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The Quincy SD 172 Board of Education negotiates with teacher and support union representatives Jan. 10. |
Plans by Quincy SD 172 teachers and
support personnel to go on strike on Tuesday, Jan. 17 were nixed, pending
ratification of a tentative settlement reached over the weekend. No details
have been released of the agreement, which was reportedly reached during four
hours of talks on Saturday.
There has not been a teacher strike
during the 2016-17 school year, although a total of 14 districts have been
through the process of public posting of offers with the Illinois Educational
Labor Relations Board. Work stoppages were narrowly averted by contract
agreements reached in Chicago Public Schools 299 on Oct. 11, 2016, and in
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 on Dec. 2, 2016.
The last school strike in Illinois occurred April 1, 2016 in Chicago, involving the 27,000-member Chicago
Teachers Union and the 400,000-student Chicago District 299. The one-day strike over teacher funds was also meant to call attention to the need for increased state funding.
The most recent posting involves the Byron Community
School District 226 and
the Byron Education Association. That notice was filed Jan. 10. The two sides
are still meeting regularly in the Byron contract talks, with the next
negotiating session set for next month. The complete list of such public
postings can be viewed here.