In sharp contrast to last year, the Elgin-area Unit District 46 school board approved a two-year teachers contract Wednesday, five days before the scheduled opening of school.
The board`s vote means that schools will start on time Monday, unlike last year when a teachers strike shuttered the district and idled 30,000 students for 21 days.
Wednesday`s decision followed a unanimous affirmative vote Tuesday by the Elgin Teachers Association, the union that represents the district`s 1,700 teachers.
Teachers met behind closed doors at Hemmens Auditorium and approved the contract with no dissension and little discussion, said Scott Eshelman, the union`s president.
Eshelman attributed the approval to the early meetings in January between the union and district that helped the two sides put aside their differences. He also credited three newly elected board members for maintaining a cooperative tone throughout the negotiation process.
The new contract calls for a 5.5 percent raise during each year of the contract. A beginning teacher`s salary would rise from $23,838 to $24,024 in the first year and to $24,625 the second year. Top-scale teacher pay would go from $49,276 to $50,507 in the first year and to $51,770 the second year.