Oh but we always hear about how these teachers are all about the kids..Nope. They are all about their own pockets. Here they are producing students who are between 17th and 35th in the World and they DEMAND more money for working less than 9 months per year. All the holidays off work and all of the benefits which are usually consiodered to cost an employer about 1/2 of the salary and its not enough..We tax payers are really feed up with these teachers and I think we need to break this Union once and for all. This would be the real improvement to help our kids.

And schools and children do without like sports programs all because these teachers get more in comphensation. And the number of administration staff is just ridiculous.

In response to the previous comments from Cynthia, can you give a specific case where the 'children do without like sports programs'? Not sure if you are referring to D158 or D300. Regardless, both schools currently offer extracurricular sports and activities in all seasons of the year. Would also like to know if you have ever worked with kids of any age level. Whether at the elementary or high school level, teaching is not an easy job. While there certainly are career fields that lure in more people because they offer ample compensation (think business, banking, marketing, among others), I assure you that teaching is not one of those fields. Similar to nursing, teaching requires individuals that have high amounts of patience, endurance, and dedication. To paint them as 'all about their own pockets' is unfair and uninformed. How many teachers do you know of that have become overtly wealthy off of their teaching salaries? That own personal jets? That shop at Louis Vuitton on a regular basis? That gutted the financial system of the U.S. in 2007, negatively affecting the global economy for years to come?

You address the fact that U.S. students rank relatively low compared to other countries but how can you not see that their is a direct correlation between education funding and student success?

You cannot expect academic results to go UP when class sizes grow larger and larger and resources go DOWN. The TEACHERS have sacrificed over and over FOR THE KIDS… Do NOT EVER make them out to be greedy money mongers:
* 2 years ago the teachers voluntarily delayed contract negotiations to save teaching jobs and avoid further layoffs. 2010: 350+ layoffs, 2011: 100+ layoffs $6 mil saved through layoffs = $6 mil spent to hire new administrators.
* In the fall of 2011 the teachers WERE ASKED BY THE BOARD of Education to delay negotiations until January because of the Sears Center vote in Springfield. In turn, the Board requested their support - daily phone calls, emails, letters to legislators, with no extra pay for the immense time they invested, let alone personal travel costs incurred, to make SURE d300 was heard… they did so proudly.
* When the teachers attempted to begin negotiations in January 2012 THE BOARD WOULD NOT negotiate except for concession bargaining, and refused to sign Tentative Agreements on items agreed upon.
* This fall, the board consistently CANCELLED negotiation meetings with the teachers. The Teachers showed up for negotiation meetings and were told to GO HOME.
* As requested by The Board, TEACHERS went door to door, working alongside parents, working Saturdays to get votes to pass the 2006 Referendum
* Teachers accepted salary and Lane freezes
Teachers aren't greedy. They sacrifice year after year after year. Pony up D300. Find a way!

Those aren't bad salaries at all! They get 3 months off in the summer. Am I missing something?

Very well said Jayme M & Mary!! I dont believe anyone can argue with that!!

& yes Anthony P... clearly you are missing something.

Ok there not asking for 10k & 20k raises their getting cost of living barley! They do get paid fairly good but not good enough. The $ dealt to the districts by the state has little to do with the teachers. The states broke so they rarely build additions or new schools hence the large class sizes. They should get the summer off with pay after a school year thats also why teaching is a great profession and lots of people go to college to do it but most teachers want to teach and have the passion to do it so they do! God forbid someone gets a fair wage in this state. The only people that complain that teachers make to much are the ones that didn't go to college or flunked out!

Let's talk about why D300 has these issues with too many kids in each classroom.

We have had at least two tax referendums related to this same issue in the last ten years or so.. why are we talking about this again so soon afterwards?

Because of the elephant in the room. Illegal immigration.

Not only is Illinois a safe landing place for illegals, but Carpentersville, IL actually had billboards in Mexico which touted it as a safe destination for Mexican nationals.

No matter which side of the fence you're on (insert punchline here), we have to admit that the influx of students that could not be planned for has adversely effected the quality of education given to the children of local citizens.

Not only are classroom sizes larger, which means that kids get less individual instruction, but when you have kids in the class who barely speak English, the teacher is forced to 'teach down' to the level of the slower students.

We are also subsidizing the school fees for the children of illegals, their lunches, prom dresses, breakfasts, bilingual teacher's assistants...etc.

This is a bad situation. Blame the politicians for pandering to the illegals. Blame the school administration for acquiescing to every demand from this group of people who came here illegally, but seem feel like they are entitled to everything.

Jeff, were you educated in Illinois? You didn't use the proper "there/their/they're", it should be "fairly well" not "fairly good" , you used the wrong "to/two/too" and it's spelled "barely." I have a master's degree, was educated in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and I believe the teachers make enough money, and that a 2.75% salary raise working 9 months a year with every holiday, spring break and winter break off is plenty! Plus the job security of having tenure! I could go on and on!

Amie, you have posted many articles about the potential teacher's strike in D300.

A main sticking point in the Chicago teacher's strike negotiations regarded how these publicly paid teachers were evaluated. Basically, it turns out that they get a free pass and are not held to any 21st century style standards.

I'm asking you to let us know how teachers are evaluated in D300. Can you find that out?

It's a teacher's union. Unions are notorious for protecting their employees. How are our teachers being graded?

