Hundreds Attend District 300 Meeting, Sound Off on Teacher Negotiations
LEAD 300, District 300's teacher's union, recently declared an impasse.
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Hundreds of teachers, students and parents crowded a District 300 school board meeting Monday night to demand smaller classroom sizes and a better work environment for teachers, according to the Daily Herald.
LEAD 300, District 300's teacher's union, declared an impasse earlier this month. after the union approved a strike vote in October. Contract negotiations had been ongoing between LEAD 300 and District 300 as both parties tried to find a middle ground on such issues as class size and teacher's compensation.
The district submitted its final offers to LEAD 300 on Wednesday, which included details on reducing pension benefit contributions, lowering grade school class sizes and continuing salary raises.
Under state law, LEAD 300 was required to submit its final offers to the Board of Education, the mediator and Illinois Education Labor Relations Board by Monday, Nov. 12.
Joe Stevens, school board president, told the Daily Herald after Monday's meeting the board is also interested in lowering class size within the district but added that "there’s only so many dollars to go around."
Dan Arenov
2:03 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
"...to demand smaller classroom sizes and a better work environment for teachers."
Really? So this has nothing to do with teachers wanting more money? If so, why did this tidbit not make the lede?
Dan Arenov
2:20 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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.
cynthia
6:55 pm on Thursday, November 15, 2012
Totally agree with the illegal situation in our schools. In Elgin 21 year old men are in High School selling drugs, getting fed, hitting on 16 year old girls. What is said here is true. Thats why Dick Durbin and the Dream act have to be voted out and down in Illinios.
However, I have had enough with 143,000 dollar a year or more plus, plus education staff. Consider another 50% of that being spent on benefits also paid for by the tax payer. All so our kids can be 17th to 35th in the world in education. School Boards who cow tow to the administration and a growing administration beyond any reasonable limits.