Good Dist. 211 compromise?

The teachers union and administration in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 are calling the new teachers contract a compromise.

Granted, it's a compromise struck only after the district got to the brink of a teachers strike and went through some marathon negotiating sessions.

In the end, though, the main sticking point apparently came down to a fraction of a percentage point in base-pay raises in the second year of a two-year contract.

"I just think it came down to salary," Assistant Superintendent for Finance David Torres said.

Under the new contract, teachers will get 3.25 percent raises in their base salaries this year, which range from $45,666 for a starting teacher to $111,275 at the upper end.

Teachers will also receive a 1.2 percent lump-sum payment, and most teachers will also earn an additional annual step increase.

Union President John Braglia lauded the deal Friday.

"I think we got really good raises," he said.

Associate Superintendent for Instruction Nancy Robb also said she was happy the union's counteroffer was within the salary range district officials specified.

Teachers raises for next year aren't set in stone with the new pact, despite being the main point of contention during talks.

Those pay increases will be tied to the urban consumer price index, a gauge of inflation. The district will use the annual 12-month projection released in mid-January, Torres said, but have used 2.8 percent to project pay figures.

Tying teacher pay to the index is not uncommon. The district used the CPI-U to determine teacher raises from 1998 to 2005.

That stopped for the last contract when the district was on rockier financial ground. A voter-approved tax-rate increase in 2005 bailed the district out and prevented athletic programs and other extracurricular activities from being cut.

"Using CPI-U means salary will always be tied to the district's ability to generate revenue, and that was our goal to keep salaries in line with the revenue stream," Torres said.

Still, school board members Anna Klimkowicz and Bill Lloyd voted against the contract deal the board approved Thursday evening -- the move that stopped a teachers strike planned for Friday. They argued those increases were fiscally irresponsible in the wake of the 2005 referendum.

Lloyd and Klimkowicz had also recently voted against the district's budget, which allocated a 4 percent increase in teacher pay costs.

But while the union chief said he was pleased with the outcome, some community members bristled at teachers' strike threats.

Linda Hall has sons at Fremd and Palatine high schools. She's happy her children weren't taken out of classes, and hopes both the teachers and district are happy with the contract.

Hall said she wants to support the teachers but also hopes they understand the public's view. Many employees in the private sector pay more for health care than teachers, she said.

"There's a lot of bad things going on outside of the teaching field," Hall said.

District 211 teachers have seen dramatic increases in their health insurance costs. A family plan will cost teachers $3,380 next year, up from $780 before 2005, Torres said.

Fremd junior Chris Hand called the strike threat "a distraction that nobody needs or wants." He said the teachers were bluffing and said the community didn't support high salary increases.

"I don't think the teachers' demands are reasonable," he said. "Most every business has had to cut back on raises and health care, and they are already some of the top-paid teachers in the state."

Braglia also had a message for students and parents.

"I appreciate the patience of the majority of the folks and students and families that live in District 211," Braglia said. "I'm not pleased that we had to put them through this."

Still, Braglia said the contract wasn't perfect. Some younger teachers were disappointed with the raises, he said. He added issues like class sizes need to be resolved in the next contract.

With Superintendent Roger Thornton set to retire in 2009, and Braglia thinking the same, there will likely be new leaders on both sides of the bargaining table.

Will that mean less contentious negotiations in 2009 than there were this year and in 2005, when the union filed intent-to-strike notices?

"We haven't thought about that yet," Torres said. "We'll still be working hard."