We need to support the teachers through this time. The teachers' pay would go down over the next four years and their insurance costs would go up. The administration (principals and superintendent) got a 4% raise and the Board of Education pays for their insurance and retirement. Now the board wants the teachers to pay for the administrators' raises. Please, support the teachers!

The union babies are crying again. I cant wait to get a govenor like Scott Walker!!!! I have not had a raise in 5 years. Im so thankful to be employed and I pay for my families health insurance $800.00 a month! Try working in the private sector and the teachers uniions would see just how good they have it! Shame on the UNIONS

Mom, you are truly clueless. Gov walker, now that is priceless. I wish that we can go back to pre union days where sunday was just another day to work. Where child labor ment if a 50 year old cant do it, thats ok, get a child and pay a dollar a day... if you got sick, your ass was fired and no one had to worry about health care...
life was so much better before obama took over...

yes life was so much better before the unions became a long arm of the maffia. Get with the program !! I have been in unions and I now am involved in private business. Not so Clueless Bob.. I never said a word abot BO. But since you brought him up. He is the worst thing that ever happened to our Free Country!!

As a resident of D218, we need to be aware of the whole picture. Looking at an article in the Souhtown entitled "Top-paid teachers: Blue-collar suburbs offer blue-chip pay" puts forth a message that does not even mention our home district. Maybe this says something of why there is a discussion about a new contract? Wouldn't we want to hire and retain highly qualified teachers, and not lose them? The idea, "what you put in is what you get out", I would think these ideas should have the community stand with the people who stand in front of our kids each day!

Mom, in her two posts regarding the above article, has said nothing directly or indirectly related to the scheduled emergency meeting of the D218 School Board, the stalemate between the two parties, or the good of the students. She does not contribute to help readers better understand the issues. Instead, she said the union babies are crying again. She laments that Illinois does not have a Scott walker. And given her extensive background in political and presidential history, she thinks President Obama is the worst thing that ever happened to our "Free Country".

If Mom works a 40 hour week and is paid overtime for anything over that, she can thank the Unions. If Mom gets paid vacation and/or sick leave, she can thank the unions, even if she is not represented by one. Private sector employers will offer benefits similar to union benefits to discourage employees from leaving or organizing. If Mom were in a union, she would pay much less than $800 per month for health insurance. If Mom doesn't get a raise for another 5 years, she certainly can't blame the unions. Maybe she can thank Scott Walker???

Getting back to this article, the timing of the emergency Board meeting is interesting. Just a week to 10 days ago, the handful of top administrative negotiators seemed to be confident in declaring a final best offer, almost daring the teachers to threaten a strike. But since then, in the course of the blogging discourse that followed, much new information was revealed and shared regarding Board actions, administrative benefits, backroom deals, and current issues. Suddenly the Board wants to meet, even though the administration had not responded to any of the dates that the Union offered for meeting. Wouldn't suprize me if by this time tomorrow, we read of a tentative agreement between the parties.

Burt has been busy in Homer.