Time to prepare for next time: http://LFHS.pxxq.com/

Dear Teachers -
There are no guarantees in life, you're lucky that you are the exception at least for now. Please know that although your contract has been tentatively agreed upon, you have now made yourself a target to be replaced in the near future. This strike has awoken the public taxpayers and in the age of social media, the shenanigans of the past are not going to fly in the future. You deserve fair pay and job security, but there are no guarantees in life.

Time for the board to START with a teacher job fair in JUNE in four years. Let the district be prepared - if the teachers threaten to strike, just bring in the replacement workers from Day 1. Is there a law that schools cannot lock out the teachers when they threaten?

My bet is the Board met them in the middle on salary increases, and then gave them an extra 4th year guaranteed in return. If so, our teachers get guaranteed 4.5% raises for the next 4 years, during which if Obama is re-elected the rest of us in the private sector here and globally will suffer greatly from the financial collapse about to occur.

When is the next Dist. 115 BOE meeting?

Chuck Gress in the Trib, "This is really a lesson in democracy and standing up for your rights," he said. "We stood up for quality education in our schools. . .These are rights (collective bargaining) we have in the state of Illinois, thank God."

Mr. Gress, the lesson you taught was that you favored your own personal self interests over the students. Through this whole affair I've been stringing together the real lesson for my kids. Don't quit on your responsibilities. People have choices, and when you take up a job knowing all the pros/cons, you stick with your decision and follow through. You don't quit, walk out, and whine.

Petitions to run for BOE can be passed starting next week. Who will step up?

http://forourchildrensfuture.com

Yes, we really need some new blood there. The buck stops with the BOE.

Be sure to read this article and think about how we have treated those who put their
lives on hold during this crisis.

http://gazebonews.com/2012/09/19/applause-for-lake-forests-strike-education-plan/

Lake forest should hire all new teachers. There are
Too many people that would love to have a job period !
This strike shows how the teachers care only for there own
Self and don't care that it hurt the students

As much as it PAINS me to say this, the teachers held all the cards here thanks to years of accumulated union and educational establishment power. No clear path to legally firing, firm AP testing dates, needed college recs, athletic competition for scholarships, etc. Our Board lacked the foresight to adequately judge the Union's resolve and put in place an effective alternative plan for schooling. Yes, it was great to see the community volunteer and offer their expertise in a “Dimensions”-style program….but it was not regular schooling/classes. THAT is why we had no leverage, because the schooling would not be the same. The Union knew this, and that is why they did not budge.

If the Board caved to a degree (most likely to save the school year for the Junior’s and Senior’s college needs and requirements), WE MUST HAVE AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE PLAN IN PLACE in 4 years when this happens again. If it means a new Board makeup, so be it. Pre-interview available teachers, agree to outlined terms, make them familiar with LFHS, have a full curriculum plan in place. We need schooling leverage next time or again the Union will have all the cards, same old emotional sob story.

We lost the battle today for lack of Board foresight, so we better win the war next time around now that union greed has been on full display for all to see. Based on how many eyes have been opened in the community, I think we can.

Bottom line: In 4 years, the sure-to-be striking teachers and its union will have to go and LF move forward. THEY WILL NEVER STOP. Even with 0% growth and a potential financial collapse during the next 4 years….THEY WILL NEVER STOP. Quit believing otherwise.

While we wait to see how much damage has been done to the community culturally as well as fiscally, we can start working on the next phase of fixing the mess.

What most people don't know is that every year... every year... every friggin year... both our school boards vote to raise taxes by the maximum amount allowed by law. The tax increase is capped by an equation dominated by the CPI. The budget they request is not based on need. They try to anticipate what the CPI will be, then they play games with the budget to make sure they get the maximum tax increase. If they underestimate the CPI, then they will be upset because they will have left money in our pockets that they consider to be rightfully owned by the schools. I know. I sat there and watched in disbelief as it happened.

