D304 Board Offers New Contract, Hopes To Prevent Strike

GENEVA, IL — As the threat of a teacher strike looms over the schools of District 304, the school board submitted a contract offer to the Geneva Education Association, which is the teachers' union. The GEA voted authorizing a teacher strike as early as Oct. 31 if they don't get a contract they see as fair.

The three-year contract, proposed to the GEA on Wednesday, includes a $1,800 annual raise and an additional 3 percent pay increase for teachers who have done graduate level professional development, according to the Daily Herald.

Contract talks began on February 15, and the District 304 teachers started the school year without a contract. The last four negotiations have been aided by a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, according to a news release.

"A strike is the last thing we want and we are continuing to do everything in our power to avoid that possibility," said Kevin Gannon, president of the GEA, before the latest contract proposal. "The GEA is simply trying to attract and retain quality teachers to serve our students and maintain the standard of excellence we now provide to the students in Geneva. The GEA represents about 450 teachers and faculty.

"The board strongly believes in and respects our teachers," the school board said in a statement, according to the Herald. "We want to compensate them fairly and competitively for their work, while operating within the financial means of the district."

“In particular, we have set as a goal the desire to achieve a more competitive starting salary that allows us to effectively identify, attract and retain high-quality teachers, while also reasonably and fairly recognizing the educational attainment and experience of our current teachers,” the release said, according to the Kane County Chronicle.

See more: District 304 Teacher's Union OKs Strike

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