After over a year of negotiations, the Hinsdale High School Teachers’ Association (HHSTA) and the Board of Education of Hinsdale Township came to an agreement regarding teachers’ two-year contracts, which ended with a 4-3 vote by the board at their meeting on Oct. 20.

Board Member Victor Casini said he voted for the deal because he believed it was in the best interest of the district, according to Chicago Tribune.

HHSTA had issued a 10-day notice of intent to strike, which would have allowed them to begin striking on Oct. 14, after Hinsdale’s homecoming.

“The new Board of Education’s unfair proposal would diminish the district’s competitive edge—a competitive edge that has been the district’s foundation of excellence,” HHSTA Spokesperson Michael Palmquist said about the original proposal. “For the first time ever, it will create an incentive for teachers to leave the district after District 86 trains them, mentors them and gives them teaching experience in some of the best classrooms in the state.”

Around 1,500 teachers, students and community members attended the District 86 Board of Education meeting on Oct. 6, which spanned six hours, lasting until 1 a.m., according to Chicago Tribune. At this meeting, the board voted for Board President Dr. Richard Skoda and Vice President Ed Corcoran to step down as chief negotiators and be replaced by Kay Gallo and Casini. Many community members spoke, urging the teachers not to strike and for the board and HHSTA to come to an agreement for the next teaching contract.

The difference in the previous proposals that were debated was $6,374,134, with the HHSTA having the higher cost contract. Among the differences in proposals are the salary schedules, Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases, coaching and summer school teaching.

HHSTA proposed to continue having a 19-step salary raise plan, whereas the Board proposed a 35-step plan. Each step represents one year, so the first year the teachers would make the base salary, then every subsequent year, or step, the salary would increase until the last step of the schedule is reached.

With the plan the teachers proposed, it would take 19 years to reach the top step with the highest pay, and with the board’s it would take 35 years, but only if the teacher receives a good performance rating. The board does not want teachers to move up a step if their ratings for the year are less than proficient, which differs from the teachers who want to move up a step every year regardless of rating.

“It comes down to what is really fair,” Skoda said.

An argument the teachers have focused on is that, with the board’s proposal, Hinsdale teachers will be making less than LT teachers, therefore causing highly qualified teachers to apply to LT rather than to Hinsdale South or Hinsdale Central.

HHSTA posted a graphic stating, “D86 has always offered competitive contracts to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers. Until now. Skoda and Corcoran’s salary schedule is so below average that a D86 teacher will earn nearly $400,000 less over the course of his/her career than a teacher at Lyons Township and other top schools.”

They have been actively posting on their Facebook page for months about the continuous negotiations and offers of each side, thanking supporters and encouraging people to attend board meetings.

Additional items being negotiated include: the board wanting teachers to dress in business casual attire, with the teachers wanting no dress code, and the board wanting PE teachers to receive one prep period instead of the two that all other teachers receive.

“If they’re striking, who are they striking against, the school board or the kids?” Skoda said. “It’s kind of like war; it’s best to avoid. Even if you think you won, you didn’t.”

This spring, LT teachers’ contracts will be up for renewal, but negotiations are expected to happen smoothly.

“I think we have a solid relationship with both the school board and the administration, so I don’t see the same contention happening here in the negotiation cycle,” LT Faculty Association President Dave Stormont said.