Watch now: Teaching assistants contract approved by Decatur Board of Education

Jul. 22--DECATUR -- The Decatur school board and the Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants finally have a contract.

At the board meeting on Tuesday, the board approved the agreement, which is in effect through June 30, 2023. The DFTA approved the contract on July 17.

The previous contract expired in August 2019 and the two sides had been negotiating since April 2019. When no agreement was forthcoming, a federal mediator was called in, and talks were briefly suspended during the initial shutdowns caused by COVID-19.

The main sticking points in the talks were health insurance and compensation. Teaching assistants said they could not afford the proposed increases in the cost of insurance coverage.

The new agreement provides wage increases each of the next three years, including wages and health insurance offset: for the 2020-21 school year, $2.25 per hour; 2021-22, $1 per hour; 2022-23, $1 per hour. The employees will have the same standard health insurance plans as provided to teachers, maintenance and security staff, custodians, Teamsters and all non-union groups, including principals and administrators, and the two sides worked through contract language around reduction in force.

"I've been through negotiations, been on negotiation teams and it's difficult," said board member Kendall Briscoe. "It's difficult to have the conversations and it's difficult to not be able to say anything when people are coming at you asking questions. Michelle (Oliver, DFTA president) was a great leader and it's good to have a resolution to this. I hope everyone walks away with an appreciation for the people who work with our students."

"Most of us sitting around this (board table) are fixers," said board President Beth Nolan. "We see a problem and we want to fix it."

She thanked the board attorney, Brian Braun for his counsel and Oliver for her leadership during the final stages of the negotiations.

The union represents 271 hearing interpreters, licensed practical nurses, hearing-vision technicians and teaching assistants. Members went on strike for three days in October, but returned to work after learning they would not be able to access health insurance benefits.

"We think it's a fair contract," said Jon Nadler, field services director for the Illinois Federation of Teaching Assistants. "It was ratified overwhelmingly with our membership and they're happy with it and we're happy with it. It's time to move on. We've got a compromise and we're working with the district to help out the kids in the community."

There were difficult issues to work through and COVID-19 didn't help, he added.

Paula Busboom, who was president of DFTA until her retirement in June, was part of negotiations until then and missed only the final session where the agreement was reached, which she called "bittersweet." She said she's glad they have a contract, but some of the provisions, such as the loss of the Reduction in Force language, are a loss for the union.

In the previous contract, she said, DFTA had the same language for reduction in force that the teachers have: the district would give a minimum of 30 days' notice to union members and reductions would occur only once a year, at the end of the school year. With the new contract, that language is lost. A member of the union can have their job eliminated with no notice at any time now, she said.

"The way this reads now, for example: say I'm a special ed (teaching) assistant and we lost three students out of my classroom and they don't need me anymore, but I'm high in seniority, so whoever the person is who's lowest (in seniority) in special ed gets RIF'd and I'm going to slide down and take their job," Busboom said.

In other business, the board held a discussion on its proposed changes to curriculum, employee training, school resource officers, professional development of minority teachers and several additional measures, all meant to address systemic racism within education. The topic was raised at the July 6 meeting and the board will likely vote on a resolution at its Aug. 11 meeting.

The district plans to release its "Return to Learn" plan for the 2020-21 school year 7 a.m. Friday, July 24. The plan will be available on the website and social media.

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Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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