It is these continually compounding tax increases that are crushing our town, and creating the surplus that the unions used against us during the negotiating process. They claimed we had the money and that we could afford it because of ANTICIPATED SURPLUSES. We might say that it makes no sense to make those claims, but that kind of information is valid material in an arbitration or mediation process, and was clearly used against us in the court of public opinion.

My recommended course of action is simple. Pressure the BOEs to raise taxes only enough to cover immediate costs. No surplus should be allowed to exist, as it has proven to be a weapon to be used against us.

I told you the O;d Picket Fence would work! Jimmy Chipwood saves the day!

I'm pleased to see all the well thought out responses that have been made so far.

Before I respond in more detail, I do wish to know the details of the agreement that fostered the end of the LFHS teacher strike. I fear, however, that the Board has lost to the LFEA. Let's hope I am wrong.

The current situation came about because the Board in past years (with the exception of last year) gave teachers -- all members of the IEA -- what they asked for in salary increases and perks.

But will the past prove helpful in the future to help build a better and a stronger school that all will be proud of for years to come? Not as long as the local LFEA, working in tandem with the IEA, is permitted to call the shots because the Board doesn't have the guts to hold the line.

Perhaps holding the line in salaries and perks for teachers is not a possibility by the Board, given that administrators at LFHS have likewise been granted sweetheart deals that go way beyond what taxpayers can afford in this down economy.

The new superintendent, Michael Simeck, is receiving $250,000 plus many perks in his first year as superintendent of Districts 67 and 115. The same dual superintendency was also held by Simeck in the Berkley Schools in Michigan before starting his LF dual position on July 1st.

It will take a long while before LFHS teachers will gain the trust of those who are paying for their sweetheart deals through their taxes,

So many misinformed people on this sight. Looks like many of you need to go back to school and learn to read and comprehend what you read.

So in the end the union wins. The kids lose, and so do the tax payers. The teachers still have a defined benefit plan and pay increases that exceed inflation along with a scale that compounds the increase with years of service. Who works for who... Does anyone other than government have a defined benefit plan anymore? The taxpayers don't. At a time when the average taxpayer is making less then they did in 2007 does anyone think this is right? So what about scaling back admin too? Best option I can think of is to immediately start the growth of charter schools in LF. Let the teachers and administrators compete for their jobs. Fed up!

I too would like to thank the greedy teachers and the annoying bloggers for motivating me to seek a leadership role on the School Board. When I run for office I will of course be using my real name because at that time my children will no longer be in the clutches of vengeful teachers. How will you know me? I will be the very angry Board Member who is demanding a scorched earth policy in negotiation and I will have put in place the contingency plan necessary to field replacement teachers for as long as necessary.

My student came home saying that Mr. Gress told his class the two days in school won't count. Has anyone heard anything?

Yes @think, you too are entitled to voice your opinion. That is the great thing about our democracy. Just ask Chick Gress. It is fine to take the kids hostage in order to satisfy his greed. We will be prepared the next time they launch the same attack on our kids. See you at the polls.

@that-'twas your knee that jerked. I never said that ALL teachers were evil. That was what you chose to imply. I also reject your plea of innocence on behalf of Gress. Not allowing a secret ballot caused the non-evil teachers to be bullied into a self destructive decision.

It's time to move forward. It's time to heal. Thank you BOE for giving your very best and countless hours to come to a resolution. Thank you teachers-you are professionals I value and respect. Instead of continuing the discussion of all that's wrong it's time to seek real facts and if you're unhappy about something find constructive ways to improve them.

Let's get the facts straight. This was purely about wringing the last pennies out of the taxpayer, nothing less. The teachers are among the highest paid in the state. There has never been any attempt to force them into poverty.

The School Board increases its budget by the maximum amount allowed by law every year. The teachers saw some excess dollars laying on the table (in the form of reserves) and they decided that they were entitled to them. The Board pushed back on behalf of the taxpayers. The teachers decided that those extra dollars were so important to them that they would walk out on the kids and parade around on the lawn. By no stretch of the imagination can this be classified as professional.

