Hundreds of Crystal Lake teachers and community members to rally ahead of District 47 Board of Education meeting

CRYSTAL LAKE - Crystal Lake elementary school teachers and community members plan to wear red and rally before tonight's District 47 Board of Education meeting. Rallygoers will then pack the board meeting and plan to speak about the importance of a fair contract.

"The community support has been truly incredible. We feel very loved and supported by District 47 parents and our students. From the Facebook page they created and conversations asking how they can help, we know we are being seen and heard by the community. Now we just need the board to acknowledge the value our educators bring to the district," CLETA spokesperson Jen Rutishauser said.

A recent survey of the CLETA membership showed 73% of Crystal Lake elementary educators have seriously considered leaving their jobs, and more than a third of them have additional jobs in order to provide for their families.

CLETA has been bargaining with the District 47 (D47) BOE since October in the hopes of reaching a fair contract. The two teams entered federal mediation in June. CLETA is working without a contract. There are 670 educators in the CLETA bargaining unit serving the more than 7,000 students who attend D47 schools.

There are several things at issue for CLETA:

• Safe schools: CLETA is advocating for safe schools for all. Students deserve to be safe in their classrooms, as do teachers and staff. CLETA is advocating for improved safety policies and protocols.
• Wages and Benefits: Over the years, Crystal Lake teachers have taken multiple hard and soft salary freezes to help District 47 through tough financial times. The district is in a much better fiscal position now, and CLETA is asking to be made whole.
• Elimination of outside staffing agency: Students benefit and thrive from consistency, having thoughtful, talented adults who are dedicated to supporting them for their educational career. Because the wages are not competitive in Crystal Lake, the administration chooses to hire staffing firms in an attempt to fill open positions temporarily without thought to long-term commitments.

"Enough is enough. We've been bargaining for almost a year. We've had the help of a federal mediator for months now, and still the board does not act like they're interested in reaching an agreement that will attract and retain quality educators. They don't seem to understand this is about our students and their education. We'd much rather be in the classroom than on a picket line, but we are ready to do whatever it takes. We will not stop until we get a fair contract," Rutishauser said.

Tonight's CLETA rally is at 6:30 p.m. at CORE Center (300 Commerce Dr., Crystal Lake). The board meeting is in the same location at 7 p.m. CLETA supporters plan to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. The next federal mediation session is scheduled for Sept. 17. For more information, check out the CLETA Facebook page.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state's largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.