Lila replied well, but it is obvious that you don't understand the relationship that my children have with their teachers here in town. Hard cold business may be fine for your children and your wife, but it isn't for many of us in this community. My expectations are great and are being fulfilled, for that I am willing to pay a premium. I keep myself informed, have looked at what is occurring around us in the field of education, and find the teacher's offer more than fair. I am currently awaiting the d112 AFR that will be due in October. Currently I side with the teachers of my children, but if the district really spent their funds down two million last year as the board shared with us, I am willing to reevaluate. If they have not been truthful, heaven help us all.

George, with all due respect, I do understand the relationship between a child and beloved teacher quite well - I've had a few teachers that had a great impact upon me, they deserved and earned my trust and admiration. Yes, most of our teachers are wonderful and our children trust and admire them as well. However, as parents - it's up to us to protect our children against those who would do them harm, and to teach our children that there are people in this World who may seem to be nice and trustworthy, but ultimately aren't.

We certainly do pay a premium for quality teachers and schools, and we do so willingly - because we love our kids, and want them to do even better than we have. Dare I say - it's at the core of our very being. However, given the reality of the current economic situation, that premium is not unlimited. We've made an offer, and the Union has decided it's unacceptable. Rather than talking, they're attempting to utilize our children as weapons against us. People who are deserving of our trust and admiration and that of our children do not use any children as weapons. Those who do choose to use our children as weapons in any way, shape, or form whatsoever are not deserving of a premium - they're deserving of replacement. The union can continue to negotiate, constrained as we all are by the economic conditions of the day, or they can strike. I'd prefer the former, but if they CHOOSE the latter, I'll have no misgivings whatsoever about replacements.

100% agree. Let them strike, but let the District have ever right to fire and hire. There are plenty of very talented teachers who can't find jobs. And I absolutely guarantee that once the district starts doing that those teachers on strike who actually care about the kids will go back to work.

Dave, our conscientious teachers are an investment in our country's and the world's future. Over the years, I regarded our teachers as important as parents. Our teachers are not clicks on a computer keyboard. If you need a filing clerk to work for you, try monster.com but don't dare do this for my kids! Do you think the cheapest is the best? I don't. How come many of our students are not only achievers but contributors to society and the world? It's because of the world class educational experience they receive and our teachers are at the front line giving them all they have. I pay $ 11,000 a year in taxes. For that money, my three kids received an education equal in value to a private school education which would have cost me $ 23,000 a year for each student. Where else do you find so many satisfied parents? Research what North Shore Country Day School charges in tuition, it's astronomical. My kids are well educated, and I am happy. What a bargain we get in Highland Park!! I say: pay the teachers well, keep them motivated and satisfied. You get what you pay for and you pay for what you get. We get a LOT in Highland Park and I am willing to pay more to prevent people from clicking on monster.com and seeking out cheap replacements. If you ever run for school board, please inform the community well in advance.

Lou - I never said we should hire the cheapest available and fully realize the difference between a filing clerk and teacher. I said we should hire replacements if the incumbents choose to strike and use our children as weapons against us and that there would be a hiring process to go through. Certainly that's going to involve interviews, resume reviews, etc. so we find the correct employees.

I've lived in Highland Park for long enough to realize that we gladly pay a certain premium for a quality education. We value our teachers and all they do for us. But that premium is not unlimited - I've ALWAYS said that we have to balance the needs of the District with the needs of the taxpayers. One of the major cost drivers in the District is salaries/benefits for teachers. Is the administration overpaid? Yep, they certainly are and that's another matter to contend with. But right now, an even bigger cost driver is the money we pay to the teachers. And in the long-term, it's unsustainable and has to change.

Moreover, we also need money for buildings. It's fairly well-known that D112 has it's own set of infrastructure issues to contend with, and as I've said previously - that's another holy war we'll get into when we start seriously discussing the closing/reconfiguring of neighborhood schools.

Lou - So very well said! Thank You!
This is what I was referring to in my previous post - you don't find teachers on monster.com! The real shame here is how little the non-educator public truly knows about the finite inter-workings of a district, the teacher's role, actual job duties and responsibilities and daily demands...
Whoever thinks that there are "luxury working conditions" inside the 112 schools should spend a day in one of them when it's pushing 100 degrees in August,/September & May/June as well try to use/find a reliable copy machine to prepare materials for teaching, have warm water for hand washing and possibly get a moment to simply relieve themselves. So many of the comments on here come from people who obviously do not have first hand experience working inside a school - nor do they know the realities teachers face on a daily basis. Thanks again, Lou! You seem to get it!

Lila: Everything you've said could be easily flipped around and applied toward any profession. I know many businesses where employees work without air conditioning and it's well over 100 degrees in the summer months. I know many businesses where copy machines seem to be forever 'down' - copiers are extremely complex machines, and entropy in the multiverse being what it is, they tend to fail with some regularity despite regular maintenance (cf the "Office Space" movie made fun of this with a faulty fax machine). Lots of businesses have issues with hot water for hand washing, and lots of employees in many job, even so-called "cushy" corporate jobs have difficulty finding time to use the restrooms because of full schedules.

So the the issues you state that teachers face aren't so different from the Private Sector. We all deal with them - they're no reason to strike. And certainly a warm classroom, faulty copier, lack of hot water for handwashing, etc. aren't a reason to demand a higher salary/benefits than the Private Sector gets. Or are you saying that money means you'll just deal with all those issues because you're so well-paid?

You should learn the facts before making your comment. Compare Dist 112 salaries and benefits with surrounding districts. If the Board gets it cuts in a new contract, many of our outstanding teachers will leave the district. If that happens, good luck ever selling any property in 112

David,

I read a while back that you do not have children in the schools. Now you do? Can you make up your mind? You claim to know something about education, your posts over the last couple of years clearly confirm that you are lonely, and know very little about educational issues. I agree with your statement, enough of your complaining! You are not helping our community and your ideas are poison.

I never said I had children in the schools - yet. My kids will attend D112 and D113, so there's no confusion on my part whatsoever regarding their school attendance.

It's unfortunate that you don't agree with my positions, but I assure you that I only have the community's best interests at heart. Perhaps you could elaborate on why you don't agree instead of trying to engage in personal attacks?

Whoa.....Did you know that the contract that the Board is offering our teachers would be the WORST CONTRACT ON THE NORTH SHORE???????????? Worse than Deerfield, Glencoe, Northbrook, and Lake Forest??
Teachers are not being greedy!!!!

