Agreement Reached Between D99, Education Association

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On June 1, 2012, the District 99 Board of Education approved a four-year contract agreement with the Downers Grove Education Association, which is the collective bargaining unit for District 99’s teachers and other non-administrative certified staff. The approval follows the ratification of the contract by the Association on May 30, 2012. The agreement will take effect on July 1, 2012 following the expiration of the current contract, which has been in place since 2008.

“Our teachers and administrators have been working closely and collaboratively together over the past several months, and met our goal to have a renewed contract in place by the start of the next school year,” says District 99 Superintendent Dr. Mark McDonald. 

The annual costs of the new agreement are limited to levels within the projected revenue stream for the district over the next four years.

“This contract is a win-win for our community and our schools,” says Board of Education President Bill White. “The contract is both fiscally responsible and allows us to remain competitive in attracting qualified teachers, so that we can continue offering the highest quality education to our children.” 

Downers Grove Education Association President Lois Graham reports that the process and resulting contract were truly collaborative.

"We both worked to meet the needs of teachers in an ever-changing profession and most importantly, to improve the quality of education for the students of District 99,” she said.

“Our shared vision is to be creative about our future schedule, such as reducing the number of shortened or altered school days, so that we can spend more quality time supporting students,” added Graham, who is also a social studies teacher at North High.

The new contract includes a provision for a joint committee of teachers and administrators to meet to review the current work day for teachers with a goal of improving instructional support for students.  The committee will consider development and implementation of a new work day schedule for teachers and instructional day for students to be implemented at the start of the 2013-14 school year.  

The new contract also incorporates requirements related to teacher appraisal and honorable dismissal procedures required by state laws passed earlier this year.

The contract between District 99 and the Downers Grove Education Association includes more than 400 certified staff members, including teachers, department heads, deans and psychologists.

For more information about District 99 and its schools, please visit www.csd99.org.