I want to take this opportunity to address the negotiation process with Mt Prospect Education Association which has become very public in the last few weeks. We have heard the rumors of the union discussing “impasse” and “considering a strike” from community members. There has been no indication of this in negotiations. We met on January 7th and January 14th with the federal mediator with the request to meet face to face with the union on January 14th. This request was refused by the union.

It was stated by the union that “negotiations are not going well”. The process of negotiations is not supposed to go well. It is a series of discussions that require give and take over a period of time and work towards compromise. The timeframe under which we are working is much longer than anticipated and we have been unable to meet at a compromise. The board’s last proposal was on September 16th and there has been no counter proposal offer made since then. Many have heard the positions and concerns of the union. The board has not made public statements. We believe that public statements would not have accelerated this process. If so, we would have made them. It had been our desire to keep the process between the union and the district within the confines of negotiations. Please listen as I outline our position on some key issues.

The 2.2 million dollar surplus was not “found” by auditors last year as stated in the press. Rather, this surplus was a result of receiving more in revenues than were budgeted and expending less than budgeted: Revenues were higher largely due to favorable results from Cook County and the State of Illinois. Expenditures were less than estimated as monies budgeted for capital improvements, winter weather costs, transportation, and salaries were not needed.

The board will follow IL state law in regards to all of Senate Bill 7 in the way it is written. This bill includes Reduction in Force or RIF. In 2011, we were faced with less projected revenue than ever and the last measure we took to hold the line on spending was to reduce probationary teachers in the district which resulted in increased class sizes. This was not a Reduction in Force.

The evaluation process is now outlined under Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) another newer IL state law. This requires each district to convene a committee of union and administration representation to develop a process for evaluation of teachers in our district by September 2016. This law as currently written may change within the years of the proposed contract time. Currently, administrators and union representatives are going through extensive training outside the district to develop a process for District 57 as are all districts. In proposed contract language, the MPEA wants to go beyond the stated law and asks for administration to give up management rights stated within the law. The district needs to operate within the letter of the law.

The board shares the desire for professional development time and resource support. The board does not want to trade professional development time for student instructional time as requested by the union. The union has also requested 4 half days to accomplish this. The board has proposed 2 additional full days of professional development to the union and pay for these days which equates to an approximate 1% increase in salary. There is no interest from the board to revert back to half days of attendance for students. The union has failed to respond to this offer.

The board has additionally offered step and base increase on salary all years of the proposed contract. The union has failed to respond to this offer.

The district and MPEA are scheduled to meet on January 21st, February 5th, and February 10th with the federal mediator.

The board is striving to support the students, the parents, the teachers, and the taxpayers in this negotiation process. The Board strongly desires to negotiate an agreement that to the best of their ability supports an environment that prepares children to learn and succeed in a changing world.

Message from D57 Board of Education President

On October 22, 2013, a joint press release was issued regarding the fact that negotiations between the Mt Prospect Education Association (MPEA) and the District will reconvene under the direction of a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) as we work towards a contract agreement.  The Board of Education would like to share with you the following information. 

The Board wants a contract that is FAIR for Students.

•         Our Vision Statement calls for District 57 to provide an “exceptional educational experience for all young learners.” The Board wants a contract that puts our students’ needs first.

•         Our students and their families have given through increased class size, reduced programs and increased fees. 

The Board wants a contract that is FAIR for Teachers.

•         The Board acknowledges and honors the outstanding job our teachers do each and every day preparing our children to learn and succeed in a changing world. 

•             The Board recognizes that the teachers have given through salary freezes, increased class sizes and increased workload that have contributed to the district’s financial position.

•          This Board wants a contract that recognizes and rewards our teachers of all experience levels and training for their hard work—and great success—moving our students forward academically.

•          This contract should include a salary structure that enables District 57 to attract and retain the best teachers.

The Board wants a contract that is FAIR for Taxpayers.

•          Our Vision Statement calls for the Board to be responsible stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars.    Like any family or company, we need to live within our means.

•          The Board wants a contract that minimizes the tax burden for the entire community, including those on fixed incomes.

•          This contract should respect and reflect the challenging fiscal times in which we live.

Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year from the Board of Education.  It was wonderful to see so many parents and guardians at the back to school nights last week!

The Board consists of seven volunteer members who are elected by the community. Our primary work is to set the district’s mission and goals and monitor district performance.

Our district’s mission is “Preparing children to learn and succeed in a changing world”. Our district’s goals can be found in our Strategic Plan. The Board revises the Strategic Plan in the spring of each year. It is posted on the District 57 homepage, and I encourage you to read it. It is a short read and summarizes all the improvement work that is going on in the district. The Board also uses the Strategic Plan as the basis for monitoring district performance.

Now that you know the basics about what the Board does, I encourage you to contact us with your thoughts on district goals and performance. There are several ways you can share your perspective with board members.  Community members can address the Board at all of our meetings. The meetings are usually the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month in the Fairview Multipurpose Room; meeting details are always posted in advance on the district website.

You can also email the entire Board using the Board Feedback form on the district website. This form allows you to send an email to the entire board with just one click.   Individual board member email address are also listed on the website.

The Board of Education continues to work diligently to keep District 57 a premier district in the area. We couldn’t do it without the help of all of you, the parents and guardians, the teachers, the support staff, the administrators and of course the reason we are all here, our amazing students. The Board wishes you all a wonderful school year.