Jan. 25--Teachers and school board members at Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 are expected to meet for another bargaining session Tuesday night, 11 days after union members voted to authorize a strike if contract negotiations drag on without an agreement.
Contract talks have been going on since May and school board and Lake Villa Federation of Teachers representatives have met more than a dozen times, including five sessions with a federal mediator and an 11-hour session last week, school board members said in a letter to parents.
Earlier this month, about 94 percent of the union's membership voted to authorize the strike. That doesn't guarantee a strike, but indicates teachers would be willing to walk out, union officials said in the statement.
In a letter to parents, District 41 school board members said they're making progress but are still wrangling over salary and health benefits.
According to the school board statement, district-paid health insurance premium contributions have risen 128 percent in eight years and, amid declining enrollment, the district is dipping below the 20 percent minimum fund balance board policy requires the district maintain in its education fund.
"The Board has determined that District 41 simply can no longer commit to salary increases that significantly exceed the CPI (consumer price index) or continue to fully fund the cost of our teachers' health insurance," at least not without increasing class sizes or cutting programs or staff, the school board said in a letter to parents.
In its proposal, the teachers union argued many Lake Villa teachers are making less than teachers at other elementary districts in the area, particularly more experienced teachers.
"We are bargaining for a contract that will continue to allow our educators to stay in the district, and not leave for other districts. We are bargaining for reforms that help us better educate as well, like professional development and improvements to curriculum development," said Melissa Merges, union president and physical education teacher.
In a statement, Merges also touted the district's test scores and low teacher turnover.
At the union's request, copies of each side's most recent formal proposals as of Dec. 17 were posted to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board's website.
The school board's proposal includes 2 percent pay increases for teachers on the salary pay scale, with smaller increases for longer-serving teachers receiving longevity pay.
The union's offer calls for 5 percent annual increases for teachers on the salary schedule, with annual increases of between 3 and 5 percent for teachers receiving longevity pay.
The school board sees "some room for movement" on pay, but first wants to agree on how to prioritize spending on salary and health benefits, according to the school board's proposal.
The Lake Villa Federation of Teachers represents about 180 District 41 teachers. The district's previous three-year contract with teachers expired in August, according to a statement from the union.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
