Regular Board Meeting

001to order. Please rise for the pledgece to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Secretary, please call the role. >> Boehner >> here. >> Nenza >> here. >> Dunlap >> here. Casper >> here. >> Hammerick here. Lloyd >> here. >> Barry >> here. >> Okay. We enter the public hearing for budget FY26. >> 3.1 review of budget and recommendation for adoption. >> Yes. Oh, sorry. So, this is the uh budget hearing for the official district budget. Um, I'm going to keep it brief. We did a preliminary budget last month. Uh, but just to go over quickly where we are, uh, we presented the preliminary budget in August and then state law requires us to have

002a 30-day waiting period before we present the final budget, which is what we're doing tonight. So, here's kind of a broad overview. Um we're starting with fund balance of 49.7 million. We're going to spend more than we take in this year. So a deficit of 1.3 uh and an ending fund balance of 48.3 million. On the revenue side, there were no changes from last month. Uh we had the revenues pretty dialed in. Here's where our money comes from. about three4s of it is local which is mostly property taxes and then some interest and then state about 20% and federal a smaller amount for the total revenue of 53.4 million. Uh and here is how it has changed from last year. The local is up uh mostly because of property taxes and then also some interest.

003Uh state is up a little bit, federal is down a little bit, but overall our revenues are up from last year, 2.6 million. On the expenditure side, there were just a couple changes from the preliminary um mostly uh salaries there. We hired a half position and then some supply changes. So expenses are 75,000 higher than we showed last month in the preliminary budget. And here is where our money goes. Um, of course, the biggest two categories are salaries and benefits. And then everything else is kind of spread around the other categories. Uh, total expenditures 54.8 million. And here are the numbers and how they changed from last year. Um, the biggest percentage change is in the capital item. um because we're doing the projects at Central Middle School, those happened in the summer and most

004of the bills are going to be paid um in this fiscal year. So re uh expenses 54.8 million up 4.4 from last year. So again the summary starting fund balance 49.7 million revenues 53.4 expenses 54.8 8 uh small deficit 1.3 million ending fund balance 48.3 million and that is all I have are there any questions? >> No. Thank you Jeff. As point of order I'd like to reverse the order of the budget hearing agenda and allow public comment on the budget before board discussion. Are there any object are there any objections from the board? hearing none, we will proceed with Jeff CH. He hearing none, we will proceed with public comment on the budget and then board discussion. If you'd like to comment, this is for the budget only meeting. We will have our regular

005meeting next. If you're interested in commenting on the budget, please um approach the podium. >> Seeing none, we will move on to board discussion. Is there any discussion? >> Can I have a motion to adjourn the budget hearing? >> I move to adjourn. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Secretary call the role. >> Bayner, >> yes. >> Nenza, >> yes. >> Dunlap, >> yes. >> Casper, >> yes. >> Hammerick, yes. Lloyd, >> yes. >> Barry, >> yes. [Music] Moving on to our regular board meeting. >> Secretary, please call the role. >> Boehner >> here. >> Dunlap here. Casper >> here. >> Hammerick here. Lloyd >> here. >> Barry >> here. >> Good evening and welcome to the District 146 September Board of Education meeting. As board president, I want to

006reaffirm our commitment to open comm communication and community involvement. We are pleased to have members of the public, staff, and students with us tonight. Your presence reflects the shared responsibility we all have in supporting the success of our schools. This meeting is being held to conduct the official business of the district. We value the opportunity opportunity to do so openly and transparently in the presence of our community. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the cruise PTO for inviting the board to their ice cream social once again this year and to the staff at Cruz for preparing the building for our super for our September meeting which has been held at Cruz for many years. We appreciate your efforts. I'd now like to move on to our superintendence report. >> Yes, thank

007you. Uh this is my report for September 8th. Um, >> we'll we'll get to the public comment in just a moment. This is the superintendent's report. I appreciate everyone's attention. Uh, the board has consistently responded to teacher concerns over the years. This demonstrates that the board values, supports, and invests in its teachers. The board surveyed teachers a couple springs ago. The teacher said they needed a basil. We ordered one right away. They said central needed updating. Phase one was completed this summer. These are just two examples. Um, I really can't think of a time when I asked for something for teachers that I didn't get get it uh 70 from this board. Um what we have now is a complicated um adult business issue that's going on and that is these competing interests of generosity

008and tax burden. Um the board is facing both sides of this discussion. Um taxpayers want great schools uh but they also want lower taxes. Teachers want to be paid more. The board hears both, understands both. The board is in the middle answering to both trying to find a balance between generosity, generosity and taxes already perceived to be too high by many homeowners. Um I just would like to ask um folks to consider how generous uh six and five sounds in that context. um those of on one side of this issue or the other um have the luxury of having a side um the board has to answer to both. And that said, 6% raises are unique. um on the comps that we've seen >> on all the comps that the district provided as well as

