New Contract Increases Pay for District 113A Teachers, Support Staff

After working for the past two years under a salary freeze, teachers and support staff in Lemont-Bomberek Combined School District 113A have agreed to a new, three-year contract that will increase their pay in each of the next three years.

The District 113A Board voted 5-2 during a special meeting Wednesday to approve two agreements with the Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers—one for certified teachers and one for support staff. 

Board members Mike Aurelio and Brian Bushnell cast the dissenting votes.

The union ratified the contract during a Sept. 26 meeting after a long negotiating process that began in early spring. The previous contract expired June 30.

According to the new agreements, teachers will receive a 2 percent salary increase during the 2013-14 school year, plus an additional 2 percent generated by "significant savings to the board as a result of health insurance changes," district and union officials said in a joint press release.

Similarly, support staff will receive a 2 percent salary increase, plus an additional 3 percent generated through health insurance savings.

The increases were made possible through "significant cost-containment and cost-reduction measures in the district's employee health insurance plans," according to the press release.

"Because of the changes to their health insurance plans, we were able to cut costs and ultimately generate an additional increase in compensation for both groups," District 113A Board President Cindy Kelly said.

For the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, compensation increases for both employee groups are tied to district revenue. As a result of employees taking on an increased contribution toward health insurance premiums and through plan design changes, the board agreed to a minimum raise of 2 percent and a maximum raise of 4 percent for both groups in both years.

The new contract also reduces the retirement incentives for teacher retirees and eliminates all incentives for teachers whose retirement results in a penalty for the board, officials said.

The school board and union commended those who participated in the negotiations process "for their dedication and collaborative efforts in finalizing these agreements."

"These agreements maintain the stature of our highly accomplished and respected teaching staff and employees, and sustain the board’s budget and long-range financial goals," the board and union said in a statement.

Kelly said she is "thrilled" about the new agreements, especially in light of the salary freeze implemented under the previous contract.

"I think it's a really great thing that we've stabilized our finances and were able to make changes to the plan so that our teachers and staff can be fairly compensated," Kelly said.

Despite the board's statement that the contract would "maintain its commitment to building its operating fund balances," both Aurelio and Bushnell expressed concern about the district's ability to support the salary increases.

Aurelio said he supports giving teachers raises, but not beyond what the district can afford.

"This contract before us, I believe will spend more money on a relative basis than we are taking in," Aurelio said. "The only way to make up for this deficit is to take money for somewhere else in the budget—items like books, technology, programs, curriculum and adding teachers to lower our class size."

The board has yet to approve its yearly contracts with district administrators. Kelly said the board could vote on the agreements at its next business meeting, scheduled for Oct. 16.