Teachers Union Responds to Press Conference by D86 Officials

The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association sent out the following press release as a response to Monday's press conference by Hinsdale District 86 officials. Both sides are meeting Tuesday with a federal mediator to negotiate a new contract for the district's teachers: 

Mr. Skoda and Mr. Corcoran held a press conference this morning, denying 
access to a fellow board member and members of the community. In addition to denying access to the public, Skoda and Corcoran also disregarded the rules the federal mediator laid down for mediation. The mediator asked the teachers and the board not to discuss negotiations in public. By holding this conference, Skoda and Corcoran have violated, again, the rules of mediation. 

Since they have offered such a radical proposal, Mr. Skoda and Mr. Corcoran 
have a lot of explaining to do. Their current offer eliminates the salary schedule, which all 91 high school districts in the state use. Their radical offer will drastically reduce the earnings potential of teachers, making District 86 the lowest paid district in the area for new teachers. This means the best and the brightest will not work at District 86 and will negatively impact the quality of education. Their offer will reduce the take home pay of 70% of the teachers.

The teachers’ total salary and benefits offer is less than 1% higher than last 
year. It is a fair and sustainable offer that maintains the competitive salary 
schedule and benefits package that the district currently offers while keeping salary and benefit costs well below CPI. The teachers' proposal ensures that District 86 quality of education will remain excellent.