009those that the union provided. There was one district that offered 6% raises. It's very unusual. We offer 6% regardless because we value our teachers and investing them as an investment in our students and community. I can't understand, this is from my heart now. I can't understand now how 6% is being labeled as low and unfair. I just I I don't have any experience with that in my career. >> The economy. >> With regard to the calendar, we have three fewer days with students in chairs than 140 and four fewer than 135. This is a comp this is a complicated uh matter because there's more than one factor in that equation. We have these additional SIP days through a waiver with ISBY to focus on professional development. It gives us four additional SIP days. This results

010in less instructional days than our neighbors, but one more total day um for teachers and we believe that we've got the best trained, most prepared teachers in the area as a result. I'd like to ask um for respect, please. There will be a time for public comment where you're able to make public comment. Please keep your comments to yourself for now and let the superintendent finish his report. Thank you. >> We have the smallest class sizes in the area, the smallest case loads, the most support staff to student ratio, the smallest student teacher ratio. We do these things on purpose um because we think it makes the place better. Um consider that those things do however cost money. They also make it a great place for students to learn and a great place for teachers

011to work. This is my opinion, my report, my opinion. Um I believe it's a great place to work and I think those are some of the reasons why. Um I'm hearing some suggesting that that inflation has left our raises behind. um that's not mathematically accurate. In the past 10 years, our raises accumulate to 33 and 2/3% whereas inflation accumulates to 29.37. This includes the two years that CPI was uncharacteristically high. And our offer includes 6% against the next two CPI factors that have already been determined and they are 3.4 and 2.9. Um, and then in year three, 5% against a future CPI factor that no one knows yet. Um, I wanted to point out in the unions slides, um, I just want to make sure that we're talking about apples to apples because in in

012the competitor districts, I see a lot of 2004 or 24, 25, and 26. Um, so I want to just point out here when we had these really low inflation years in 20 and 21, what our raises were compared to those same U comps, and you'll see with the exception of District 117, um, ours were the highest. Now, to be fair, these were followed by um, years where our raises were lower than our neighbors, and that's one of the reasons why the board is offering 6%. But our salaries themselves remain um competitive when you look at it from a dollar a point instead of a salary amount. Now you'll recall maybe seeing these next two slides from um the board the district's um public posting and of course we look very good at the at the

013beginning of our salary schedule and I don't think anybody is um arguing that. Um, but keep in mind that districts who pay the employee portion of TRS have been adjusted. So, these numbers are all apples to apples comparisons. But I want to draw your attention to the second one because the number that you see struck out um in our slide that's on the Department of Labor website um has a number that's much higher than the number we found out to be the truth. And the reason is um we had no idea that district 140 had frozen their salary schedule for four consecutive years and given flat percent raises instead. Um keep in mind that the districts um have been adjusted one district 140's amount MA line six um is the equivalent of our year 10.

014If you've got 10 years of of experience in 140, you're in your fourth year in step six on their salary schedule and you're in step 10 of ours. Now, in that step six, they've received uh five and a half, five, four and a half, and four and a half raises in the last four years since. Um, but they've been on their current line of their salary schedule for four years. can't accurately explain why, but I I spoke with the superintendent, got to the bottom of it, and that's the fact. So, if we were to correct that slide, you'll see that, you know, they're still outperforming us in um your 10th year with a masters in the district, but it's not by the 10,000 that uh we initially thought. Here's another way of seeing it. There's

015a lot of numbers on this page, but if you go back through this um this presentation, which will be available to the public, you'll get a chance to look. This is just visually representing that um this is the fourth year of their freeze. So, their step six with those four raises I said earlier, four and a half, five, four or five and a half, five, four and a half, and four and a half um is the equivalent for our year 10 now. So, um, I didn't believe that either. That's why I reached out and got to the bottom of it. Um, so much so I didn't believe it that we misrepresented our slide on the public posting um, in a way that was detrimental to the the real 146 picture. So, I wanted to take

016a closer look at how we compare to our neighbors. And you'll notice that this just includes 135 and 140. I've eliminated the analysis from 142 and 145. No one is uh suggesting that that they out earn us at at any step or lane of their salary schedule. So just for the sake of uh clear clarity, um I've taken them out of this slide. I'm happy to do those comparisons if you want. There's a lot of information on this slide, but what I'd like to like to do is explain that if we adopted our neighbors salary schedules, if we just adopted those and used them for ourselves and placed our current teachers on on it, our salaries would cost the district $229,000 less with district 135 schedule and $90,000 less with district 140s. That's to say

017those schedules that they have currently, you wouldn't earn as much as you do um under our proposal in year one with the 6% raise. So, I'm going to I'm going to illustrate this a little bit differently. If you look farther to the right, you'll see the actual number of teachers who do better. And 65% of you would do better on our salary schedule than Orleans. And 140 is about 5050. And the actual number is 115 do better in 146 whereas 112 would do better on 140s. It's it's a dead heat um with regard to 140. And this is in year one of the proposed offer. So to look at it a different way, this is columns instead of steps. This is um um by education. And if you go to the right, basically the easy