Lila, I know precisely what it takes to become a teacher. I held several position in the College of Education at WIU over 5 or 6 years - we taught teachers how to be teachers - early education, special ed, distance learning (just when that branch was starting out), and even the class that taught Superintendents how to be Superintendents.

I'm proud to have many teachers around the Country as friends - some for more than 20 years, I have the greatest of respect for them, and I know the work. I've helped draft lesson plans, prep classrooms, etc. I'm also MARRIED to a teacher - 7th/8th grade.

I get it, really I do. The job is tough, and just like in the private sector - some people love it because they love it, some love it for the money, some hate it but stick with it for the money, some hate it but can't leave because of ....

But despite all that, it doesn't mean that I'm willing to pay people in an unsustainable manner just because of a particular job they hold. The sheer fact of the matter is that the ISBE reports that there's 60,000 certified teachers in the pipeline. Out of a set that large, certainly we're going to be able to find teachers who are qualified, highly educated, endorsed, and certified. I'd even be willing to bet that we'll find bilingual teachers in that set too. So will it be a simple "replacement"? Nope - it'll be a hiring/evaluating process - but it's certainly doable.

I've always advocated pay for performance - not automatic raises.

that is not a settlement, he receives $250,000 per year for life from TRS (Teachers Retirement System)

$250k at a minimum, don't forget about those COLA adjustments that increase it...

This from the same guy who wants to arm teachers in the classroom. So remember that as you read his ridiculous tea party opinions.

@Anonymous: My wife and I have had many discussions about this issue - she agrees with me that the teachers/union ought not to use the children as weapons. I have the greatest of respect for teachers and what they do, and I find value in their job - but I don't find INFINITE value in it, there are limits.

I have every right not to support the teachers who educate my children, if I deem what they are doing is unreasonable. And no, I'm not moving - I've been here about 40 years, I'm staying, and I'm going to express my opinion on matters of importance.

@Walter: As I've said before - I support the Federal Safe Schools Act. If you think that's ridiculous, talk to your Federal Legislators. And I am not a member of the Tea Party, I don't know why you believe I am.

If the District told someone they could take a course and get reimbursed or lane advancement, they should honor that commitment. But as I've said before - that's a contractual dispute between the individual teacher(s) and the District. Nothing to strike over.

As for the full-time v. part-time benefits - sure, the District could play games with full time v. part time. So do many large companies, but they've been pushed up against the wall with the cost of health care, so they do what they have to to balance their profitability and costs (health care, turnover, etc). Schools are a bit different - they don't turn a profit, they educate our children (which is quite an important task) - but they still have to manage their ever-increasing costs which are paid for by the taxpayers.

If the Union is worried about benefits being slashed to zero for part-timers, and the District playing with part-time v. full-time - then figure out the costs for the benefits involved, and have the employee pay on a sliding scale for benefits. < 50% time, zero benefits. 50%-75% X percentage paid by teacher, Y percentage paid by Board. 75.01%-99.99% X percentage paid by teacher, Y percentage paid by Board. 100% X percentage paid by teacher, Y percentage paid by Board.

Well....yes and no. District #113 teachers never felt the need to unionize as they have for quite a number of years been extremely well compensated...so...why rock the boat if there is not a storm? They are happy with this, though I am sure that if they becomes dissatisfied, unionization could take place.District #112 is comprised of three past local districts which had unions then. I am sure that they would not de-unionize at any point and they should not have to. There is national statistical evidence that students do do better in unionized schools where work rules are clearly defined, which makes for a calm workplace, happier teachers and students.

I have a real problem with Tenure for elementary and high school teachers. My understanding is that tenure was intended for university professors to be able to teach controversial subjects and research controversial topics w/o fear of being fired.

What's so controversial at the elementary and high school levels that requires tenure?

I am curious too. As a military family, this is the first time in any of our moves that we have never filled out or signed a Federal Impact Aid form at the beginning of the year. It was my understanding that this was part of the application process. I have looked at the budgets from both 112 & 113 but have difficulty seeing if they actually are getting these funds. If not, then why?

I have also been told that because the housing here is contracted to a privatized company to run, the houses are taxable at retail value (even if the land is not). I would also like to know if this is true and how to know if it is being paid.

Maybe if this information is verified, people can stop thinking that we military are mooching off of the education system at the permanent residents expense.

not even close. about 30% i think

After digging a little, I found this though the Lake County Assessor's Office

May 2012
Total Land:$1
Total Building:$8,262,442
Total State Equalized Value:$8,262,443
Total Exemption Amount:$0
Total Tax Bill Amount:$598,366
Rate:7.242%

I have not been able to calculate the Federal Impact Aid amounts or even if the schools are applying for it.

Point is, stop acting like we are not contributers to the education our children are receiving.

Pamela,

I know your one of the union heads, but please cool down on the Karen Lewis-like rhetoric. It's not productive and won't work here because HP is not a big union town like Chicago. The CSO is a poor analogy because that's a private sector union. Also, your repeated threats of teachers lateraling to other districts ring hollows. There are few, if any, openings right now. And, even if there were, if a teacher is willing to move to Deerfield or Glencoe for a $500 raise, that's probably not the type of employee we want here. Hopefully, some of your members will see the wrong path that the leadership has put them on and we'll see some splintering within the union.

"Of course, if the community wants starting teachers teaching their children year after year, that is just what they would get (under the board's current offer`)" - so it's all about the money then? Well, thanks for clarifying that for everyone. I suppose we can finally get away from the claims of "it's for the children!".

As for the comparison to the strike by the CSO - I don't know precisely how many symphony-rated musicians there are, but somehow I suspect it's much less than the 60,000 certified teachers in the pipeline that's reported by the ISBE.

That's not true. Lots of us (musicians ourselves) were personally offended that the CSO musicians could even think of going on strike...not to mention on the eve of a concert for which many patrons had traveled far to attend...and know that there are LOTS of world class musicians without symphony jobs who would be more than thrilled to play in the CSO without striking.

But back to the comment about teachers leaving to go to neighboring districts: If someone knows of hundreds of openings at Deerfield or Lake Forest schools, please share! I *highly* doubt our teachers are all going to migrate over to those non-vacant positions. Stop with the empty threats about going to neighboring districts. If there is any community that values education and life-long learning, it's Highland Park.

For the record, I absolutely LOVE my children's teachers. But I don't love the idea of them not being in the classroom.

