●● L E E R ●● Escuelas de WAUKEGAN ●● COMUNICADO de PRENSA 4pm HOY d DISTRICTO Dr. BATISTA Tan pronto q llego a la casa se los mando en ESPANOL. ● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Parent Letter from Superintendent Regarding Ongoing Strike Issues October 7, 2014 (Waukegan, IL) -- Note: this letter is from Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 Superintendent Dr. Donaldo R. Batiste. As of 4 p.m. on October 7, negotiations are still ongoing for the day, and no decision has been made about school for tomorrow. A decision will be announced as soon as one is known. Dear Parents, Guardians and Waukegan School District Community Members: With the strike ongoing, and our students still out of school, it is as important as ever that the community have clarity on the key points of the contract negotiations. The pace of new developments, combined with the passion and chaotic nature of a strike, can make such clarity difficult. Therefore, I want to reiterate that the District remains committed to working collaboratively with the Union to reach a resolution that will benefit both parties. In the spirit of collaboration, I would like to share some information about the District’s finances and perspective on key areas of disagreement: • The Surplus. The Union has claimed that the District has a $37 million surplus, which they believe should go towards health benefits and large increase in pay. That figure is inaccurate; and, has been taken out of context. It is true, however, that the District does have $26 million in “working cash”—but these funds are required by the State of Illinois to be maintained for periods of fiscal uncertainties, the likes of which have been experienced in Illinois in the past few years. • Salary. Despite claims to the contrary, our teachers have received an average pay raise of 3-5 percent per year, since 2011. In 2014 alone, raises that were awarded in April amounted to $3.8 million. To be clear, the Board is willing and open to reasonable pay raises—but the amount the Union is demanding (a 9% raise this year, followed by a 7% raise each of the next two years) is unprecedented, and amounts to $34,061,478 in additional monies for Teachers’ salaries. This would bankrupt the District! Moreover, by not addressing the imbalances in the salary schedule, such raises would also move the District in the wrong direction. • Health Benefits. The Board currently pays 100% of the health insurance premium for single coverage. This type of contribution is rare. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Waukegan is just one of two Unit Districts in the State with more than 12,000 students, where the Board fully funds teacher health insurance. Teachers in nearly all of the 14 largest Unit Districts all pay at least 10% of those premium costs. The decision to ask teachers to contribute a modest sum to their health insurance was not made on a whim—it was a necessary response to escalating healthcare costs that threaten the District’s long-term fiscal solvency. • Educational Quality. The community’s passion for education has been made more than evident in the days since the strike began. The continual improvement of the education our students receive is paramount. We know our teachers share this value—so it just doesn’t make sense that they would want to shorten the school year by three days, especially considering that Waukegan already has one of the shortest school days in the area. Our students need more, not less, contact time with their teachers. • Negotiating Table. The Union has asserted that the Board is detached from the mediation process. Quite the contrary, the Board and the Union each appointed 12 representatives to lead the negotiation process. The Board members support, direct and maintain close contact with those negotiators. In the same way that the Union ultimately needs to bring the finalized agreement to its members for final vote, the District negotiating team will bring the same agreement to the Board for final approval. • Cancellation of Benefits. The Union made a decision not to come to work for the past several days. While they are not working, salary and benefits are discontinued. If the Union decides to come back to work while negotiations continue, those benefits will be immediately reinstated. In the meantime, COBRA and private insurance are options to ensure continuous coverage for non-working employees. In negotiations this week we continue to take an open-minded approach to reaching a fair agreement. But in some areas— most notably our students’ right to a quality education and our District’s financial stability—we will have to remain steadfast in order to continue providing our students with the education they deserve. The dismal picture painted by the Union’s Monday statement is inaccurate. Both bargaining teams are engaged and diligent. Many of the approximately 72 proposals that were exchanged in the beginning have been resolved. Difficult issues remain, but we salute the efforts of both sides to-date. Updates on the strike and its impact will continue to be available at wps60.org. Please call224-303-1299 for daily recorded updates on the strike. We will also communicate through our phone and email system, as well as Facebook and Twitter, in an effort to keep you informed. In closing, thank you again for your continued patience and understanding during this time. Sincerely, Donaldo R. Batiste, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools The complete News Release is available at: wps60.org/newsbeat60/article.php?id=2146
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 23:36:18 +0000
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