As a teacher, I am offended by the ignorance that is being spewed here. First off, the money that we are paid throughout the summer is money that is owed to us for the job that we have already done throughout the school year. Second, those who complain about all the "time off" teachers get clearly have no idea what they are talking about. I am at school just about every weekend for at least 5 hours trying to prepare for the coming week. I am also there over the breaks, including summer break. I take classes, go to workshops, and do tons of research over the summer to see how I can better myself as a teacher so that my students can excel. I have a half hour plan period per day, which isn't even truly a half hour because I have to walk my students to and from their specials.
Cynthia, it aggravates me that you blame the teachers for our rank in the world. Have you been into these classrooms lately? I personally have 30 students with abilities spanning from two grade levels below where they should be to a grade above. Since you seem to have all the answers, how do you propose I reach all of these students and get them to meet grade level standards on my own? The astronomical class sizes affect the amount of attention we as teachers are able to give each student. We have no aids in our classrooms, so it is all on us. Do this every day, work on the ridiculous report cards we have to fill out, and continue all of this on top of taking care of your own family. Then talk.

Dan, the evaluations in D300 are currently being changed. I believe that beginning next year, 20% of the evaluation will be based off test scores.

Teacher4life, it sounds like your burned out and haven't said one positive thing about being a teacher?????

Why don't we compare any other career that pays the same as a teacher's, and see which one deserves to strike? My sister-in-law is a senior accountant who works 40-50 hours a week (closer to 60 at the end of a quarter), gets Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve and Christmas, Labor Day, Memorial Day, New Year's Day, July 4th, and Good Friday off from work; gets 2-3 weeks vacation; sometimes deals with childlike behavior from co-workers, bosses, and clients; does not get a pension; must pay insurance premiums; and will be lucky to get a 2-3% raise this year. She has been an accountant since she graduated from college at 22 years old, and won't be able to retire until Social Security will kick in at 67 or so. How many other different careers are similar and so less cushy than a teacher's?

Your absolutely right, who isn't over worked and under payed in this society? Companies are cutting their work forces and expecting the remaining employees to do the extra work for the same pay??

Oh I can indeed argue with that. The USA spends 10 times more per student than any other country and we have some of the lowest test scores. Last weened 60 mintues did a story on how companies are having to train new employees who cannot even read or add when they come to work. Companies have jobs but cannot find employees who can even read.

To the comment that "Teachers" really don't have the summer and weeeks and weeks off during the year is hogwash. I see them at the summer pools and other activities. Although I have never once seen tham at the library.
Schools no longer read to or with children. They use media tools so the teacher just sits there. If the child dosn't understand something they don't have the opportunity to ask a question because the disk does not stop for the child.
Oh and the way teachers speak about parents...Like we are all idiots and its because ot them that these teachers are "saving" the children. Nope you spend your time teaching ultral liberal agenda to our kids. I don't need you to teach my child about charities and giving..That is our responsibility. You need to teach them math..and you can't seem to do that without sending the difficult material home for me to teach my child.
Its also been proven that teachers are graduating at the bottom 20% of grade score from college. Other countries require the top 20% of grade score to teach. Not the USA.
Look a this Barrington teacher arrented for stealing. She made 146K and will most likely retire with 80% of her income for life at 55. We the tax payers have got to demand that we pull these pensions from teachers. The illinois policy institute is a great source of how we the tax payer are getting screwed by the teachers union.

Home schooled children are 25 points higher on SAT scores than the public schools. Take a good look at your tax bill..Thes teachers and all that huge administration staff are just not worht it. Lets pull the unions and all the benefits and make these teachers "Work" for thie money. If they have good results I am all for paying them a very good salary based upon performance. But they need to perform like the rest of us and get paid for the time they work and for what they produce. Its as simple as that.

Most schools now require parents to pay a small fortune for sports all the while the administration staff like the Superintendents make a fortune and have had substancial raises over the last several years. And how about the real waste in Illinois? The Regional Superintnedents positions??? Chicago did away with the position years ago but we in the suberbs still have them..A total waste of tax payer money. And on and on it goes.

On the illegal issues..its all true and we must do something to save our country. Go to Numbers.com or the conservative Illinois superpac who are working on getting Dick Durbin voted out of office. We must vote down the Dream act and we cannot allow any amnesty. I am the proud daughter of two immigrants to this country who came here legally..I will not allow my parent memory of working hard to become an American Citizen to be forgotten. Its those immigrants who come here legally who really want to be citizens. I will stand firm on that.

Wow... just... wow. I'll start with Cynthia's comments about teachers an "ultra liberal agenda". I have a daughter in Jacobs HS where the biology teacher will not mention evolution by name and the history teacher uses battles described in the old testament as instruction material. Does that sound "ultra liberal" to you? The only reason I haven't gone into the school and had a meltdown about their lack of respect to the separation of church and state is because I don't want my child to be ostracized by my personal convictions.

D300 has been run by a team of clowns for years now. They spend money on smart boards (interactive computer projectors) while taking money from the arts and sports programs. I empathize with teachers, I really do. They have an important and difficult job. Do you know who else has a tough job? Police, fireman, doctors, garbage collectors, landscapers, mechanics, tool and die makers, bakers... the list is endless.

We have board members making six figure salaries that have done nothing but drive this district into the ground. We need less talk about right versus left wing agendas, summers off and illegal immigrants. We need more talk about replacing these clowns who can't seem to manage their way out of a wet paper bag, much less a fiscal nightmare.

District 300 board members with terms expiring April 2013 : Ann Miller, Dave Alessio, and Karen Roechner. It will be interesting to see how you vote on the topic. It will affect how I vote for your re-election.