An Illinois teachers’ union is being accused of unreasonable greed after they’ve rejected multiple offers of salaries up to nearly $80,000 a year and $2,000 in bonuses across the board.
And a strike that has kept some of the state’s poorest kids out of school for nearly a month — including children whose parents can’t afford care during the day — is showing no end in sight.
The strike began Oct. 1 after union members rejected a tentative deal between their representatives and the school district in East St. Louis, a poor community of about 27,000 residents in southwestern Illinois that is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
The district, which has been under state control since 2011 because of its poor performance, says it needs to save $10 million over the next 10 years. Under the rejected deal, teachers would have received a one-time payment of $2,000 and raises, but it would take more time for teachers to reach the top salary scale. The increased time would put these teachers more in line with the standard used in the rest of the country.
The strike is bad news for a city where only 5 percent of high school ACT takers are considered ready for college and less than 20 percent of the district’s more than 6,000 students — all of whom qualify for reduced-price or free lunches — meets expectations on statewide standardized tests.
Some aren’t waiting for a resolution and have decided to move or transfer to other districts. Nearly 50 had done so as of Sunday.
In East St. Louis, where 98 percent of residents are black, nearly half of residents live below the federal poverty line and the average household income is just over $19,000 per year and parents are struggling to find care for their kids while they work.
Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks recently pleaded with the teachers “to put the needs of our children first by seeking a reasonable compromise so that our children suffer no longer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Wow! Can I make $80,000 a year and get all the nice (probably completely paid for) benefits that teachers get? Greed is definitely the word here. Teachers are nothing but a whiney lot, always figuring that they “deserve” more than everybody else. How come we are not told that the vast majority of teachers at the grade school and high school levels graduated in the BOTTOM THIRD of their colleges? And these are the people that are teaching OUR children? $80,000 a year … for barely nine months of work? Sounds like a great deal to me … and to probably alot of others that would willingly take the work!
I know someone that is making $100k as a kindergarten teacher. I think that is outrageous and unjustified. And believe that they should do away with Tenur
ditto!
Kid’s were not learning anything anyway.
There is no controlling the black students. It starts in the home.
Ask yourself, Why are they refusing $80,000? Bet you have no idea?
A only solution are suspend a teacher license, with no license can’t work and Union must close down. No teacher must make no more of 50.000$, don’t like? look for another job and work for 10$ in hour. That are consecuences of paid to much and Union, start fired all teacher.
A college graduate $80,000 for 40 hours a week, no paid vacation ,EVER., and start with 5 sick days , if you’re luck, run an operation with 100-160 under 18 years old, everyday, and if you in any Northern state, eastern, or western state, you can’t even afford a 2 bedroom house or buy a new cart. Oh, by the way, go to graduate school, and still get the same crappy salary. Unless one has been a teacher, a college graduate, work with kids fulltime,..=one really has no idea how useless a $80,000 is worth. Oh…but good ahead, let the GM crackhead make $120000 + with paid vacations, and a host of other benefits.for life.
teachers are paid on an index, years, degrees, equals more money, I doubt that a starting teachers makes 80,000. but the CEO of said multi-million dollar district will only make 3 to 4 times the average staff, so if we want to talk greed why does a CEO in the real world make 300 times the average worker, that’s real greed.
Gee, in Idaho I make $35K a year as a teacher, $80K would be incredible. But it is a more difficult job than most people think!
Teacher jobs have change in 20 years. I would never hit or threat a teacher or anyone older. But today’s parents do not teach the value of education. Parents first thought get a lawyer and sue. If your child disrupted a whole class just for entertainment. The parents are the reason because the kid has no respect for brothers or themselves
They feel their life is in jeopardy every time they enter the classroom. They are afraid of the Board of Education, the parents and last but not least the students. The kids are encouraged by their parents you can do anything you want and most of all do not listen to your teacher.
First common sense evaluation I read on this site.
Black lives splatter… I mean matter.
The children probably don’t think they are suffering by being out of school.
Kentucky doesn’t allow its teachers to strike or collective bargain. It sounds like Illinois should adopt the same common sense legislation. The teachers would be making four times more than the rest of the community . I think we can rule out having these teachers be able to relate to the people they serve.
how the hell can you reply “TOO QUICKLY”?
