As the two sides prepared for today’s meeting with a federal mediator, the Kewanee School Board and the Kewanee Education Association (KEA) released statements about their contract negotiations.
The KEA is the union representing the school district’s teachers and staff. Their latest three-year contract with the school board expires next week, two days before school is to start.
A key issue in the contract negotiations appears to be teacher salaries, which the KEA maintains have not kept pace with other area school districts.
The school board, which in the past cited a policy of not commenting on ongoing contract negotiations, released a statement Wednesday pointing out that in the past six years, teachers hired prior to the 2017-2018 school year received pay raises that totaled 24 percent.
“Teachers who earned additional graduate credits also received financial increases,” according to the statement.
In the past two contracts, the statement added, the two sides agreed to “a different model of teacher salary increases which enabled the board to competitively raise the starting teacher salary from $32,675 in 2016-17 to $40,515 in 2022-23.” This increase was “similar to other districts in our area,” according to the statement.
KEA spokesperson Jennifer Vickrey said, “Over the last five years, the average teacher salary in Illinois went up by $11,000. But in the same time frame, KEA’s average teacher salary increased by less than half that. How are we supposed to bring in talented new educators and retain the quality experienced ones we have on staff when we are so far behind?”
Both sides expressed hope that the new school year will begin with students attending on Aug. 17 as scheduled.
“Federal mediation enabled the board and the KEA to reach successful agreements in the past two contracts,” the board’s statement said. “The board is confident that, once again, mediation will lead to a financially responsible and sustainable contract.”
Vickrey said, “We are really hoping we can reach a deal before the start of the school year. We’d love for our students to be our sole focus.
“We do all of this because we love our students. Most of us have been working in the district for years. Many of us live in Kewanee and have kids who go to school in the district. We want what’s best for our entire community.”
The teacher union held informational picketing Thursday morning at the district offices on North Main Street. KEA represents more than 200 teachers, counselors, bus drivers, classroom aides, secretaries, cafeteria workers and serves the district’s more than 2,000 students.
