The president of the Springfield Education Association says many issues led to the teachers’ union rejecting a proposed contract offer… including staffing needs, family medical leave, and safety and security in schools.
Aaron Graves says even though the contract offer included pay raises totaling 12.5 percent over three years, the other concerns could not be overlooked. He says in particular, District 186 has a “recruitment and retention crisis,” leaving many important teacher and support staff positions unfilled and adding to everyone else’s workload. It’s still unclear when the union and District 186 will return to the bargaining table, and Graves says the fact that classes resume in days will further complicate the schedule.
But he remains confident that the two sides can work out a mutually acceptable agreement without any kind of work stoppage.
