Oak Park Elementary District 97 and the Oak Park Teachers Association reached a tentative agreement on a contract Dec. 16, a month after OPTA’s membership voted down a previous agreement.
“Through these discussions, we believe we have effectively addressed the important issues that members of the OPTA raised regarding the agreement, including those related to the proposed shift in compensation practices,” District 97 and OPTA officials said in a joint statement released Dec. 17.
A vote on ratifying the proposed contract is expected to take place in mid-January. Specifics regarding the contents of the agreement are expected to be made public at that time.
“There are several key tasks we must complete before the contract can be shared with the broader OPTA membership and general public,” the joint statement said. “These tasks include making minor modifications to the draft we created last month, as well as reviewing and finalizing the language and terms of the deal from a legal standpoint.”
District 97 Superintendent Dr. Albert Roberts and Board members Peter Traczyk and Amy Felton missed most of the Dec. 16 School Board meeting because they were in negotiations with the OPTA. They arrived at the end of the meeting and announced a tentative agreement had been reached but offered no details.
The contract has been under negotiation for about 11 months.
Because the most recent contract expired June 30 and no full agreement was reached before the start of school, teachers are working under the provisions of the previous contract. District 97 and OPTA did enter into a memorandum of understanding in August for a teacher performance pilot program.
“We realize this process has taken longer than expected,” the joint statement said. “However, we truly believe the time, effort and energy we committed to this critical endeavor has led to the creation of an agreement that will recognize and reward the hard work and tireless dedication of our teachers, contribute to the long-term success of our schools, benefit our community, and, most importantly, help build a better future for the nearly 6,000 students we serve.”
State law allows contract negotiations to take place behind closed doors, so the specific issues under negotiation remain unknown. However, a joint statement released by both parties in November hints at “short- and long-term impact of the proposed shift in compensation practices” as a possible barrier to agreement at that time.
Board President Robert Spatz confirmed earlier this year that compensation likely would be part of the negotiations for a new contract.
Prior to the start of negotiations, District 97 and OPTA conducted a joint compensation study, concluding any changes in the model used at that time must be sustainable, predictable and manageable. The conclusion was based on a national literature review and examination of compensation models from several other districts in the state.
Though information from the study could be used as background in the current negotiations, neither party was obligated to use those findings as a basis for a new contract, Spatz said earlier this year.