D-158 contract talks to resume next week

HUNTLEY – Although teachers union representatives have not provided any recent updates on contract negotiations with the District 158 school board, the two sides are scheduled to meet multiple times next week starting Monday.

“I can tell you that [Huntley Education Association] is definitely committed to continuing to work with the school board and reaching a contract,” union spokeswoman Britt Crowe said. “Our goal is to have that before the school year starts.”

When talk of a possible teachers strike circled around the board’s Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night, union members had their own gathering. Crowe confirmed that a meeting had occurred but was “not at liberty to discuss what happened at the meeting.”

However, if the union were to engage in a strike, representatives would need to submit notice at least 10 days before action is taken.

Eileen Brennan of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board said Friday that the 577-member Huntley Education Association had not filed any intent to strike.

McHenry County Regional Superintendent Gene Goeglein also said he hadn’t received any paperwork nor heard any comments about a strike. But if the union did have plans to, temporary teachers would need to be brought into the district.

“In a school district that size and with the number of teachers that they have, it would probably be logistically a lot of work on the board’s part to replace all those teachers,” Goeglein said.

Board members Shawn Green and Larry Snow would not comment Friday on whether the board was prepared to hire temporary teachers, should a strike occur.

“The board’s optimistic we’re going to be able to reach an agreement; we’re working very diligently to do that,” Snow said. “The key is to be fair to both teachers and taxpayers and have a balance.”

The last teachers strike in the area was in fall 2007 in Richmond, when Nippersink District 2’s union walked the picket lines for six days, affecting 1,600 students and 140 teachers and support staff members.

District 158 serves about 8,200 students and employs 1,000 certified and noncertified staff members. Classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 25.

The latest contract negotiation session ended in mid-July, with board members claiming that the union’s proposal would boost costs more than 30 percent over the next three years. Union representatives rebutted that, saying that the plan would not cause deficit spending or budget cuts.

The Huntley Education Association officials said their proposal gave a first-year increase of less than 10 percent in salary, retirement and health benefits.

Summer school teachers have continued working under the terms of the previous contract, which expired June 30.