Teachers, Other D-205 Staff To Get Raises

ELMHURST, IL — The Elmhurst school board on Tuesday approved union contracts that include raises for teachers and other staff, with some of the lowest paid employees slated to get the biggest increases.

At its meeting, board members approved multi-year contracts with the Elmhurst Teachers Council and Elmhurst Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Council.

Under a three-year contract, Elmhurst School District 205 teachers will get raises averaging 1.2 percent annually, board member Jim Collins said.

The other contract, which lasts four years, is for employees such as administrative assistants, secretaries, campus supervisors and student aides, he said. Their raises range from 2.5 percent to 4.5 percent annually, depending on their job classifications.

"Our lowest paid workers are receiving the largest raises," Collins said. "Through this four years, this will get our lowest paid group of workers up to a $15 an hour wage, a full 18 months before that $15 an hour becomes the law.

He said the district has had trouble filling positions under the second contract.

"In my opinion, they are our unsung heroes. They do some very important work, and they truly deserve to have their wages increased to a more competitive level, so we can attract people into these jobs," Collins said.

The board unanimously voted for both contracts. Neither document was available for the public as of early Wednesday morning. Like most Illinois districts, the Elmhurst district decided against releasing the agreements to taxpayers before the board's vote. In other states, disclosure is required.

The membership of both unions had already approved the agreements, officials said.

According to district documents, the district and teachers union held negotiation sessions for the teachers contract nearly every week from February to April. The board's bargaining team recommended approval of the contracts "without reservation."

In presenting the contracts, board President Kara Caforio said the events of the last year have challenged everyone.

"We recognize that feelings in our community have been strong and at many times, at odds with each other," she said.

She read a joint statement with the union that called in-person instruction the "most effective learning environment."

Since the fall, many parents pushed for greater in-person learning, while the teachers union wanted less because of the pandemic. Late last year, the union objected to the district's in-person plan for January and took the matter to a state labor board. The district prevailed.

The battle became heated, with a lawyer for the district accusing the union of ignoring the needs of students. The union, however, argued the district failed to meet its own announced requirements for a return to in-person instruction.