Teachers in Patton Elementary School District 133 were set to strike Tuesday after failing to reach an agreement on a “fair and realistic contract,” union President Sabrina Hawthorne said.
“No teacher wants to be on strike,” Hawthorne said. “We are in the business of educating the students of the community. We don’t want to be out too long. The kids have already suffered during COVID. But we have to stand up for what is right.”
The union represents 19 employees in the single-school district, which has about 220 students in prekindergarten to eighth grade. District 133 Board President LaTroy Robinson said in a statement a 19th negotiating session held Monday was not successful, but that school would be open Tuesday despite the strike.
“Please do not let anyone tell our children that school is closed or they are not supposed to be at school,” Robinson said in the statement. “We will work with local partners to limit any disruptions or interference with student access to the facilities.”
Hawthorne said the teachers union wants to attract and retain quality teachers and ensure students have the resources necessary to compete.
While the students have physical education and health classes, they don’t have art, music, foreign language or technology classes, Hawthorne said.
“We want our students to be able to compete with other students and be well-rounded when they leave,” she said. “We want them to compete in the 21st century.”
Hawthorne noted there is both a teacher and substitute teacher shortage. The starting salary for teachers with a bachelor’s degree is about $40,000 and with a master’s degree is about $46,000.
The union has proposed raises of 6% in each of the next three years, Hawthorne said.
The raises would help persuade incoming teachers to make a career in the district, keep existing teachers and keep up with the cost of living, Hawthorne said.
The union also proposed increases of 5% in each of the next four years, Robinson said.
The district and the union have been bargaining since June, Robinson wrote in a letter to parents that was posted on the district’s website. A federal mediator has been involved in eight of those bargaining sessions, he said.
According to Robinson, the district offered the union a four-year contract with annual salary raises of 4.5%, 4%, 4% and 4% which is the largest contract offer the district has ever offered its teachers.
“The District made this offer in good faith and despite its budgetary projections which indicate that the District will be deficit spending by the third year of the proposed contractual agreement,” Robinson wrote.
Robinson said these increases to salary are in addition to increasing the district’s financial commitment to health insurance to ensure that 100% of single health insurance is paid for by the district.
He said the salaries and benefits are comparable and in many cases better than the surrounding elementary school districts. He said the union’s financial demands are not sustainable and are not in the best fiscal interest of the parents and taxpayers.
“With its most recent offer, the District has pushed the boundaries of responsible fiscal management,” Robinson wrote. “The offer was made in order to recognize the value of our teachers and the significant challenges they have faced over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Hawthorne said the union is ready to come back to the bargaining table and she remains optimistic and positive.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.