Yes, the board needs to figure out a better long-term solution (like closing one or two of the district buildings and re-drawing school boundaries). But right now, we need the teachers in the classroom working. This community will not support unsustainable spending.

Please, only you believes that. WE KNOW THAT SCHOOLS ARE FAILING IN OUR DISTRICT, LIKE OAK TERRACE, 4 students out of 10 do not know how to read nor write, is that what you call the best teachers in the country? The ones at your school that do not know how to teach POOR MINORITY students, perhaps you need to check the performance card of your school to realize that yes 90% of student at Oak Terrace are Minority and poor and with the FAILING BILINGUAL PROGRAM, the future of these students is compromised just because the UNION protects bad teachers and a bad program.

If your teaches are so good, then why not jump start on the EVALUATION system, one that actually evaluates the teacher performance based on STUDENT IMPROVEMENT, I bet you the teaches at Oak Terrace will fail, because they do not know English to begin with. How can you be a bilingual teacher if you cannot speak English. But hey what do you know and what does your principal knows, they do not speak Spanish, they do not know what is going on in the classrooms.

You are right, why not start closing Oak Terrace, it is failing its students, more than 4 years in a row in Academic Watch Status, the Board needs to take action. NOt fair that the schools is failing its students. These are poor, minority students. How much longer until we take responsibility.

Alexa:

Oak Terrace will be the last school closed. First, it is the largest and newest building in the District.

Second, you have to understand why it doesn't meet APR. Imagine moving to a foreign country where you don't speak the language. Then imagine taking a test in the country's language that determined the progress of the school. Not a fair measure, is it? Well that's what happens in Illinois. All standardized testing is in English, even if the students have limited or no ability to speak, read or write in English.

Then you need to factor in the mobility of the population. When we did the Space Needs Analysis 18 years ago, less than 50% of those starting Kindergarden at Oak Terrace completed 5th grade there. The families just move around alot.

Oak Terrace is a great, diverse school. We need to figure out creative ways to solve the testing problems, not tear it down.

Walter, I appreciate your comment, although I disagree. Not all the student just crossed the border to start school at Oak Terrace, these are a mix of children that were born here but their parents do not speak English at home and others perhaps just crossed (although not a lot of children are crossing this days because of the drug war going on in Mexico at the border). Your argument does not help these children, there are schools in Chicago that are doing much better with these situations and with less resources (with teachers making much less). The money argument does not work here (like in those schools in Chicago where the Union claims they need more resources to educate these students), so then you have the argument from the teachers and some community members that it is the fault of the parents and not the teachers, AGAIN THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS THAT BETTER SERVE THESE STUDENTS. You like the fact that you have a DIVERSE school, look at the report card and you will see that the students that are failing are the Hispanic Poor students, there are no justifications, the reason why they have a Bilingual/Dual Program is to help, not to stagnate these students. Sorry, BUT THE SCHOOL IS FAILING AND WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION. STUDENTS AT OAK TERRACE ARE WAITING FOR SUPERMAN. And it is a matter of time that the school is taken over or over turned. You will see. We have the resources, just not the knowledge to really make a difference in the lives of these children.

Alexa M:

I do not believe that you understand my point. As a building, Oak Terrace will not be closed. My point is that there are many factors that go into the lack of progress in the school, not just the administration. It is the system that fails children in many cases.

As to your point about charter schools, my daughter has taught in a high-performing charter school in Chicago. There are good charter schools and poor performing ones, just like public schools. Much of that is dependent on the administration of the school. UNO run schools are not a panecea. Many do not perform better than their public counterparts.

Walter, so then why with all the resources we have available and highly paid instructors we still have poor results. What are we waiting for to fix the school? When we claim to have "world class education" and the best teachers in the country, then why are we failing a segment in our community? We need to take control of this school, before the District is sued for discriminating a group. These kids are not given the opportunity to attend another school in the district, which is one requirement if the school is failing and placed on AWS, now this school has been failing for three consecutive years, next would be to overturn the school, is that what we want on our record? Remember we are responsible not only for our own children but need to look out for those that do not have a voice, and Hispanics do not have it at this table.

AM:

First of all, I do understand the issues faced by the Hispanic community, though I am not Hispanic. I chose to live where I do so that my children would go to school in a diverse environment. It was the right decision for my family.

Why the system fails these children is a complex question. Certainly, administrators and teachers bear some responsibility. So do the legislators that mandate thinngs like testing in english only. So do people who only are concerned about their children or who have prejudices that cloud their objectivity.

Complex problems require dedication and creativity to solve. There is no magic bullet, no easy answer. Dual Language was an attempt to resolve some of these issues. Maybe it's time for everyone to work together, put their selfish issues aside and do what's best for our children.

The board needs to realize that the claim of no money isn't cutting it, they just spent over 1 million dollars on a new STEM and CMA program in all 3 middle schools. They just hired a new administrator part time for 160,000, 2 administrators at each middle school and promethium boards in every classroom. Does the Art Room really need this board? Someone is spending the funds which should be used to pay for quality educators , looks like this board is just like the Park District Board from a few years ago.

I haven't reviewed the financials of the other programs you mentioned, but with regard to the administrator - the previous employee made about $250K/yr when he retired. The new employee makes $160K/yr AND we make his and our contribution to his IMRF pension (this after he retired from a $340K/yr job with a $250K/yr TRS pension that he hasn't started taking yet).

Is there a lot of waste? Yes. Can we and should we do better? Yes. We need to start with the biggest cost driver right now - salaries/benefits and make certain that it's sustainable as we go forward.

AGF

So your comments confuse me? However I have jet lag and may just not be thinking straight. So the fact that the district spends money on education as a whole means they are terrible bad people stealing money from the teachers? Hmmm, you really do not think that they should invest in teaching materials, innovated programs, technology et al? Perhaps we need a Little House on the Prairie school house and environment?

My daughters favorite class is STEM which seems to bring together specialties of several teachers. YES we need the promethium boards! WE pay for those and we pay for a well rounded education using the tools and resources available. The teacher is certainly the focal point of those resources as the guide on the side rather than the old days' sage on the stage.

Here is a thought, before we raise pay or commit additional dollars to the current issue, let's put AIR Conditioners is our elementary classrooms where both our teachers and students suffer during the hot fall & spring days. That has to be detrimental to learning and would seem to be a priority to me.

A Donahue...have you witnessed someone lighting themselves on fire? I have. Not in far away Tunisia, but right here in the good old USA. It's not a pretty sight. Aside from thesaurus loss of life, the inaction of those around the person did little to help. And FYI, none of the District 112 schools are on Vine Ave.

