MORTON, Ill. – Teachers in Morton District 709 could soon reach the picket line if a new contract is not agreed upon.
Morton Education Association (MEA) President and 6th grade teacher Shane Weyland tells 25 News, teachers want to provide their students a good education, but they have been struggling to do so because of the pay.
“The job is taking a toll on our teachers. They’re searching out other places and other jobs,” Weyland says.
The Morton Education Association says it has enlisted the help of a federal mediator to help reach an agreement with the school district.
The Illinois Education Association says the two sides have met more than a dozen times since February with no deal, with the current contract expiring August 1st.
Weyland says Morton teachers are making less than neighboring districts like Dunlap and Washington.
According to the district’s website, base salaries started at $42,000 per year for some full-time teachers. He said if pay remains the same, it could affect the future of Morton’s education system.
“What we are focusing on is our students, and for us to be able to do that, we have to be able to recruit the best teachers and retain the best teachers,” Weyland says.
The first meeting with a federal mediator is July 8th, and is the first step before a strike could occur.
A recent survey of the 240 member MEA found that around 75% of its members are considering leaving the teaching profession, with 80% citing pay as the reason.
“When you have three quarters of your educators saying they’re thinking of quitting, it should sound a massive alarm bell with all parents, Morton community members and the administration,” Weyland says.
The survey also found that 35% of teachers in the district have additional jobs to help support families or make ends meet, 80% have seen an increased workload in the past five years, and 60% have spent at least $250 on classroom supplies each year.
Weyland says the issue needs to be addressed so the district stops “losing good folks to better paying jobs in the next town over.”
The school district responded with the following statement:
Morton 709 School Board Response to the IEA Article
The Morton School Board understands that high rates of inflation have impacted everyone, including our district’s expenses to operate our schools through purchasing of food, fuel, insurance, etc. Our teachers have always been paid a very competitive salary and benefits package and have enjoyed a community and teaching environment that rivals any other in our area. Our students, families, and our community make Morton a great place to live and to work.
In Tazewell County, districts are limited on how much they can increase taxes on its citizens from one year to the next. That limit is 5%, even if inflation is higher. The MEA is seeking raises of 6% or higher per year for three years.
When we project the impact of these types of raises for all of our employees, we would very quickly enter into deficit spending in our education fund, which could lead to staff reductions and impact student programs and opportunities.
The Board’s goal is not, and never should be, for Morton 709 to be the highest paid district in the area. But, the Board realizes that, to remain competitive, all employees currently need raises that are above those experienced in the last several years.
There is a limit to those increases in order to remain fiscally responsible to our taxpayers and to maintain a balanced budget.
With respect to the IEA article written by the MEA President, Shane Weyland, the Board has the following response.
The district is generally not having difficulty attracting excellent teachers, nor is it experiencing the mass exodus of teachers that seems to be conveyed in the article.
We are not “losing folks to better paying jobs the next town over.”
Certainly, like other districts, some teachers and administrators have left education to pursue other careers that are 12-month positions with higher salaries. That is true, and we cannot expect to compete with that. However, Morton 709 is not experiencing teachers leaving our district for other neighboring schools for the salaries and benefits they provide. It is just not happening.
Even under the current gas prices, as the article notes, 40% of the teachers in our district are driving past schools in their own hometowns to come to Morton to teach.
With respect to the “35% of teachers who have an additional job,” that is not at all surprising. Many teachers have other jobs that they do in the summer months in order to supplement their incomes, and that has been the case for many teachers everywhere.
There is no question that, across the nation, teachers’ workloads have increased along with many of the requirements and issues that we have seen over the past several years. As an example, our teachers and staff did a phenomenal job of getting us through a couple of years of the Covid-19 pandemic, and our students reaped the educational rewards of their perseverance and hard work. We recognized that. In the spring of 2021, all employees of our district were paid a bonus for that extra work and effort. Yes, we have a very hard working faculty and staff, but we also do not face severe challenges and difficulties that many other districts do.
Teachers are not required to spend their own personal money on classroom supplies, but we know that some do. Each teacher is given funds from the school budgets to purchase items for their classrooms. In many cases, our PTOs provide additional funding. Teachers are not required, nor expected, to spend their own money to outfit their classrooms.
A majority of our teachers do, indeed, have advanced degrees. However, it is important to mention that the district pays the vast majority of the tuition for the teachers to acquire those degrees. And, as teachers progress in their education, the district raises their salaries by 3% for every 8 semester hours earned in addition to their annual raises.
So, teachers’ salaries actually rise higher than the annual raise percentage indicates. This is a fantastic financial benefit that sets Morton apart from many other districts.
The IEA article failed to mention health insurance benefits. Morton 709 offers the most competitive, high-quality benefits around. The district provides an excellent insurance plan and pays 90% of the employee’s premiums for individual coverage and 80% of the premiums for coverage for spouses, children, and families.
In light of the recent spike in the cost of living, the Morton School Board recognizes how inflation has affected all of our employees, as well as our parents and taxpayers. Sometimes, teachers forget that the vast majority of the fund balances that a district possesses comes from the households of taxpayers in our community.
The Board would like to come to a reasonable agreement with the teachers, and fairly compensate all of our employees. However, the Board must also ensure the financial viability and long-term sustainability of the district’s funds.
Simply put, the teachers’ current salary demands, if applied to all employees, would quickly lead the district into deficit spending. And, although, in negotiations, Mr. Weyland has stressed that they are only bargaining for the teachers, we want to fairly compensate and value the work of every employee in our district.
The union has been reluctant to acknowledge that their salary increase proposals would likely be extended to all employees in the district, impacting the district’s budget more than their estimates indicate.
Fortunately, the Board feels that there is a pathway forward for all employees to experience higher than normal raises without putting the financial future of the district at risk, and without negatively affecting student programs and opportunities.
The Board is hopeful that, through the mediation process, we can reach a fair agreement that remains competitive with other districts in our area.
Sincerely,
Dr. David Cross, Morton 709 Board President
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