CFT and School Board Update

On February 18th, Champaign Federation of Teachers (CFT) initiated the public posting process, which is the next step in moving towards a strike, which could happen as early as March 21st.

CFT and the School Board have one week to submit their most recent contracts to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB). The IELRB and the School Board will then have one week to post the contracts on their websites for public access. According to the Illinois Compiled Statutes, “at least 14 days [must] have elapsed after the Board has made public the parties' offers” in order for the CFT’s strike to be legal.

As the CFT and Unit 4 School Board continue to move through the process of negotiating teacher’s contracts, bargaining meetings have not been “productive at all”, according to a comment made by Co-President of the Union, Mike Sitch, to the News-Gazette.

The sticking point in negotiations has been the Board's commitment to, and the CFT’s opposition to the extension of the elementary school day. In regards to the CFT’s commitment to not extending the elementary school day, at the February 14th school board meeting during the public comment section, Dr. Scott Filkins, Central High School’s Head Steward of the CFT, stated, “teachers can be, have been, and always will be advocates for positive structural change, even when those in power prefer the status quo.”

Board president, Amy Armstrong, was not able to comment on behalf of the board but did share the link to the FAQ the Board put out in regards to the contract negotiations.

If a strike were to occur, “the practice is, that schools are closed,” said Dr. Filkins. This includes all schools in the Unit 4 District.

While this may be a tense time, Dr. Gianina Baker, Vice president of the board at the February 14 school board meeting said, “we as a board respect our teachers, our principles, our administration, and most of all we want to support our students… as we are trying to collaborate, and as we are trying to really reach agreement, it would be helpful not to put us at odds, because that's not how we see it. We know and realize that many of us are needed.”

The Board and Union’s next bargaining meeting is March 4th.