The BOE has to first approve the said course. The teacher has to complete the course and pay all fees up front. All courses must be Master's Courses. A three hour course is a minimum of 900 dollars plus enrollment fees and books. So a teacher can get partially reimbursed for a course directed by the district. Two 3 hours courses would run well over the $1200 growth payment.

Considering that the Bachelor's is the entry point, everything beyond that is going to be, by definition, at the graduate level. There's nothing saying that we have to cover the cost of an entire course, or even a portion of a course. We've offered to cover a portion of a course - and that means that the teach will have to perform an ROI analysis before deciding to take the course. Just as we all have to kick in for our healthcare costs, teachers will have to kick in or fully fund their own professional development costs as well - just as individuals in other professions do (lawyers, Realtors, etc.).

Once they have a Master's or Doctorate Degree, I do believe that they ought to have additional weighting applied toward any raise they're considered for, but not before they've completed the degree.

As for what Deerfield 109 does - that's their business and should have no effect whatsoever on what we decide to do. It's not to the taxpayers advantage to engage in an educational arms race.

Under the Board's offer, why would anyone take additional courses? The courses won't be paid for and the Board wants to remove any other financial incentive to do so.

A teacher can take some cheap workshops to meet the minimum qualifications to recertify. The Board's message in its proposals is that there isn't any reason to do more in terms of taking advanced courses. You either value professional development, or you don't. Most school districts do.

This community will have to decide whether it wants the cheapest schools possible, or whether it values what its teachers do. The Board's annual financial reports do not support its contention that it is in poor financial shape. It has the highest rating possible from the Illinois State Board of Education. It has a huge fund balance including over $12,000,000 in working cash. The Board continues to put money away every year.

The Association has offered major insurance concessions and has asked for a modest raise. The Association has also offered to restructure the salary schedule so that teachers don't move lanes as often. The Board is trying for its own reasons to gut the contract. This will also mean gutting the school system. I realize that some of the posters here don't have a problem with that.

Mark

Obviously, none of the posters want to gut the system or operate the cheapest educational system possible. Unfortunately, these comments often tend to bounce off both radical sides of the spectrum just as yours is is on one side of the radical spectrum.

No matter what happens, we are still going to have one of the state’s highest levels of education within D112. Whether there is a median reached or if either side get's all they want will not make a lot of difference in the short term. Obviously, if costs continue to rise with revenues down, it does not take a genius...or even someone educated in HP DF or LF to understand there will have to be sacrifices. If you think this conversation goes off track, just wait until decision time comes for those cuts.

We have all been pigs feeding at the trough for our generation, untold wealth created, technology, investment banking, second mortgages, leverage it all and use OPM, ridiculous pensions funded by taxpayers and an entitled feeling that there is never enough, we want more! Clinton would have been impeached if the economy was not so darn good and people would have a less favorable impression of Reagan if we did not do so well financially during his administration. Unfortunately, it is our kids and their kids that will now pay and pay and pay. So, now teachers want even more in a tough economy, taxpayers have to begin to wean public employees from the cash machine as politicians are unlikely to.

The NSEA's point is that the Board has already gotten just about everything it wants, but won't stop until it gets more.

Many teachers are already dismayed about how low the Association offer already is. If the Board accepted the current offer, teachers will receive the lowest raise that they've ever received and will pay more for insurance. At least they won't be stuck with the actual cut in pay that the Board is seeking.

Any other Board in the North suburbs would have declared a victory by now and gone home.

@Mark: Just because courses aren't paid for by the Board (i.e. the taxpayers), doesn't mean that someone wouldn't want to take additional courses. Certainly some would decide to because it matches up with their overall career plans, or for other reasons they may have.

As for "professional development" - we all have ideas as to why it could be valuable. But how about you give us the IEA's perspective on value that Professional Development brings to the table. Thus far, all we've heard are complaints about not paying for this or that - so why not give us the justification as to why we ought to pay for it?

Or what about the Union offering re-certification courses at a reasonable cost to it's members? What value does the Union bring to it's members and the taxpayers? Sure you represent them, but what else do you offer that makes it worthwhile to pay your dues, and extract them from those who desire not to join (so-called "fair share" payments)? Do you have any continuing education that's available to your members that adds value? Makes them worth more? Makes them more efficient and effective as educators?

This community has NEVER been about the 'cheapest schools' or lousy teachers. This community greatly values education and all it's brought to us, our children, and their children... ad infinitum. However, just as we wouldn't support unsustainable financial decisions in our own businesses - neither will we in our publicly funded institutions.

That we have a significant fund balance doesn't mean that it's a piggy bank for the Union to raid for the benefit of it's members. As I'm sure some of your members are aware, we have infrastructure needs. Certainly some of those funds can be applied toward some of those needs. The buildings are where your members happen to teach - we need to consolidate - so that means building new, reconfiguring existing, etc. It takes money - and we're not apt to borrow funds when we've got them on-hand because the Board was prudent and saved up.

The way the Union is acting now gives the impression of a small child saying "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie - you have lots of money, I want some!" while failing to take into account that the money available is earmarked for other, equally pressing, needs.

Teachers are offering to pay more for insurance. They are seeking a raise below 4%.

The Board isn't offering any raise. They are offering a flat $575 that won't be a part of the teacher's future salary.

Mark:

"any other board would have declared victory and gone home." Mark, are you the Union rep? You certainly go all out in portraying the board as the bad guys and the poor teachers as 3rd world child labor! Remember, there are two sides here and it is not the boards job to say, gee guy's what do you want and we will wave our magic wand, bend over and give it to you.

Hooray for our board that is looking out for our interests!

Be careful what you wish for! If we pay out more compensation it may be likely that the future could hold a school closure (consolidation), or a few teaching positions to be cut. Are you ok with that? Perhaps you can be the one to tell the ones cut, "sorry it sure sucks to be you, but remember you gave for the whole and we will light candles every odd year that has a 29th day in Feb at 3:00 am. See ya!"

Mr. Dada, the business manager, has talked quite openly about what he sees as the need to close schools. While that hasn't been an issue in these negotiations, its clearly what he foresees as the next step.

The Board's current claims of distress may be the beginning of the campaign to get the commuity to agree to close schools. There hasn't been any suggestion that agreeing to the Board's proposals will either guarantee jobs or keep schools open.

