Just as finals were beginning for LT students, the Lyons Township Education Association (LTEA) voted on a new contract that would be effective immediately, pending the Board of Education’s (BOE) approval. The agreement passed on behalf of the LTEA with a large majority on Dec. 18, and was approved by the BOE on Jan. 22.

Because of negotiation rules, neither the LTEA or the BOE could offer any information regarding the ongoing contract negotiations. A vast majority for teachers who voted yes on the 2019-2024 contract, and a majority of ____ BOE members who agreed upon it as well, officially finalizing the contract on Jan. 22.

The contract situation has been ongoing since the summer.  LT teachers attended the BOE on Nov. 19 meeting all wearing gold LT shirts as a show of respect for their fellow staff members. After that meeting, two closed-door negotiation sessions occurred between the members of the LTEA and BOE, and the negotiating committee agreed on a contract on Dec. 12. The contract was sent out to teachers just under a week later on Dec. 18, and the LTEA vote occured on Dec. 21. The BOE voted yes just earlier this week, at the Jan. 22 BOE meeting.

The LTEA vote– while overwhelming– was not unanimous, so there may be some changes in the new contract that are unappealing to teachers at LT. Specific details about the new terms negotiated for the upcoming years are to be released later this week, and could not be discussed with anyone outside of the LTEA and BOE until a formal agreement was officially released, Superintendent Timothy Kilrea said.

LT teachers often participate in many day-to-day activities that are not listed in their contracts, such as coming in early or staying late to offer additional help on class material, and working through their lunch or study halls in order to support their students and assist them. Turn to the editorial on page 9 to see how The LION staff feels about the work the teachers do, and check our website, lionnewspaper.com to see an overview of the new contract in the upcoming days.