Members of the Kewanee Education Association (KEA) plan to attend Monday’s Kewanee School Board meeting and speak about the importance of reaching a fair agreement with the Kewanee Community Unit School District 229 that puts students first.

The two sides have yet to settle the contract, and negotiations have dragged on since April. In early August, the KEA and the KCUSD 229 entered into federal mediation. The current KEA contract expired on Aug. 15, two days before students returned to classrooms. For over the month, the teachers, as well as support staff, have been working without one.

According to a press release from the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Director Bridget Shanahan, the plan for the board meeting is to have KEA members, along with parents, students and community members pack the meeting and wear orange in support of the KEA.

The KEA has been working closely with the IEA, the largest union in Illinois, to help settle the dispute. With 135,000 members strong, the IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff.

The KEA represents more than 200 teachers, counselors, bus drivers, aides, secretaries, cafeteria workers, nurses, janitors and maintenance workers and serves nearly 2,000 students in the district.

Both sides have issued competing statements over the last month. At issue for the KEA is a pay increase that would help the district hire and retain quality educators. According to several sources, the Kewanee School District has lost several experienced teachers, who have left to go to area school districts offering higher pay.

In late August, Supt. Dr. Christopher Sullens released a statement on behalf of the school board detailing the board’s proposal to the KEA. According to the statement, “the latest pay increase proposal for teachers and certified staff members total a 15.75 percent increase over the life of the three-year contracts.” The minimum teacher salary for the 2023-24 school year would be $42,541, with increases in the first year of the contract varying from 5.53 percent to 8.73 percent. “Teachers hired prior to the 2016-2017 school year through the 2022-23 school year, would receive a 6 percent raise.”

The KEA’s statement asserted that Kewanee teachers are paid less than those in other nearby school districts while salaries for the district’s administrators have increased.

“While we are losing good teachers and support staff to neighboring districts that offer more pay and benefits, the Kewanee administration makes so much money, they’re above the state average for administrator salaries,” according to KEA spokesperson, Jennifer Vickrey, a fourth-grade teacher with the district.

KEA has also accused the board of not submitting offers in a timely manner, something the board disputed.

“The statement put out by Superintendent Sullens claims the school board presented multiple offers to KEA when in reality these alleged offers were not actual proposals at the bargaining table. The truth is we did not get an official offer in writing until a week after the board meeting on Mon., Aug. 28 during mediation.”

The next federal mediation session is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19. The Kewanee School Board meeting is set for Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 pm.