LIBERTYVILLE – The Libertyville District 70 Board of Education and the Libertyville Education Association, which is the teachers union, worked collaboratively over the past two months to reach an agreement on a new five-year contract for teachers 10 months before the contract was set to expire.
“The community of Libertyville benefits from our great working relationship because we both remember it is all about the students,” Board President Wendy Schilling said after the contract was unanimously approved by the school board during an Oct. 24 meeting.
School board and LEA members both agreed they made concessions for a compromise in a contract that will entice new teachers to the district and retain quality veteran instructors and still be fiscally responsible and sustainable into the future for all stakeholders, according to a news release.
The new contract, which will run from Aug. 25, 2023, to Aug. 25, 2028, covers about 210 teachers and will show an average increase of 2.39% over five years.
“The union’s financial requests were in line with that of the district’s five-year fiscal plan,” Schilling said in the news release. “This allows District 70 to now focus on the students and address the deferred maintenance on our aging buildings. The increases were not tied to the Consumer Price Index and without those fluctuations, we will have a budget that has real numbers every year which allows for greater flexibility and forecasting.”
LEA President Cheryl Crenshaw thanked the school board for the collaborative style, adding she appreciated the years the two groups have worked together to reach reasonable and quick agreements.
“I just want to say thank you,” Crenshaw, a Rockland teacher, told the board Oct. 24. “The LEA has a long history of collaboration with the school board and administrators. It showed once again with the thoughtful and purposeful discussions to reach this collaborative agreement. I am really proud of our district.”
The LEA ratified the contract in an almost unanimous vote Oct. 18, Crenshaw said.
Superintendent Rebecca Jenkins, who is only six months into the job, said she was pleased with the negotiations and the agreement.
“I am very excited – elated even – that we have a five-year contract that respects the teachers, the board and will allow us to focus on providing a premier education for our students,” Jenkins said. “This is a pivotal time in District 70 as we empower student growth and achievement through equitable, challenging opportunities that promote excellence, innovation, critical thinking and respect.”
The starting salary of a teacher coming out of college with a bachelor’s degree in the first year of the new contract is $43,371. The starting salary of a teacher coming out of college with a bachelor’s degree in the last year of the new contract is $44,687. The starting salary of a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years of experience in the first year of the new contract is $65,498. In the fifth year of the new contract, a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years of experience will have a starting salary of $67,485.
Among the changes in the new five-year contract:
• An increase in Professional Growth dollars (a stipend paid to teachers when they take professional learning opportunities) for staff members from $350 to $400 annually over the life of the contract
• Accumulation of sick leave days from the current accrual amount to years of service in the district
• Increased the tuition reimbursement for staff from $2,050 to $2,250 annually over the life of the contract
• Opened up opportunities for online courses
• Increased the Summer Curriculum Work compensation from $175 to $275 annually over the life of the contract
• Clarified the internal substitution rates with annual increases
• Married staff members are each eligible for up to 12 weeks of FMLA for maternity leave and adoption rather than 12 weeks shared.
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