Forest, you may want to review this link:

http://www.ieanea.org/contact-us/offices/libertyville/

Yes David, and there really isn't any secret. I've mentioned who I am in other posts. I also post under my full name.

There isn't a thing I've written about the proposals or the District finances that can't be verified by reading the last offers or the District's Annual Financial Reports.

Oooh, Dave, you exposed his dirty little secret!! I've been reading Mark's posts for a year and he has never said anything that isn't factual. But of course, you never let facts get in the way of yourTea Party union-hating story.

Mark, Forest asked if you were the Union Rep, I wasn't certain if you were, but thought that Forest may have been interested in the information, so I posted the link. I didn't make any other comments about .

Walter, again, I am not a member of the Tea Party. I don't know why you think I am.

Maybe because you espouse every belief they hold dear? Now you're hating on minorities. Sounds about right.

@Walter - I don't know what beliefs the Tea Party holds dear because I've never reviewed any of their information.

Also, I absolutely do not 'hate' minorities. If you knew me at all, you'd realize that organizations which I belong to cherish inclusiveness of all races.

Well maybe you should. You would fit in very nicely.

Sorry, but I'm happy with the political party I belong to right now.

Forest, the only way you address this inequity is to (a) annually change school boundaries (perhaps splitting up families or requiring kids to change schools) or (b) move away from neighborhood schools to grade level schools (like Glencoe). With regard to modifying school boundaries, even a one-time revision would create quite a backlash – people specifically buy homes in certain neighborhoods like Braeside specifically because of the local school. Try explaining to them that their kids are now going to be bussed to Red Oak….

Clearly, from a financial efficiency perspective, grade level schools make the most sense – class sizes can be managed toward the upper end of the acceptable range and every 3rd grader, for instance, will be in the same size classroom. In addition, there may be some pedagogical benefits also available from increased ability grouping within grades.

That said, the District should think long and hard about making this change – and give an honest assessment of the benefits and the costs (both financial and educational) of this idea.

Dan - Red Oak homeowners pay the same taxes as the rest of HP, so why is Red Oak good enough for my children, but not others? If all schools should be equal, what would be wrong with kids being bussed to Red Oak from the east side of Clavey? Are you saying that Red Oak is a "lesser" school? Do you see the inequity in your statement??

This is precisely why the board needs to do what is best for the district as a whole, instead of worrying about which neighborhood would complain the loudest.

Amy, I'm not making a judgment or trying to slight Red Oak – my apologies if I offended you. I do know from talking to parents and realtors that people purchase homes to be in certain elementary school districts - that is why these schools are prominently listed on real estate listings. And I know people who have specifically bought in the Braeside area to be at that school. Braeside consistently scores at the top of HP's elementary schools and, for many years, placed more kids into 6th grade Humanities than any of the other Edgewood feeder schools. District 112 is rightly trying to equalize the quality of education at all of its schools - but it is still a work in progress

From a fairness perspective, having all of the 3rd graders go to the same school is the most equitable solution. But that isn’t what many people bargained for when they purchased in certain areas and my only point was that some people will be unhappy if their kids are moved to another school. I understand their point of view, I understand your point of view.

Dan:

I agree with your assessment regarding methodology to level class size. Another option and the most likely one is the consolidation of Elementary Schools and unfortunately, we both know the likely front contender. Then by default we get new boundaries with less political fallout or risk by the district than the other suggestions, all the while saving money and creating an income property paying taxes. This is the likely future of leveling class size.

Forest, I agree with you that a one-time redistricting (whether or not in conjunction with a school closing) would help to reduce the DIFFERENCE (emphasis added) in average class size between different schools. And, for a school like Indian Trail – where, from your comments, it sounds like every class in every grade is maxed out (25/class) - this would be very beneficial.

However, it won’t eliminate the discrepancies between grades that arise because of normal population variations within particular school areas. For example, some years Lincoln had 48 students in, say, 4th grade – that would equate to 2 classrooms of 24 students. Other years, Lincoln had 51 students in 4th grade – which, because of the 25 student cap per classroom, would result in 3 classrooms of 17. Therefore, absent (i) annual movements of students between schools or (ii) grade level centers, you will continue to have periodic inequities in class size across different buildings.

With respect to your original comment above about Lincoln having class sizes of 13, that is, unfortunately, a bit of an exaggeration. Last year, the average class size at Lincoln (from grades 1 to 5), was 18, 18, 22, 21 and 18, respectively. Is there extra capacity at Lincoln? Yes. Is it as egregious as you make it out to be? No.

But here is the elephant in the room – I hesitate to bring it up for fear of offending you – my apologies in advance if I do. My wife and I actually looked at a home in the Indian Trail district about 8 years ago (actually, Forest, at the end of your block). After asking friends with kids at I.T. about that school, I discovered that it was a much bigger school and that the class sizes were, on average, larger. This was a major factor in deciding not to purchase the house – it was a trade-off we were unwilling to make. So, while I’m very sympathetic to the claim of inequity and believe that the District should try to redress this problem, I’m less sympathetic towards buyers who knew (or should have known) of this issue when they purchased their home and decided to make that trade-off anyway.

Dan:

I based the class size on our experience during three years at Lincoln.

Obviously, as relatively responsible parents valuing education and being somewhat saavy buyers, we are guilty of not doing our school homework as you suggest. The real world however, presented an exceptional mid summer financial buying opportunity and surprisingly, our home sold immediately.

Upon enrolling at Indian Trail, I was shocked that the class size was 25 and an additional student was added during the year. Not sure why they did not break into more classes? Perhaps it was mid year and no additional resources in place?

While our daughter has never forgiven us for moving from Lincoln, I must admit that we are now very happy with Elm Place and on the positive side, indian Trail presented a much more diverse student population allowing our daughter to greatly expand her network of friends that will make High School an even more enjoyable experience.

Noinetheless, I would like to see a leveling of class size as a district priority as we soon will have another student join the elementary system. Perhaps our next move will be to Braeside:)

The issue of school boundaries has been viewed as a third rail by previous Boards as long as the District has been in existance. Simply put, there is no political will to change things radically.

As I have stated before, when the District was created, I was co-chair of a task group that looked at the buildings. We came up with 33 different scenarios for solving the space needs situation, which still impacts us today (Students where schools have limited capacity and capacity where we have few students.) Everything from going to grade based schools to adding on to every building was analyzed. The charge given to the group was not to make recommendations, but to provide information.

