River Forest School District 90 teachers have been working without a new contract since Aug. 15, but the co-presidents of the River Forest Education Association say it and the district remain “far apart” in collective bargaining negotiations.
The two sides have enlisted a mediator to move the process forward. Joint mediation sessions were scheduled for Monday and Wednesday.
In prepared responses to Wednesday Journal on a set of questions concerning the status of negotiations, RFEA co-presidents Lauren Baiocchi and Cindy Crannell, both district teachers, said salary compensation and leave/benefit days are keeping both sides from a tentative agreement.
“We have been negotiating in good faith, but the process has been frustrating,” Baiocchi and Crannell said. “We are disappointed to begin the school year without a contract. We have consistently demonstrated our commitment to reaching a fair offer in order to continue serving the students of River Forest but have not been able to make progress towards a tentative agreement over the summer.
“The district needs to recognize that costs have increased and in order to maintain their Exemplary rankings in the state, the district needs to do the right thing for its teachers, staff and students.”
All three district schools – Lincoln Elementary, Willard Elementary and Roosevelt Middle School – were designated Exemplary in the annual Illinois Report Card 2023-24 that was made public last October.
Exemplary schools are those that rank in the top 10% of the state, while Commendable schools rank in the next 67%.
The sides have been negotiating since April 8, the pair said at the Aug. 19 board of education meeting.
In a prepared statement, the district said it “periodically engages in a collective bargaining process to negotiate successor labor contracts with the local teachers’ union, the River Forest Education Association.
“Negotiation teams representing District 90 and the RFEA began discussions in April 2025 for a new collective bargaining agreement, and the parties are continuing to work toward reaching a final negotiated agreement,” the statement said. “To support an efficient and productive negotiation, district leaders are not discussing the proposed terms outside the negotiating table.”
Additionally, the district said District 90 schools will operate as usual while negotiations continue under the terms of the 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement.
Baiocchi and Crannell said that in terms of salary compensation, RFEA continues “to demonstrate how the salaries offered are well below comparative districts.
“We also see that wages have not kept up with the market while River Forest has been preparing for costs to rise,” they said. “According to its 2024 Annual Financial Report submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education, District 90 has more than 460 days of cash on hand while the state recommends having just 180 days.”
Baiocchi and Crannell further said it has been “discouraging” to start the school year without a contract but agreed to open schools without a contract to “prioritize the learning and growth of our students in District 90.
“We continue to negotiate with the district in hopes of reaching a fair agreement soon in order to avoid any prolonged complications,” they added.
