River Forest School District 90 has decided to hold off on a public posting of its most recent contract offer to teachers along with posting the latest response from the River Forest Education Association. The school district had said two weeks ago it would take those public steps through the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board.
According to the district’s weekly update email on Feb. 6, it participated in a “sidebar mediation session” Feb. 2 with the RFEA and a mediator that it perceived as a “collaborative and productive discussion.”
A sidebar negotiation session involves a small group from the full negotiation teams and is used to explore possible compromises ahead of a formal proposal or response, a district spokesperson said late Monday. She added that the RFEA requested the meeting to discuss the district’s latest economic package proposal, which was submitted in response to the RFEA’s specific requests to revise the Nov. 10 tentative agreement that was not approved by its membership.
But the core issues remain for some District 90 parents like Kelly Abcarian, which is why she spent time poring through district financial records on its website and posed questions directly to superintendent Dr. Edward Condon and chief operations officer Anthony Cozzi in a sit-down-style meeting.
“I didn’t walk away with more clarity, that’s for sure,” Abcarian said. “Instead of clear, direct answers, I encountered select use of data. That’s what led me into district financial reports.
“I have an accounting degree,” she said. “There are several parents who I am working alongside of that do accounting for a living. I felt that instead I was met with prepared narratives and numbers that didn’t add up.”
For example, she said, District 90 held $34,345,850 in unassigned general fund reserves, according to its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025.
Her question is simple: Why – and why isn’t there a district reserve policy, according to Condon and Cozzi? Especially when district teachers currently average $77,000 in salary, according to the annual Illinois Report Card for 2024-25 which compares to $69,410 in the 2014-15 school year. Adjusted for inflation, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index data, she said that amount should be about $92,000.
“Teachers are about $15,000 behind today’s inflation,” Abcarian said. “For myself as a parent in District 90, our teachers are the lifeblood of our schools, but if they are demoralized, students are impacted.”
In its Friday email, the district noted that its offer that was tentatively agreed upon by RFEA in November included a greater than 7% increase in teacher salaries the first year, and an average 18% minimum salary increase over the four-year contract.
That’s not enough, Abcarian said.
“The generosity has to be measured against reality and real numbers,” she said. “Even today after the 18 percent increase, teachers would earn less in real dollars than they did 10 years ago. It would take roughly 20 percent to get them back to where they should be right now.”
Then there is the issue of administrator salaries. According to the Illinois Report Card, the district’s average administrator salary is $159,000; the state average is $124,000.
“Administrators have kept up with inflation,” she said. “Teachers have not.”
Another parent, Berit O’Connor, said despite the contract negotiations, teachers remain focused on students.
“From what I see as a parent, classrooms feel normal and kids are being protected from the stress of all this,” O’Connor said. “I am grateful for that. At the same time, I know the process is weighing on the adults in the building and it’s hard not to worry about the long-term impact if we start losing great teachers.”
But like Abcarian, O’Connor has questions, particularly in the interest of transparency.
“As a parent, I have found it hard to follow the district’s financial claims because the detailed math hasn’t really been shared publicly,” she said. “We are hearing broad statements about what’s affordable or not, but not the models or assumptions behind those statements. That leaves parents trying to piece things together on our own.
“The information that is publicly available – like state salary data – shows our teachers are paid below the state average and have fallen behind inflation. I would simply like to see clearer, more open explanations from the district about how they are reaching their conclusions.”
In its Friday email, District 90 said it is steadfast in striking a balance in the negotiations.
“The district remains committed to negotiating contract terms in partnership with our teachers that compensate them fairly while demonstrating financial stewardship, supporting both the current and future success of our students and school community,” it said.
RFEA leadership confirmed that the next negotiation session has not been scheduled.