The Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District #131 has been plagued by a dismal financial picture that has resulted in deficit spending since the 2009-2010 school year. Recognizing the dire economic condition of the school district, measures were taken over the years to improve efficiencies while maintaining a quality educational environment. This was not enough to cover the losses incurred by the District in federal and state dollars. As a result, the Board asked permission of the taxpayers through a referendum vote to increase their property taxes. In April 2014, the referendum passed by a narrow margin with the intended outcome of preserving the high quality of education that our community deserves.
It is in this fragile financial climate that the Kinnikinnick Board of Education and the Kinnikinnick Education Association are negotiating a teachers’ contract. The contracts over the past eight years have kept intact a guaranteed automatic increase in teaching salaries. Two of the last three years, our teachers agreed to not receive a salary increase in acknowledgment of the District’s dire economic state. This did not go unnoticed by the Board of the Education.
With this in mind, the Board proposes that every teacher receives a salary increase in each year of a five-year contract. In addition, the Board is also proposing a competitive base salary to help attract new teachers to the District.
The economic climate of the State of Illinois has not improved and state funding for schools continues to be unpredictable. The additional revenue from the passage of the referendum will maintain the quality of education for our students; however, it is not enough to sustain the rapidly increasing salaries the teachers propose to keep with their current pay scale (referred to as “salary schedule” or “schedule”). The Board’s proposal reflects fair raises for its teachers while slowing down the speed at which salary increases occur each year. Maintaining the expired teacher salary schedule as proposed by the teachers’ union (KEA) is detrimental to the long-term financial stability of the District.
The Board of Education’s overall objective is to provide quality educational programs and opportunities for our Kinnikinnick District students. The Board is committed to providing a contract that is fair to our teachers, while maintaining fiscal accountability to our taxpayers.
The contract items still pending agreement are:
It is in this fragile financial climate that the Kinnikinnick Board of Education and the Kinnikinnick Education Association are negotiating a teachers’ contract. The contracts over the past eight years have kept intact a guaranteed automatic increase in teaching salaries. Two of the last three years, our teachers agreed to not receive a salary increase in acknowledgment of the District’s dire economic state. This did not go unnoticed by the Board of the Education.
With this in mind, the Board proposes that every teacher receives a salary increase in each year of a five-year contract. In addition, the Board is also proposing a competitive base salary to help attract new teachers to the District.
The economic climate of the State of Illinois has not improved and state funding for schools continues to be unpredictable. The additional revenue from the passage of the referendum will maintain the quality of education for our students; however, it is not enough to sustain the rapidly increasing salaries the teachers propose to keep with their current pay scale (referred to as “salary schedule” or “schedule”). The Board’s proposal reflects fair raises for its teachers while slowing down the speed at which salary increases occur each year. Maintaining the expired teacher salary schedule as proposed by the teachers’ union (KEA) is detrimental to the long-term financial stability of the District.
The Board of Education’s overall objective is to provide quality educational programs and opportunities for our Kinnikinnick District students. The Board is committed to providing a contract that is fair to our teachers, while maintaining fiscal accountability to our taxpayers.
The contract items still pending agreement are:
- Salary
- Lane advancement on salary schedule
- Differential Pay (Stipends for Extracurricular Activities)
- Insurance
- Post Retirement Bonus
- Staff Development
- Summer School
- Internal Substitute Pay