After nearly 1 year with no contract, Crystal Lake teachers to rally at board meeting

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Hundreds of teachers in suburban Crystal Lake, who have been without a contract for nearly one year, say they are planning to rally at Monday night’s District 47 Board of Education meeting.

The Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers’ Association (CLETA) said in a statement that it represents 670 educators who serve over 7,000 District 47 students. The teachers have been bargaining with the District 47 board since October 2023 and entered federal mediation in June 2024.

Throughout negotiations, the union said it has called on the district to improve its safety policies, eliminate the use of outside staffing agencies, and increase wages and benefits for educators. CLETA officials said teachers have taken “multiple hard and soft salary freezes” to help get the district through financial difficulties.

“Enough is enough,” said CLETA Spokesperson Jen Rutishauser. “We’ve been bargaining for almost a year. We’ve had the help of a federal mediator for months now, and still the board does not act like they’re interested in reaching an agreement that will attract and retain quality educators.”

District 47 Spokesperson Kari Firak told WBBM that the district has been “bargaining in good faith since last October.”

“We have a very strong offer currently on the table, adding millions of dollars in new total compensation since we started,” Firak said. “We look forward to more progress from both parties at our next mediation session on Tuesday.”

In August, the union said a recent survey found that 73% of its members have “seriously considered leaving their jobs.” Officials added that the majority of teachers in the union have worked in the district for 10 years or more and live in the community.

Rutishauser said the union’s fight is about Crystal Lake students and their education.

“We’d much rather be in the classroom than on a picket line, but we are ready to do whatever it takes,” Rutishauser said. “We will not stop until we get a fair contract.”

The District 47 Board of Education meeting will take place at 7 p.m. inside the CORE Center, which is located at 300 Commerce Drive. A Zoom link for the meeting can be found online .

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