District 181, Support Staff Approve 4-Year Contract

HINSDALE, IL — At its Dec. 10 meeting, the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education has unanimously approved a four-year contract with the Hinsdale Educational Support Staff.

“Our support staff ensures that D181 schools are welcoming, positive environments for students to learn and grow,” D181 Board President Jennifer Burns said in a release. “This contract reflects our respect and appreciation for the professionalism of HESS staff and the high-quality learning environment they help to create in all of our schools, for all of our students.”

“HESS is very pleased that after long negotiations a contract settlement has been reached,” Lorna Galandak, President of HESS, said in a release. “HESS would like to thank their membership for their support during negotiations, as well as the federal mediator who assisted throughout the process. We look forward to continuing to put kids first.”

According to the district, HESS and district representatives had multiple planning meetings to discuss contract language before beginning formal negotiation meetings in May. Since May, the HESS-D181 team spent over 40 hours in negotiations, endeavoring to develop a compensation package that recognized the valuable work of staff while being mindful of the economic challenges facing the district.

The contract is effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2022. The district said structural changes to health insurance benefits and retirement compensation address concerns about the long-term financial health of the district.

The new agreement includes 3.5 percent annual raises for current HESS members and increases of 1.75 percent on starting salaries while limiting retirement and pension liability.

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