Many of us believed the best option was to move the 5th grades to Middle School, creating a 5/6 pod and a 7/8 pod. This would involve turning Red Oak BACK into a Middle School serving Braeside and Sherwood. Additions would only have been necessary on 2 buildings.

Instead, parents revolted, especially from Red Oak and Braeside, and the Board rejected the report. They conviened another, larger group primarily made up of parents, who recommended that everything rmain as is and additions be built on almost every building, except Braeside and Lincoln.

My guess is that we're headed for the same kind of discussion and lack of action.

Walter:

No doubt any issue of change relative to schools, boundaries or movement to 5/6 and 7/8 pods will draw the wrath of many and as before, nothing will happen. Change is always a difficult and hotly contested item and within our community it could easily be amplified to the max.

My suggestion as I also doubt that any board would have the political will to pursue wholesale change, is to use the economics of today as the catalyst of change to a smaller degree. I have heard that Lincoln has been the subject of conversations regarding closure. While Lincoln is my favorite Elementary, I could see a logical and financial argument to follow through on this. With that action we get a semblance of redistricting with a much smaller degree of political will being needed.

Before I get flamed here, I am not proposing closing Lincoln, merely suggesting that it has been discussed and there is some logic and financial rational in considering such a move. The end result would be a mini redistricting which if done correctly, could go a long way towards evening out class size. Certainly there are other ways and if nothing else perhaps such a consideration from the board, would move the community to a better solution.

Forest, I promise I won’t flame you - but I don’t think any “redistricting” will be considered “mini” when one ultimately figures out the number of students who will have to move. Shutting an elementary school and then moving children to (1) the nearest possible school where (2) classes are roughly even across the District will involve even more children changing school districts. I’m not saying this shouldn’t be considered – just that the impact will be significant.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume the district wants to (a) reduce the number of excess spaces in the elementary schools, (b) send students to the nearest possible school and (c) ensure each school has roughly even class sizes. Currently there are 3,806 “seats” and a student population at the end of 2011 of 2,835. Both of these numbers exclude pre-K at Green Bay. See http://www.nssd112.org/files/_XTKuY_/cff0890c22111fe13745a49013852ec4/Projected_Enrollment_Report.pdf

Furthermore, assume that only Lincoln is closed, reducing the number of total “seats” to 3,445. What will happen to the population at every school? Let’s look at the capacity utilization percentages at each building as a proxy for class size. B – 76%, IT - 68%, OT – 71%, R – 91%, RO – 73%, S – 71%, WT – 82%. After subtracting out Lincoln’s capacity, 361, from the total, you would get a new, system wide utilization of 82%. So, if a building has a utilization rate less than 82%, new children are added. Only Ravinia would see a decrease in population.

The results – B adds 22, IT adds 88, OT adds 79, RO adds 45, S adds 60, WT adds 2 and Ravinia shrinks by 31. How these students are moved would depend on whether Fort Sheridan students were assigned to go to Oak Terrace or not.

If FS students go to OT, then, broadly speaking, the student populations in Highwood, Fort Sheridan and East of Green Bay would shift South – for example, your home would most likely shift to Ravinia. Some populations on the west side of Green Bay that are currently attending Indian Trail, Lincoln, Ravinia and Braeside will shift West.

If FS students continue in their current placement, most of the trends above would continue but a large chunk of Lincoln would head to IT and some IT students would move to OT.

Dan Jenks, I find your analysis on school capacity interesting. The problem is the the official capacity is not a real number. This is a contrived number based on the way that the state wants things measured. As it is with most mandates from the state it is useless. Each school needs to be separately reviewed to identify the real capacity. It would be useful if you joined the committee that will be reviewing this issue.

Dan:

I agree with Richard that it would be of great benefit to the process and the community if you were a part of any task force/commission looking into establishing a better equity/distribution of student/teacher ratio within D112.

We already have a minor redistricting (distribution) in place in the form of our dual language program which takes natural students of other schools and places them into Red Oak and Northwood. The merits of that unnatural distribution and financial viability of that program are certainly topics of another discussion. However, it is important that we continue community discussion on student distribution and consider options such as the same grade schools for financial, educational and socialization benefit.

Richard and Forest, thank you for the kind words. I am considering volunteering for the D112 Finance and Facilities Committee. This is an intellectually challenging and interesting subject that everyone in HP cares about.

Amy:

As education is both a passion and my background, I may well run at some point. A concern today, is my travel schedule which could hinder my ability to focus my full attention. When that changes who knows, perhaps the signs will be back out:)

Forest, I hope you do!

I am in agreement with you Lou. The faith and trust I have for this school district is with the teachers. The manner with which our elected school board is treating them is sickening. Taxes are a small price to pay for the kindness and caring my children have found within their classrooms.

Lou and George - If you both want to give more money to D112 - go right ahead, I'm sure a check to the D112 Foundation would be appreciated. But please don't presume to make that decision for others.

Teachers HELP to mold our children, but they do not do so all on their own in a vacuum. As a parent, I hope to have a greater impact upon my children than any teacher in particular.

That said, what if the kids don't turn out so well despite the Parent's best-efforts? Do we then blame the teacher(s)? Can we get a refund?

D112 and D113 collectively get about 66% of our taxes, so D112 represents about 33%.

I prefer to see more efficiencies in our schools while retaining a quality education. Tax me less.

I agree mediocrity is not acceptable when considering the education of our children, and I seriously doubt that the Board is attempting to drive the District into mediocrity. Rather, they're attempting to pull us out of fiscal mediocrity - by ensuring that our costs and revenues are well balanced, so as to reduce the overall impact on the taxpayers, while ensuring that programs and services for students won't be cut.

We all complain about what Legislators make - arguably, over 90% of them are extremely overpaid, but that's another discussion...

The social compact with teachers was that they'd make less than they could in the private sector, and in exchange for that - we as a Society would fund a pension for them so they could retire in their old age. I've always argued that as the salary goes up, our contributions to pension and benefits needs to go down (and reach 0% as their salary hits $100K). Now that salaries in many cases are higher or as high as in the Private Sector, that social compact has been broken and we need to adjust our benefit offerings accordingly.

If someone's not making enough money to take courses - that's their problem to solve. There's absolutely no reason why the taxpayers need to solve that for the teachers. If they can only take one course a year based on the Board's offer and it takes longer to complete a degree than they'd like - again, that's their individual problem.

