With staff cuts looming, teachers union criticizes Crystal Lake District 47’s use of staffing agencies

The statewide teachers union that includes the Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 chapter has addressed the district’s announcement of possible staff cuts and points to millions spent on outside staffing agencies.

The Illinois Education Association and the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association, which represents 670 of District 47’s teachers and licensed staff, released a statement this week saying the district has spent $1.8 million on four staffing agencies to fill 13 positions, which the IEA asserts is a “direction violation of the current CLETA contract and the Illinois School Code.”

“I am concerned about the financial decisions being made,” CLETA President Jenny Sanchez said in the release. “During the summer of 2024, the administration agreed to pay nearly $2 million to staffing agencies to fill open positions, with a significant portion of this money going to the agencies and not the actual staff working with our students. Now, not even a year later, the district is saying it can’t afford the positions it currently has and they need to cut and reduce positions. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”

In a letter sent jointly by Superintendent Kathy Hinz and Board of Education President Tim Mahaffy to families Wednesday, the district said it uses staffing agencies for “particularly for hard-to-fill positions, like social workers, speech therapists and psychologists.” The district said this use of staffing agencies is allowable under the Illinois School Code and is not restricted under the terms of the CLETA contract.

An investigation by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board is still underway regarding an unfair labor practice complaint filed by CLETA in September. The complaint was submitted during difficult negotiations that resulted in a new teachers contract that district officials have cited as one reason for the current economic pressures.

A hearing date for the unfair labor practice complaint is scheduled for March 19, according to the IEA release. Separately, the union also filed a grievance and an arbitrator has been assigned, IEA Media Relations Director Bridget Shanahan said.

“This isn’t just illegal; this practice shortchanges our students,” Sanchez said in a news release. “Bringing in temporary help doesn’t solve our deeper issues. It’s just a band-aid to a larger problem. We’re in the middle of a national educator shortage due to increased demands placed on educators with insufficient support. We need to encourage educators to come to our district by offering competitive salaries, benefits and supportive workplaces.”

The district asked for help to hire directly and for anyone qualified for the current and next school year open positions to apply at the district’s job posting web page.

CLETA’s complaint comes after the Crystal Lake Association of Support Staff filed a similar unfair labor practice complaint that resulted in a settlement last year. The settlement included raises, a $2,000 payment and additional time off.

This is the first public statement made by the teachers union since District 47 announced plans to reduce and eliminate staff positions, citing financial woes from federal funding uncertainty and salary increases from the CLETA union contract approved in October. During contract talks, the union took some initial steps toward a strike before settling on a new contract after the school year began.

The district plans to reduce and eliminate staff positions including elementary and middle school permanent substitute teachers, elementary band directors and elementary extended curriculum teachers, according to the IEA release.

Student programming, including elementary enrichment programs and fifth grade band, “remain a priority and will continue without interruption,” Hinz and Mahaffy said in the letter.

“While we may be making some adjustments to staff who support these programs, we will implement any changes in a way that protects what our students and families most value about these learning opportunities,” the letter said.

The district stated efforts will be made to reassign staff and believes all employees will have a position in the coming school year, according to the letter.

In order to bridge the budget gap, about 30 staff positions could be “reduced” or “transitioned into new positions,” according to the district.

Shanahan pointed to thousands of dollars spent by the district on legal fees over the years, rather than utilizing money for student-focused purposes.

“They contend that the CLETA contract is the primary cause of the much-needed position reduction issue, and this action is intended to save the district money,” she said in an email to the Northwest Herald. “In reality, the employer agreed to the new contract to ensure competitive wages in order to attract and retain high-quality educators.”

The board asked for patience as the district is communicating with staff who are directly affected by the changes, Board Vice President Emily Smith said in a written statement during a board meeting last week where several teachers and parents spoke objecting the proposed staffing cuts.