Schools

Union Claims LFHS Board Will Not Meet

Board has yet to respond to the union's latest proposal and will not schedule further mediation.

No negotiation sessions are currently scheduled between the Lake Forest Educators Association teachers’ union and the District 115 Board of Education as the Board has posted what it claims are both sides’ positions on its website.

According to the information on the website, the union is demanding a three-year contract with an average annual increase in compensation of 6.7 percent while the Board is offering a 3.6 percent increase. The increase is a calculation of both salary and benefits.

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At this point, the teachers are waiting for a response to their latest proposal, according to Univerv Director Mark Stein, an Illinois Education Association official.

“We are kind of hoping they will come to the table and settle this rather than negotiate in the press,” Stein said.

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The Board takes the position on the school’s website the Lake Forest teachers are among the highest paid on the state and the current Board proposal keeps them in that position. Though no mediation date is set, the Board claims it is willing to talk.

“The Board has been, and remains, open to meeting with the union as needed to achieve a mutually acceptable contract” Board President Sharon Golan said. Stein maintains the union seeks further mediation and the Board refuses.

Union representative Chuck Gress is unwilling to say anything publically about the negotiations. “We are still in the midst of the collective bargaining process and will not be commenting on the specifics of the negotiations at this time,” he said.

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