IT WOULDN’T LET ME POST
Probably because your mind is too fast for the rest of the world to keep up.
sometimes I think the ids are smarter than the teachers, the way they act.
Something wrong with you? If they will not accept $80,000, that should tell you something dunce.
They think they are smarter until the Apple for a job.
I would like to post my take on the Police officer and the ungrateful, poorly behaved little S___t that would not listen to or obey the police officer because she has no manners. Some of these kids will break out into a gang fight because they say they “disrespected me” when they think as a person they deserve respect. RESPECT has to be earned. The officer was more than polite. Who knows what the little brat said in reply to the officer , Only the officer knows. All I can say is this little girl is truly lucky it wasn’t me. I have no patients for spoiled, brats with no manners. When I was growing up it was. “Children should be seen and not heard” But they are fed BS by Liberal wet behind the ears incompetent people that do not earn what they are paid. Our children are learning NOTHING IN SCHOOL but how to be civil disobedient actors.
My guess this child wasn’t being civil. If she was mine I wouldn’t claim her as I would be to ashamed to admit this is the best job I could do in raising the future. The child got what she deserved.
A Police Puke should know better than violently assault anyone whom isn’t threatening them with bodily harm.
Many people who may vote in the democratic primary election, if there is one, and the general election in 2016, have no real knowledge of Mrs. Clinton or her accomplishments. As a public service, I thought I would provide some input regarding her triumphs for consideration. When Bill Clinton was president, he allowed Hillary to assume authority over a health care reform. Even after threats and intimidation, she couldn’t even get a vote in a democratic controlled congress. This fiasco cost the American taxpayers about $13 million in cost for studies, promotion, and other efforts.
Then President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general. Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood – both were forced to withdraw their names from consideration. Next she chose Janet Reno – husband Bill described her selection as “my worst mistake.” Some may not remember that Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children.
Husband Bill allowed Hillary to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission. Lani Guanier was her selection. When a little probing led to the discovery of Ms. Guanier’s radical views, her name had to be withdrawn from consideration.
Apparently a slow learner, husband Bill allowed Hillary to make some more recommendations. She chose former law partners Web Hubbel for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff, and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department. Her selections went well: Hubbel went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign.
Many younger voters will have no knowledge of “Travelgate.” Hillary wanted to award unfettered travel contracts to Clinton friend Harry Thompson – and the White House Travel Office refused to comply She managed to have them reported to the FBI and fired. This ruined their reputations, cost them their jobs, and caused a thirty-six month investigation. Only one employee, Billy Dale was charged with a crime, and that of the enormous crime of mixing personal and White House funds. A jury acquitted him of any crime in less than two hours.
Still not convinced of her ineptness, Hillary was allowed to recommend a close Clinton friend, Craig Livingstone, for the position of Director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of about 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, suddenly Hillary and the president denied even knowing Livingstone, and of course, denied knowledge of drug use in the White House. Following this debacle, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than thirty years of service to seven presidents.
Next, when women started coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by Bill Clinton, Hillary was put in charge of the “bimbo eruption” and scandal defense. Some of her more notable decisions in the debacle were:
* She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit. After the Starr investigation they settled with Ms. Jones.
* She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. After $80 million Dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr’s investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs.
* Hillary’s devious game plan resulted in Bill losing his license to practice law for lying under oath to a grand jury and then his subsequent impeachment by the House of Representatives.
* Hillary avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating, “I do not recall,” “I have no recollection,” and “I don’t know” a total of 56 times while under oath.
* After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, China , and artwork that she had stolen.
What a swell party – ready for another four or eight years of this mess?
Now we are exposed to: the destruction of possibly incriminating e-mails while Hillary was Secretary of State and the “pay to play” schemes of the Clinton Foundation – we have no idea what shoe will fall next. But to her loyal fans – “what difference does it make?”
WOW — so much of what you said, how soon forgotten! I have no doubt that Hillary will be elected the next POTUS, after which, as you pretty much implied, we can expect much more of the same. When a person happens to be “The Chosen One,” it is amazing what-all is simply forgotten, overlooked or swept under the rug, by both the media and many millions of the I-don’t-care voters.
I love your article you covered it all. Let hope some of her fan were listening. Good job. Well done
Divide the money amongst parents to send their kids to private school, home school, or daycare…and let the teachers go and suck an egg!
Mr. Chris G.;
A raw egg, shell and all !….. Have a blessed day !