A Major Unknown Expense For LTHS

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School has a big piece of business on its agenda for the coming months – a new teachers union contract.

The current five-year agreement expires in June.

In presenting a budget forecast this week, Brian Stachacz, the school's top business official, acknowledged the uncertainty on teacher salary costs. He said he plugged in pay raises consistent with the past contract.

"As you know, we're about to begin negotiations with our teaching staff," Stachacz told the board. "There's a lot of assumptions that are made in (the forecast). This is going to change within the next couple of months when we get to a settlement point with that contract."

The high school is far behind in negotiations compared with its neighbor, Hinsdale High School District 86.

A month ago, District 86 announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with its teachers union. The school board plans to vote Thursday on the agreement.

District 86's union may have had the incentive to get its deal done quickly. A new board majority takes office in May, one that may not be perceived as union-friendly as the current one.

Teachers contracts are the largest expense in schools' budgets.