There's been a lot of talk in the comments about the lasting implications of the Lake Forest High School strike. Will the strike change how you view the school?
Elaborate your thoughts further in the comments! And you can read our full strike coverage from the past week and a half here.
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LFEA and the Board reach an agreement after a marathon 12-hour negotiation.
The LFEA and the Board have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract after 12 hours of negotiations Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, according to an announcement form the Board. Specifics of the agreement must be ratified by the LFEA and then approved by the Board. The details of the agreement will be made public once these steps have occurred. Read Patch's ongoing coverage of the strike here "We would like to announce that we were able to reach a tentative agreement with the Union," Board President Sharon Golan said in a statement early Wednesday morning. "We are pleased that our teachers and students will be back in the classroom in the morning." At the time of publication, the LFEA could not be reached for …
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5:43 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Holler if you had Van Nuys for US History! Or that guy who was an ex-Chippendales dancer! PIPS for life! more ›
Lake Forest High School students demonstrate their desire for their teachers to return to class.
Students lined the sidewalk outside of Lake Forest High School this evening for a candlelight vigil to show support for the striking teachers as well as a desire to get back to normal school days as soon as possible. Kevin Doherty, a junior at LFHS, organized the vigil as a way to unite his peers and to demonstrate a non-partisan desire to get the teachers back in the school. He circulated a petition at the event for students to sign saying that they wanted their teachers back — he plans on making a copy for both the Board and the union. "I miss my teachers a lot," Doherty said. "A lot of them are more than teachers to me — they're friends and mentors — and I really miss them a lot. This is my way of speaking up, and saying that we miss …
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6:24 pm on Sunday, September 23, 2012
I apologize, I should have mentioned that the police, fire dept., and all of our service men and women here and overseas sacrifice a great, great deal too and should be compensated way better than they are, everywhere in the US. I thought of that after I wrote my other blog. It is very sad that Illinois cannot come up with a better way to pay for education, etc. I know we live in the suburbs of … more ›
Lake Forest High School strike will continue into its 6th day on Tuesday.
Despite meeting for over 14 hours, the Lake Forest High School teachers' union and school board failed to come to an agreement Monday. The strike will continue into Tuesday, while LFHS will still continue with a mandatory attendance day and a full schedule of programming. A statement issued by the board late Monday night noted that the Board had "reaffirmed that it had taken the two-tiered salary schedule off the table, and expected substantive movement from the Union on their salary proposal." However, the parties were not able to settle on the issue of salary. Read our full coverage of the LFHS strike here. The statement also noted that the Board agreed to bring in a neutral third party to review and verify the the claim by the LFEA …
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10:21 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
OK, lets do some basic math to figure out when this should end. Ave Teacher Salary: 106,000 Ave number of school days: 170 Ave pay per day: 624 Union increase demands: 6% or 6,360 per year. Days till the strike negates the Unions increase: 10 Days till the strike negates the BOE 2% offer: 3.3 Days till the strike negates 2 years worth of BOE offered increases: 6.9 I believe that sooner, rather … more ›
As the LFHS strike continues, students go back to school for a mandatory attendance day - here's a look into what that day was like.
Lake Forest High School opened again today after being closed for three days last week during the LFHS teacher's strike, although the strike is still in negotiations. Out of the school's typical 1,700 students, over 1,400 attended classes. The school was staffed by approximately 70 teachers (including substitutes), 20 teacher assistants, special education teachers, 50 volunteers and support staff. The program, which was developed and reviewed by the LFHS administrative team, 50 student leaders and community leaders, included a variety of courses, ranging from criminal justice (where Lake Forest Police Department Officer Any Shiu and his K9 dog Duncan taught the student about the training of dogs, and their fourth amendment rights), to …
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1:09 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
@James Rittner, I'll see your youtube link and raise you another youtube link :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kxc6kzH-uI&feature=related more ›
LFHS resumed Monday morning with a mandatory attendance day, negotiations resume as well
Lake Forest High School was a bustle of activity earlier this morning, with rows of yellow school busses, crowds of students walking in every direction — and a long line of teachers picketing on the sidewalk in front. LFHS resumed with a "mandatory student attendance day" this morning — with busses running and lunch being served — with a full day of programming for all students. While students will not be following their traditional class schedule, a LFHS newsletter to the parents noted that: "After extensive development by our administration and over 50 student leaders vetted the plan with our administration and concluded it would be great. We also reviewed our schedule and offerings with community leaders. They were very excited about …
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9:30 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
i can't wait to read about the thousands of community volunteers yet to apply for the April BOE openings... those who think they have the time and ambition to do a better job. I also hope the Causus conducts open-door meetings during their interviews so we can all come and question them/those who want to volunteer for a 4-year term! Those who have been so very critical of the BOE, hope to see you… more ›
The Lake Forest High School teachers went on strike beginning on Sept. 12, with no definitive end in sight. Here's what you need to know.
