District 15 Finally Releases Full 10-Year Teachers Contract

PALATINE, IL—After weeks of keeping details under wraps, Community Consolidated School District 15 finally released Thursday the full 10-year contract agreement with the Classroom Teachers' Council, the union representing the district's nearly 900 educators. 

RELATED: Read the Complete Contract Between District 15 and the Teachers' Union

District officials have been under fire for keeping the terms of the unprecedented, long-term contract behind a veil of secrecy for more than month. The reason, according to the district: Language in the agreement still needed to be finalized it and showing the contract to the public before that was finished would have been irresponsible. 

Negotiations between the district and the union began in October of 2015, and the contract was agreed to April 13. 

“Our focus throughout the negotiations was on what was best for all District 15 stakeholders—students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers," Superintendent Scott Thompson said in a statement that accompanied the release of the contract. "Our goal was to ensure our ability to continue to deliver and to enhance the high-quality educational programs and services our community has come to expect from our District, while safeguarding its long-term financial health. This 10-year contract is forward-thinking and puts in place the kind of long-term fiscal planning that allows us to secure the future for our students and community.”

RELATED: Read the District's Executive Summary of the Contract

Along with releasing the contracts, the district outlined highlights in the agreement in an executive summary. Some of the details included that weren't previously known:

• Contingency clauses in the contract allow the district to adjust the agreement's early retirement incentive and reopen the salary components in case state law mandate penalties. These clauses are now common in teacher contracts because of the state's continued pension issues.
• A new two-tier salary system for teachers that requires more years of service for higher salaries, saving the district money.  
• The district projects that about 25 percent of its teachers will reach retirement age and use the new early retirement incentive over the life of the 10-year contract. That means new teachers will be hired at lower starting salaries. 
• An incentive for teachers not to use sick days unless absolutely necessary in order to decrease substitute teacher costs.

Besides lack of transparency, the other major criticism district officials received over the contract was its length. Critics of the 10-year contract have said such a term handcuffs the district to requirements that might prove costly given an ever changing financial landscape. 

More Patch Coverage

• D15, Teachers Agree on New 10-Year Contract
  
• 5 Big Questions D15 Needs to Answer About Teachers Contract

But officials defended the decision, arguing that the agreement's length is actually one of its greatest strengths. In fact, Thompson said the board's approach to the contract helps the district plan for and deal with possible economic uncertainties the future might hold.

“Our Board had to carefully weigh the pros and cons of a longer contract," board President Peggy Babcock stated in the district release. "Ultimately, we see it as an advantage. We were able to achieve cost savings that would not have been possible with a shorter contract, and with that in place, future Boards and Administrations will be able to engage in long-term planning to maintain and enhance teaching and learning in our schools, with confidence that our District will remain fiscally stable.”   

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