D70 Approves 5-Year Contract For Teachers

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — The Libertyville School District 70 school board and the Libertyville Education Association, which is the teacher's union for D70, reached an agreement on a five-year teacher contract this past week. The agreement, which was approved during an Oct. 24 meeting, comes after two months of negotiating, school officials said.

The school board and LEA members worked together to draft a contract meant to draw new teachers to the district and retain quality veteran instructors, while also balancing the district's fiscal needs, according to a D70 news release. The new contract, which will run from Aug. 25, 2023, to Aug. 25, 2028, covers about 210 teachers.

Under the new contract, teachers will see an average pay increase of 2.39 percent over five years.

“The union's financial requests were in line with that of the district's five-year fiscal plan,” Schilling said. “This allows District 70 to now focus on the students and address the deferred maintenance on our aging buildings. The increases were not tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and without those fluctuations, we will have a budget that has real numbers every year which allows for greater flexibility and forecasting.”

LEA President Cheryl Crenshaw thanked the school board for working with teachers, adding that she appreciated the years the two groups have worked together to reach reasonable and quick agreements.

“I just want to say thank you,” Crenshaw, a Rockland teacher, told the board Monday night. “The LEA has a long history of collaboration with the school board and administrators. It showed once again with the thoughtful and purposeful discussions to reach this collaborative agreement. I am really proud of our district! The LEA ratified the contract in almost a unanimous vote on Oct. 18, Crenshaw added.

District 70 Superintendent Rebecca Jenkins, who joined D70 six months ago, said she was very pleased with the negotiations and the agreement, according to the news release.

“I am very excited — elated even — that we have a five-year contract that respects the teachers, the board and will allow us to focus on providing a premier education for our students," Jenkins said. "This is a pivotal time in District 70, as we empower student growth and achievement through equitable, challenging opportunities that promote excellence, innovation, critical thinking, and respect.”

Under the new contract, the starting salary of a teacher coming out of school with a BA in the first year of the new contract is $43,371 and the starting salary of a teacher coming out of school with a BA in the last year of the new contract is $44,687. In the same contract, a teacher with a master's degree and 10 years of experience in the first year of the contract is $65,498 and in the fifth year of the contract, a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years of experience is $67,485.

Some of the changes in the new five-year contract include:

• Increase the Professional Growth dollars (a stipend paid to teachers when they take professional learning opportunities) for staff members from $350 to $400 annually over the life of the contract;
• Changed sick leave days accumulation from the current accrual amount to years of service in the district;
• Increase the tuition reimbursement for staff from $2050 to $2250 annually over the life of the contract;
• Opened up opportunities for online courses;
• Increase the Summer Curriculum Work compensation from $175 to $275 annually over the life of the contract;
• Clarified the Internal Substitution Rates with annual increases;
• Married staff members are each eligible for up to 12 weeks of FMLA for maternity leave and adoption rather than 12 weeks shared.