Following months' worth of discussions and debates, the Lake Forest High School teachers went on strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 12. The School Board and the LFEA met for nearly 7 and a half hours on Thursday night, but they failed to come to a conclusive agreement. Here's the highlights from our coverage this week. Keep checking back here as the story continues to develop, and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated with any breaking news. Details from LFHS Strike Agreement Released The new four-year contract was ratified on Tuesday afternoon. Students Hold Candlelight Vigil for Teacher's Strike Lake Forest High School students demonstrate their desire for their teachers to return to class. Board, LFEA …
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11:15 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Cool: this is over, and now teachers are still complaining in classes and whatnot. In fact, many are now spewing their opinions onto their students. Just wonderful. Teachers are meant to give us students facts, and not trivial opinions. I suppose they're sad at the prospect of having to pay for their own health insurance with their six digit salaries. Boo hoo. I guess second highest salary in … more ›
The Lake Forest High School sophomore football game against Lake Zurich has been canceled.
The Lake Forest High School varsity and sophomore football games against Lake Zurich have been canceled due to the ongoing LFHS strike. According to the Illinois High School Association, "no team or other entity representing a member school may participate in an interscholastic contest or activity during the time the member school is not in session due to a strike by teachers or other school personnel." The cancellation will result in a forfeit loss by the LFHS football teams and a forfeit win by Lake Zurich. Lake Zurich will have the option of playing an alternative team tomorrow, but that game will not count as a season win or loss. To stay up to date on the latest strike news, "like" our Facebook page and sign up for our newsletter.
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9:35 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
Agreed, GREED is the driving factor. Using the students as pawns in their game of greed. Nice! The students really don't understand the issues, all they know is their favorite teacher is being taken advantage of by the Board. The teachers need a reality check, they should leave their LF/LB BUBBLE and try to find work else where. The reality of it is, if they are lucky they will get a third of … more ›
Lake Forest High School strike will continue into third day on Friday.
Despite nearly seven and a half hours of negotiation, the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) and the District 115 Board of Education failed to reach an agreement on Thursday to end its two-day strike. The Board and the union did agree to submit the two-tiered salary schedule to a board and faculty committee, and they also agreed to ease in the HMO insurance change, the board said in a statement. However, the sides could not agree on a salary increase. Tom Gigiano, LFEA lead negotiator, said in a statement Thursday evening: "We are disappointed in the Board, but hope that we can come to a fair and equitable contract soon and get back to teaching. We know that you have heard this before, but again, again, the LFEA made a new financial…
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10:37 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
I agree that most teachers were not given all the facts before the strike vote or the union bosses held the vote in open instead of a secret ballot. This makes it hard for the rank & file teachers to against the vote. I've seen this over and over again where the union bosses bully the rank and file teachers into a strike even though most don't want it. The teachers are really victims themselves … more ›
As the Lake Forest High School strike continues into its second day, students try to see both sides of the story
As Lake Forest High School moves into Day Two of its strike, students said they are trying to keep an open mind concerning both sides, as they also try to keep up with their education. "Our teachers tried to explain all of this to us in their point of view," said Cecilia Rasgado, a junior at LFHS. "It's very personal to them. … One of my teachers told us that in the past, his friends have stood up for something and he was very inspired by them." "After hearing a lot of points of views, I feel like I understand why they see [the strike] as a good thing," Clare Martin, also a junior, added. "But also, it's our junior year and it's one of the most important years of high school, academically. It's taken a toll on us as individuals, so it's …
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10:59 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
This happens all over. Some of the biggest bullies around are union bosses. I've story after story like this. Just recently, a school board member in another district had to put their child into a private school to stop the bullying by the entrenched teachers there. more ›
Mike
11:09 pm on Friday, September 28, 2012
The teachers held our children as economic hostages. Plain and simple. They could have dealt with his over their long summer break but waited until school started to inflict maximum pain. They have tainted our community, our brand, our schools reputation. It is reprehensible. To see them picketing out their was just pathetic. A bunch of highly educated white collar professional with graduate and … more ›