$41,000 for a starting teacher just out of college is absurd. When my son graduated from college ( U of Wisconsin) in 2010 he started his job at $25,000. He had to live at home until he could afford to live closer to his job. He gets no health insurance either, happily he can stay on our policy for two more years. He too loves what he does and isn't in it for the money either.When the economy stabilizes he will hopefully make more money. Unlike teachers, he is not guranteed a job for the rest of his working career and he gets one week off per year, not 10 weeks. His story is typical of college graduates these days. Starting salary for first year teachers should be a lot less than what it is.. That might be one way to keep the current staff happy.

That 4 out of 10 minority students don't know how to read or write is not a failing of the teachers or the school - it's a failing of the PARENTS and the students. Race is not a factor - short of some mental or physical reason why - anyone who wants to do well can - they have to do the same thing that the kids who do well, do. STUDY! If they have to study twice as long, twice as hard because they don't know the language as well, or they don't have the knowledge they need readily at hand - then that's what they're going to have to do.

I am really tired of persons who fail, playing the race or ethnicity cards. Enough is enough with that tired, sad game. I've had many conversations with persons of various races, religions, and ethnicities about the so-called "4 out of 10" problem that you've raised, and their simple belief is that the students who fail don't study, or their parents don't make them study.

If a group of students wanted to get together and said "Hey, we could use some help with X - what can we figure out together?" THIS COMMUNITY would respond and would help - but the parents need to show up and commit too - we'll help, but we're not going to raise anyone's kids for them. Don't believe it? Just look to that recent tragic situation involving Jaclyn - look at the outpouring of support for the family.

David:

You are either up very early or very late as I am in Russia and without doing the math your post is in the middle of the night.
Here is where I can agree with you. We do live in a very generous, giving community that values education and social balance.
Here is where I disagree: Obviously both of our family tree's have immigrants that came to America for various reasons. As with any immigrant, one can assume they came for a better life for themselves and particularly future generations. Many immigrant families came to America with some level of sophistication and education or at least an appreciation for same. However, some come to America without the benefit of education, sophistication or an understanding of how to get things done. They merely want to survive and to somehow be in a safe environment where they can put food on the table. They send their children to school hoping they can do better and learn the ways of this new country. However, they (parents) do not have the education, language skills, knowledge base, chutzpah (not bad for an Italian kid) or even a comfort level to seek help, leaving that to their children who also struggle. These children do not go to camp, take European vacations or ski Aspen and it is doubtful that they have an iphone 3. This is a difficult life David, with parents that work long hours and have limited education themselves. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE as a community to reach out not just when a news event tragedy strikes!

David, I agree with your view regarding minority achievement only to the extent that it is a “socio-economic” apples to apples comparison. However, I don’t think that is the case here in HP. Forest is correct when (1) he describes the challenges that many immigrant families face and (2) he states that the challenge of Hispanic performance in D112 and D113 is a community challenge – it is all of our responsibility.

I will also agree with you that attitude, motivation and willingness to prioritize things like homework are vital – so no parent or student should be let off the hook just because of their socio-economic status. And there have been plenty of immigrant success stories (by people of all races and economic backgrounds) – so while it is very difficult for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed, it isn’t impossible.

That’s where the community and D112 and D113 come in. I, for one, refuse to cast stones at either the teachers or D112 or D113 for the lack of AYP. This is a hard, nationwide problem that many communities are facing and I’m not aware of many success stories out there that the school districts can copy. D112 and D113 need to keep trying, plugging away, figuring what works and what doesn’t work until we can get achievement levels up. The schools can’t do it all by themselves, but can be part of the solution.

Speaking of solutions, one area that D112 should focus on is pre-school education. If every Hispanic child came to Kindergarten knowing, for example, (1) how to count, (2) the alphabet and (3) understanding phonics, we would be in a better place as a community. Whether it is helping to fund this education, or, at the very least, telling pre-schools what we want the kids to learn to be ready for public school – D112 can and should do more.

Reality check: our community has changed. 90% of students that attend Oak Terrace are Hispanic and poor. Four years in a row with poor performance is going to take a toll on the District overall Performance. Drop out rates will go high if we do not control the situation now. THE ISSUE: BILINGUAL EDUCATION DOES NOT WORK, it drags students from year to year to JUSTIFY the existence of Bilingual teachers that DO NOT KNOW ENGLISH. Most of these teachers came from Mexico, Puerto Rico or Spain, do not have an idea of how to teach student to transition. IT IS NOT WORKING. What we need to do is to get ride of the program and bring experts like UNO Charter Schools from Chicago that work with Hispanic students and parents, it is a blend of community work, bring awareness of programs and teacher work (there teachers visit their students house at least five times a year), parents are engaged and MOST IMPORTANT STUDENTS START LEARNING ENGLISH FROM DAY 1 and Learn Spanish as a second language, they have language specialist that work with students that are lagging. Yes you will say critics are not sure Charters are better than CPS, Well they are, these schools open from K-8 grade from districts with underperforming schools and they progress 20% which can take 5 years to bring around the school. Here with Oak Terrace, has taken more than 4 years and the Principal still does not know what to do but to complain that it is the parents fault.

Forest - I was up about 2AM - Recall that I'm in IT, and I've been a 24x7 kinda worker since I was probably 11 years old (when I first got into computers). At any rate, I agree about the difficulties that immigrants face. My own relatives came over from Poland and Russia - life was tough, but they learned English and over time grew to be more successful. I totally get the 'gotta survive and put food on the table' thing - it's completely understandable. But from the 'family history' I've been privy to in my family - my relatives did the same thing and still gave their kids a good kick in the behind to do better than they did. Are times different? Yep. But ultimately the goal is the same: for the kids to do better than the parents.

I do think we could give the parents some tools to use - techniques, tips, quick things that they can do w/o having to attend a program that will take them away from work, and which can have a positive impact on their kids. But we can't do it if they don't ask for it - if they're hiding out and keeping their heads down, we'll never know they're there and need help... And that's a true shame.

Dan - I agree about the AYP issues. In theory NCLB is great, but in practice, the whole NCLB Act has unattainable goals - there's no way that 100% of the students will make AYP because some will never be able to due to issues beyond their control. However, it's my understanding that if we don't take Federal/State money, then we don't have to comply with their crazy rules such as NCLB. Given that the Feds/State only contribute about $2M out of the $92 M budget in D113 - I suspect we'd do quite well w/o that money because we could get back to work on teaching, instead of teaching to the test and worrying about compliance with the fluff. I'm not sure of the figures for D112, but suspect they're similar...

