District 186 teachers' contract isn't a done deal. Here are next steps

Springfield Education Association president Aaron Graves noted that bargaining sessions with District 186 from about mid-June to about mid-July were "more cordial and less combative" than in the past.

That didn't mean they were devoid of tension, he added.

Now membership will have a chance to digest the terms of the proposed multi-year deal at a special Aug. 9 meeting.

If a majority of SEA's 1,200 or so members ratify the tentative contract, it will go to the board of education's Aug. 15 meeting.

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Specific terms have not been disclosed, but Graves, who reclaimed the SEA presidency in a March election, said staffing and wellness issues, pay and school safety were all at the forefront of teachers' minds.

Graves shepherded through the union's last contract in 2019, though teachers rejected an initial offer. The contract was extended for a year in 2021 in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graves, speaking to The State Journal-Register late last week, said both the district and the union were able to dedicate more time at the table eariler this spring and summer.

"We did something that's akin to compact bargaining, where you really try to smash through things (several) days a week, instead of a day here and a day there and a night there," he said. "I'd say both sides were committed to accelerating the process and it got us here a lot faster."

Parties acknowledged a handshake agreement was in place by July 12.

Graves acknowledged staffing issues nationally and in District 186 are at "a crisis (level) that ripples through the classrooms and the schools and the services we're able to provide to kids."

Graves called into Monday's school board meeting, reiterating that the district is short about 100 teachers and other paraprofessionals with the start of school three weeks away.

Edwin Lee School alone has about 30 vacancies, Graves said. In addition to classes for regular education students in kindergarten through fifth grade, it has special education services for students ages 5 to 22 with instruction focusing on functional academics with emphasis on life skills development. Lee also houses three Early Childhood Special Education classes.

Graves said earlier that some of the tensest discussions at the bargaining tabled centered around "a major shortage of personnel in some of the highest needs classrooms."

The district also has an unprecedented shortage of substitute teachers, Graves added, and has to "commit to even more resources and energy into making certain that our classrooms and schools are fully staffed."

The fatal stabbing of Lanphier High School senior Pierre V. Scott Jr. on November 17 fueled discussion and debate over the summer about "what can be done, what should be done to make our schools safer, healthier, happier, all those things," Graves said.

Superintendent Jennifer Gill reiterated that schools throughout the district have been adding double-entry doors and security cameras. Metal detectors were installed at the district's three high schools before the end of the school year with the middle schools and Douglas Prep and Lawrence Education Center getting full implementation this fall.

Regarding pay, Graves said the union bargaining team "did not feel insulted by the offer. I think the complicating factor will be where everybody is financially. It's tough to say. Everybody's financial picture is different. I think that's what it's going to come down to is how they feel about their school, their work, their situation and where they are financially. They're going to have to vote their consciences."

Board president Anthony Mares, who was on the district's negotiating team along with Mike Zimmers, said talks were "amicable."

"We want to make sure our employees are taken care of and compensated and everything that goes with that," Mares said after Monday's meeting. "If we put that to bed with a multi-year deal, it gets us back to where we need to be. We still know there's learning loss (by students from the COVID-19 pandemic). It gets us in the position where we can focus on what we're here for, which is educating our students."

Gill pointed out she hasn't brought a tentative agreement to the board prior to the start of school during her tenure with the district dating back to 2014.

"We worked hard on both sides to get an agreement that made sense for the district and honored the work the teachers have been doing," Gill said. "Hopefully, we'll have a positive move forward (on Aug. 9)."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield teachers have tentative deal, consider ratification Aug. 9