Northbrook School Board, Teachers Union Reach 3-Year Labor Agreement

NORTHBROOK, IL — Following more than a year of negotiations, the Northbrook District 28 Board of Education and the Northbrook Federation of Teachers approved a three-year labor agreement. According to school district officials, the school board approved the agreement at a special Monday night meeting, following ratification by union membership on Dec. 15.

It marks the first-ever labor contract between 247 certified educators and the school board. The new agreement is for fiscal years 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26.

"I am honored to have served on the negotiating team that created a momentous first contract. This agreement is a culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration between NFT28, the board and the administration," Board President Jennifer Gallinson said in a statement. "The agreement was guided by the key principles of D28: providing the best educational opportunities for our students while preserving the culture of collaboration and community among teachers, staff and administration. We are proud to be in partnership with NFT28 and look forward to continuing our work together."

NFT 28 is led by an elected core council, which is made of nine teachers from across the four school buildings — Meadowbrook Elementary School, Greenbriar Elementary School, Westmoor Elementary School and Northbrook Junior High School.

"NFT28 appreciates the work and time that went into the first contract, and we are thrilled with the collaborative effort and relationship-building that occurred during this process. We believe the contract will help to maintain District 28's ongoing success, with the best possible teaching environment for teachers and learning environment for students," NFT 28 Core Council said in a statement.

According to the school district, the new agreement "codifies many procedures and benefits," including:

• Procedures for teacher vacancies, building transfers, moving classrooms, and annual grade level or related service assignments
• Provisions for sick, personal and FMLA leave
• Professional learning opportunities and processes including reimbursement provisions for teacher-requested workshops and conferences
• Teacher salary upgrade and tuition reimbursement when completing approved advanced coursework
• Financial assistance for the certification application fee upon completing National Board Certification
• Personnel support for beginning and end-of-year classroom preparation
• Dedicated time for school-certified personnel and school-based administrators to meet

Officials said for the district to stay competitive with surrounding districts while also remaining fiscally responsible, accounting for additional professional staff hirings, incentivized higher education, and a new streamlined salary schedule with predictable wage increases for teachers, the added costs borne by the district are:

• 2023-2024: 7 percent
• 2024-2025: 4.25 percent
• 2025-2026: 4 percent

The new contract also provides for union and management rights, and a joint committee comprised of the teacher leadership council and district administrators to meet regularly, according to officials.