Alexa: I agree with you. Not to denigrate the Spanish language at all, but bilingual education doesn't work. The sooner the kids start learning English, the better.

Me-
The reason that the teachers tied CPI and new construction to their salaries is because those are the two main factors that influence the additional new money in the district. If new construction is such an "outrageous" thing to include, I'm not sure why including CPI would be any less outrageous? Both of them play a role in determining how much extra funding comes into the district each year. I may be wrong, but I also don't believe that new construction is strictly new houses being built, either. The teachers are still only asking for an equal percentage of the CPI and new construction, so it isn't as if the teachers are suggesting that all of the new construction money be given directly to them.

Also, I think you would be surprised at the number of teachers willing to discuss some form of pay based on merit. The sticking point that no one (teachers/administrators/scholars/patch commenters) is able to figure out is what data should be used to determine merit pay.

W.S.

That sounds reasonable: "teachers are wiling to discuss merit pay". However, you will find that NO teachers UNION would agree to any data that they cannot manipulate to be in the criteria. Something so simple as performance based pay would be a 900 page document:)

Me-
I understand what you are saying. I think there should be some variable in addition to CPI or else the raises are strictly inflation based. I doubt either side (nsea or board) is willing to spend the time on a merit increase model at this point in the negotiations process. With this in mind, new construction is a way to offer an increase that is 1) in line with new revenue and 2) higher than strictly the inflation rate.

@W.S. - That is what the "lane changes" are. We all agree that lane changes should be merit based. Linking it to construction is allowing the union to pick the taxpayer's pocket.

Alexa,
My two children both had the same resource teacher in grade school. With the older one this teacher worked miracles, above & beyond her requirements as a teacher. With our second we watched as she hit her head against the wall in frustration. Sometimes teachers and kids just don't click. At first I would agree that some type of performance grade should be leveled on a teacher. But how to do it fairly so as to not penalize a teacher who has the "tough" cases. One veteran teacher once said to me that she gladly mentored the younger teachers because no teacher wanted to be the recipient of students who had wasted a year (before) with an inept teacher. We've had great, good and mediocre teachers and except for 1 or 2 all have worked out fine. The two who were inept were not re-hired for a second year. I'm not sure if this was done by the principal as most parents saw the principal as inept! Teaching is unlike so many jobs that it is difficult to determine why some students respond and some don't (in cases where the teacher is average to above average).

Molly I understand your point, but what about when the school overall has not improved in more than 4 years. It shall give you a hint that the school overall is not working. At Oak Terrace I only hear excuses, that the parents do not know English, that the parents do not help the students, that the students do not know English. Ok so but for over 4 years you hear the same complains and then you see this is not the only school in the State having to deal with this issue and reality is that it is a matter that goes beyond a teacher having a tough student, it becomes a fact, the fact that the Principal and teachers do not know how to work with this particular group and situation. The fact that Bilingual education is not working because it is intended to be a transitional program. Because students have to be able to read and write by the time they graduate and then attend High School. This is the problem, they never learn, because the teacher either does not know how to transition the students or cannot manage the classroom. Yes that happens, and yes there are programs out there that are working better for poor Hispanic children, like the ones that immerse the student from day one into fully English program with help on the side, instead of having bilingual teachers, they hire language specialist that work one on one with the student.

And what is the performance criteria that teachers (and students) should be evaluated on? Certainly just not standardized testing, becasue that is extremely flawed.

I believe that teachers are willing to accept merit incentives IF everyone can agree on an equitable system of metrics.

Alexa,
I sense an incredible amount of frustration on your part ( and probably a lot of other parents). As a parent and a taxpayer I would be very upset if what you say is true at Oak Terrace. My children attended IT and EP so I can't speak about the OT situation. Obviously my observations of the Hispanic (or any other) students at these schools is non-professional but for the most part these kids now seem to be fairly independent in their learning. One of the best things about volunteering at school is seeing how ALL these kids have matured and grown up. I hope you are involved with the school and or the district as you seem to have a good handle on things.

Wow Alexa, Were you at the informational meeting at the beginning of the year at Oak Terrace? The one attended by the Superintendent, administrators from the district, and principals from other buildings in the district? I guess not because if you had gone, you would have gotten all the information you needed to understand that you are on the wrong track. If this was really important to you, you would have been there. That would be the meeting that discussed how Oak Terrace is doing as a school and how well the students are actually performing. You do a terrible injustice to all of the parents, students, staff, and administrators of that building in your quest to call attention to yourself. Please feel free to continue voicing your opinion. This is an open forum. You are allowed to be wrong.

llwvrt, the Informational meeting! Ja it was a joke, are you kidding me? Of course the principal and teachers and superintendent had to misguide parents about the untrue results and performance of the school. They can say what ever they want. Reality is that 4 students out of 10 do not know how to read nor write and are also failing in math, which is a big sign that the bilingual program is not working because at least they can teach them math in Spanish, 2+2=4 is the same in both, remember? But hey what do you know or care, it is not one of your kids the one left out. It is the one of a working parent that does not understand the system and relies on the information provided by the "self interest" of the principal, teachers and school administrators, of course they lied at the meeting, I was there and was outraged by the information they provided, based on unrealistic facts. The school is not doing well, as you all want as all to believe, the school is failing and the worst is that it is failing the students, their future is compromised by bad management and bad teachers and bad programs. We need to take over the school.

llwvrt, let me be clear with you, this is not about me, nor you, it is about the children that attend Oak Terrace, it is about those students left behind because it will have an impact on their life forever, if they do not know how to read and write in English by 8th grade it is 100% probable that they will drop out of High School. Not even dream about college. And let me be clear with you, I am trying to attract attention in this community about a fact, that this school is failing, because not everyone know what is going on in other schools

Nice to try and turn our children's education into petty party politics....kudos to you Anne.

XXXX, Hiring 300 teachers and assistants to replace striking teachers wouldn't be feasible. Yes, there are thousands of teachers looking for a job but to integrate just a few new teachers at the start of a school year is a daunting process. To start over with all new teachers would be a nightmare. I don't want the teachers to strike. I want our school board to negotiate a fair contract. I guess I want the moon.

Molly - I know it's not possible....I understand the logistics to it. But the teachers' contract is already fair....they are asking for things that just don't exist in the real world - and they are doing so because they know they can use our children as bargaining chips. Happened in LFHS....happened in CPS....happens all the time. It's SHAMEFUL that this group of thugs is doing that with our children.