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Teachers At Northern Illinois School District Remain On Strike

Credit Flickr user / alamosbasement "old school" (CC BY 2.0)

Hundreds of teachers at a large northern Illinois school district remain on strike.

Earlier this week, hundreds of Geneva teachers, community members and even students rallied outside of the high school.

The main sticking point between the union and school board is how much teachers are paid.

That includes how they are paid throughout their career based on education and experience.
 

The union says their new deal would give bigger raises to younger, less experienced educators in an effort to attract new teachers.

 

Kevin Gannon is the President of the Geneva Education Association. He says they’re not opposed to attracting young teachers, but they want pay increases to be equitable with experience and education.

 
“If we create a situation where we have winners and losers, we may begin to lose some of that mentorship and tutoring that goes on between our later-career teachers and our earlier-career teachers," said Gannon.

 

They also argue the district and its teachers are among the least compensated in Kane County.

 
Gannon says that the difference in pay between veteran teachers at Geneva and a similar school district like Naperville is significant.

 

"If they move there and they spend a 30-year career, at the end of those 30 years there is over a $300,000 difference," he said. "So that’s a home."

 
The board said in a news release that their latest proposal “provides certainty around teacher compensation” that they can plan around realistically and sustainably.

 

 

The Geneva Education Association represents 465 teachers and other personnel. They teach more than 5,800 students.