropriately. But the Board also has a responsibility to diligently monitor the financial position of the district," said CCHS Board President Barbara Levine. "Even so, we are one of the few schools in the region that has not had to cut staff, has not had to (cut) programs and not had to increase class sizes."

Levine said the school board did not want to conduct negotiations through the media, but once the teachers' union began disseminating its information the board wanted to share its side of the dispute. She added that it was time to get the public's input on the matter. While Levine contends that the board is trying to act as a good steward of the taxpayers' money, it is open to community feedback.

"We need to know if the public wants us to give more to the teachers," Levine said. "We were elected by the public; we represent the public. While we think we are doing what is best for the students and the community, the people should let us know if they desire something different."

Donoghue said she, too, wants the public to understand the situation.

"We want to let the public know what is going on so they can hopefully get behind us," Donoghue said.