3...2...1...Contract!

It's official! The teacher contract was signed at the Nov. 22 Board Meeting. Here is the press release furnished at the meeting:

On November 22, 2004, the Fox River Grove School District No. 3 and the Fox River Grove Education Association announced that the Board of Education and teachers have reached a three-year agreement which will run through the 2006-2007 school year. The agreement calls for a freeze of the salary schedule in the first year with an increase in retirement benefits of 1.5%. The second year of the contract will include a 1.5% increase in teachers' base salaries, plus an additional 0.5% retirement benefit. The third year of the contract includes a 2.5% increase in teachers' base salaries. The new contract includes a continuation of sharing increases in health insurance premiums between the teachers and the Board of Education.

The Superintendent, John Hill, said that the Board appreciated the professionalism and commitment to the collective bargaining process by the teachers' negotiating team. Both the Board and the teachers' association noted that they were well aware of the district's recent and continuing financial difficulties, despite the passage in the spring of a referendum to increase the educational fund tax rate. Said Rob Holton, the teachers' chief negotiator, "Everyone knows that the District's revenues have not kept pace with its expenditures, and we believe that this contract is both fair to the teachers and will help the District maintain a balanced budget over the next three years." The Board President, Paula Zasadil, echoed this sentiment, stating, "Our goal was to deliver fair pay increases to the teachers and to be fair to the taxpayers and make sure our budget will be balanced for the life of the contract. We believe that we have achieved both goals."