Love2read-How long would you work without a contract or some sort of understanding of what you needed to do and how you would be compensated? If your employer said these are tough times all I can give you is $X, wouldn't you still at least try for more? Do you know every personal situation and feelings about the negotiations from every teacher at LFHS? Union rules say they can strike, if you don't like the rules then work on the bigger problem but please don't lump every teacher into one box and call them names. Is every Attorney a blood sucking parasite? No, and I doubt that's how they would want to be labeled. It's time to move forward and for the sake of our children try to forgive each other. I respect that we do not share the same views and now it's time to set an example for our children. Now it's time to agree to disagree.

@lf mom - how do you propose that we change the system if we all sit around and smile at one another? The union opted for conflict.

I am absolutely AMAZED at the animous against the teachers here! Reading this, it is absolutely beyond me why anyone would want to teach and subject themselves to the the fickle nature of some our public here in LF/LB and for that matter farther north. Yes, we have some of teachers on the upper end of the pay scale based on experience, but is that not a good thing? Do we not want our teachers well-paid to make it an attractive profession rather than the place people go when they can't get a better job elsewhere??? The way some people in this community have responded, I would be shocked if the union does not get stronger as there will be little trust to go around.
I am thrilled there is an end to this strike and that agreement was found. Lets move on please.

The teachers did this? No, the board AND the teachers did this and both share the blame. I recognize the financial hardships that are going on and that people have lost jobs, houses, and self-esteem (I am amazed i figured that out not living on the lake and all), but guess what, this deal is not going to increase your taxes. Why don't you ask instead why the board has a 20 million plus education fund at all?
Most of the teachers offer was fair even in this climate. I understand all of the points the other side has made...I just don't agree with them and BTW, there are ideologues on both sides, but I am not one of them. I am however, strongly in the camp that thinks unions exist for a good reason. Labor is an equal part of the equation and there is no free market if the employees (public or private) can't negotiate. As for overcompensation, well, welcome to the northshore. It is everywhere from business execs, traders, finance professionals, and docs/lawyers. Our teachers are paid on similar scale to the whole area, so if you have a problem with, why don't you become a teacher?

@libdax - I was soft of with you until your juvenile moment at the end. Really? If you think there is a problem you should just jump on the gravy train instead of trying to fix it.

What happens in corporations in the free market? Perfectly good, hard working, experienced employees nearing retirement get 'let go' for outsourcing temps. or new/cheaper employees. A school is not a corporation. Would it be good for students to see a beloved, hard working teacher get 'let go' because she was getting too expensive and nearing retirement?
Also, many private schools have failed miserably w/ little or no retirement...and the academys that have survived...are they not more expensive than what anyone pays for public schools in their taxes? I'm not sure about Illinois, but I know that in other states, private schools do not even have to hire certified teachers, or teachers with enough subject content, etc.

@JR. You are ranting.

@libdad. You are comparing apples to oranges.

The strike has ended; however, the bitter taste will remain. LFEA (The teachers union) performance has been instructive and revealing. The first revelation is the affiliation with the State and National Trade Unions, the IEA and the NEA, is rather puzzling and unbecoming of professionals, a descriptor claimed by the teachers. Professionalism and trade union affiliation are inconsistent and incompatible beliefs. Affiliation with Trade Unions at the state and national level doesn’t square with LFHS parents, students and the community. Does the Governor Scott Walker and Wisconsin protest by the teachers union that hired goons from rent a thug look like the sort of affiliation we would want our teachers to have?
Teachers, if you want to be treated like professionals and paid handsomely by D 115 for being so, please act accordingly and attend to the responsibilities for which you have been appointed and disassociate from “Big Union”.

Al Boese

From yesterday's WSJ:
An Illinois Pension Bailout?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444032404578008291279754994.html

@outsider - A full year without a contract.....unthinkable! FYI, true professionals usually work a lifetime without a contract. Could you imagine if doctors in a hospital walked out on their patients because they were offered 3% instead of 6%? Of course it would never happen. Maintaining pressure is one of the tools of change. Is it always pretty? No, but medicine is sometimes bitter.

Holler if you had Van Nuys for US History! Or that guy who was an ex-Chippendales dancer! PIPS for life!