River Forest School District 90 and the River Forest Education Association have a new mediator for teacher contract negotiations.
The sides were forced to bring on a new third-party mediator after the federal government shutdown precluded the original mediator from further participating. The new mediator will preside over the next bargaining session on Wednesday at the district administration building. The last session was Oct. 8, a delay due in part to participant schedule alignment.
Negotiations on a contract began in April, and District 90 teachers have been working without a contract since August. RFEA members have been asked to report for contract hours only, which are 7:50 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. for the district’s two elementary schools and 8 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. for Roosevelt Middle School.
“We won’t be staying after school to support students with additional time,” said Lauren Baiocchi, RFEA co-president with Cindy Crannell, both district teachers. “If it’s something (a teacher) committed to, like a club, you agreed to do it, those things are happening. Teachers go above and beyond every day and might do a specific thing, (like) go over a test. Those sorts of things won’t be happening.”
Compensation still crucial
The main point of contention remains teacher compensation. While administrative salaries in District 90 have kept pace with comparable school districts, the pair said previously, teachers’ salaries in River Forest have fallen behind. Without a new contract, the district runs the risk of losing teachers to higher-paying districts, which, the union said, could lead to increased teacher turnover.
According to publicly available Illinois State Board of Education data, superintendent Dr. Edward Condon’s base salary was $256,207 in 2024. That is up from $232,768 in 2021.
All three District 90 schools are rated Exemplary by the State of Illinois – placing them in the top 10% of the state.
Now there is a new mediator to sort out what has been discussed already.
“It’s a disadvantage for both sides,” Baiocchi said. “If it’s true the district wants to get this done, we would have preferred to have our first mediator.
“I think both sides are frustrated, but we feel like we need a mediator. It’s unfortunate. We had hoped the government would have reopened.”
Ongoing community concern
At the district board of education meeting Oct. 21, about 130 RFEA and community members spent 90 minutes in the public comment portion of the meeting discussing “a common theme of getting this done,” Crannell said.
A typical mediation session, Baiocchi said, consists of district and RFEA teams in separate rooms, with the mediator managing delivery of and discussion about supposals, which are non-binding agreements.
“One side is up, they do a supposal on an economic package, and we go back and forth,” Baiocchi said. “I think from a mediator, it’s supposed to be more impartial. You obviously don’t have personalities in the room.”
According to a board statement sent via email to all district staff on Oct. 22, the board and the district are “working in partnership with leaders representing the RFEA to establish a new teacher contract that will compensate teachers appropriately and competitively.
“However, this work is being done within the context of budget constraints. Our district’s annual expenditures outpace revenues, which consist primarily of residential property taxes. Balancing the desire to pay teachers a wage that communicates value and respect with the reality of our limited resources is the challenge at hand.”
“Thoughtful and creative solutions”
That language was consistent with a statement the district provided to Wednesday Journal on Friday, which also said, “The negotiation team representing the board and district has worked to respond to RFEA requests with thoughtful and creative solutions, including notable increases in teacher salaries.”
Further, the district statement to the Journal noted that it is “not discussing the specific terms publicly because it is a well-documented best practice in successful negotiations to keep dialogue about proposed terms among the parties involved in order to avoid escalating conflict that could impede progress toward agreement.”
The Oct. 22 district message to staff was also clear on another thing.
“Teachers, we place great value in the work you do and the way you show up every day to support our children,” it said. “You are the heart of our schools, and your work is vital to the success of our students. We know that this has been a challenging time, and we want to thank you for your commitment to our students and to our school community, both over the years and in these past few months.
“We would also like to thank everyone who has shared their perspectives and personal stories with us, whether at meetings or through written messages. It takes courage to speak publicly about issues that matter deeply, and your input has been valuable as we continue working toward an agreement.”