018way to look at this is on this chart all the black numbers 146 is doing better and in the red numbers 140 or 135 is doing better. And the number that you see is by by how much. That's the quantification. So black lines we pay better, red lines they do. The number itself says how much better or worse. And this is in year one of our proposal after one six%. So what if instead you spent your entire career in another district and you went through the entirety of the salary schedule 146 versus 140. The black numbers again are the steps in which you would do better in 146 and the red ones are the steps in which you'd do better at 140. But what I'd like to do is draw your attention to the totals

019at the bottom. Whereas you would out earn 146 as a 140 person by my number is so small on my screen. It's a nominal amount. I want to say it was like 7,000. Um however, because we're better at the bottom of the salary schedule, if you look at the accumulation average for your TRS credible earnings and your annuity, you would actually do better in 146. So, we did the same comparison with 135 and you would actually do better in both ways with us. Um, you would earn 33,000 more through your time on our salary schedule and it would result in um a dramatically better annuity that would grow more and grow faster than um your 135 counterpoint or counterpart. So, you know, I I'm not saying this to to prove anything or to sway anybody.

020I'm just simply saying that when we analyze how we perform against our highest earners, this is this is the math. So, um I've I've just seen a lot of folks saying that they would do 10,000 better, and they got that probably from the slide that I wrote on the public posting. Um it turns out that that wasn't accurate. um step 10 with a mast's um you would do a little bit better in 140, but it's more in the neighborhood of 2,000 than 10. I want to point out the TRS penalties thing. There's a reason why um you don't see 6% or higher frequently in education raises and that's because you draw a penalty for TRS when you do that. So when we have to write checks to TRS, that's money that's not going to our

021students or to our teachers. And with regard to the retirement incentive, um almost all teachers retire when first fully eligible. When you're first eligible to get the maximum from TRS, that's when almost all teachers tend to retire. Their replacements tend to make less than they did in their last year. And this incentive is literally the way that we share those costs cost savings with the employee that created those conditions. Um some are suggesting that we deny the incentive that we don't want uh folks to uh stick around and I reject that. like our salary schedule goes to 38 and our neighbors go to 25 and 29 and you continue to get full raises here through step 38 and that's three years after you're eligible to retire and five years after you're eligible to retire if

022you've got a lot of sick leave. So in 135 their salary schedule ends at 25 and in 140 they end at 29. teachers in 135, they get longevity stipens once they get to the end of the end of the salary schedule, but they're not in amounts as impressive as steps on a salary schedule. Um, it's either 1,500 or 2,000. And you'll notice the the distance between those cells is much greater than that. And in district 140, you're just frozen at step 29. That's just your salary just doesn't grow anymore. Um T teachers may choose to take the incentive or continue working and get their normal raises down the sal salary schedule with no penalty, no reduction. The board would like to uh maintain this incentive as it is. Um and I just want to review

023the things that the board has conceded already in negotiations. And I I know these aren't your bread and butter, but if you read through this, there's quite a bit of gains here. 14 sick days each year versus 12 is substantial over a career, especially when you can sell the extras back at 100 instead of $50. Um $2,000 in lie of medical insurance. Um the bereavement days is pretty dramatic. Um we previously had bereavement days in the contract uh up to two days per year and then we had an employee who experienced loss twice in the same school year and we didn't have a mechanism for giving them additional leave and that was the motivation for um the increase. Now now it is per occur occurrence regardless of the number of occurrences that you experience and

024it's three days per occurrence not two days and not two days not you're not limited to two days in a year. Um so for this example, if the employee had experienced two losses in the same year, they could have taken up to three days um for either or for both events. Um and it would not affect their number of sick or personal days. There's other things on here, but I'm sure you're aware of it. Um I just wanted to draw everybody's attention to it so you know where we're coming from. And it it's quite obvious that um we're not perceived as uh generous by the crowd tonight. Um I just am trying to make the case for uh the generosity that um the board is trying to extend. Um 6% raises are um well they're

025they're unlike anything I've seen in my career. So um our salaries compare better to our neighbors and to CPI uh than the union suggests. The board wants our teachers paid well. That's why they've offered sixes, uh, higher than any raises I've seen in my career, higher than the raises in our comps or the union comps with one exception. Um, and this, in my opinion, is a generous offer. And that concludes the superintendent's report. >> Thank you. We are now going to move on to um citizens um can request citizens request to address the board. We'd like to welcome members of the public to address the board. Each speaker will have up to three minutes to share their comments. While the board does not engage in discussion during this portion of the meeting, please know that

026your input is valued and we will and will be considered as we carry out the work of the district. As you approach the podium, please speak into the microphone and state your name for the record and sign in. Each speaker is allotted three minutes and I will provide a verbal notice when 30 seconds remain. The board expects and appreciates courteous, respectful, and civil behavior from all speakers and attendees. Time cannot be transferred to another individual. When multiple individuals wish to address the board on the same subject, the group is encouraged to appoint a spokesperson to ensure that all voices are heard. We ask that the meeting proceed without disruptions such as clapping, cheering, or booing, and that everyone maintain a respectful and courteous environment. Thank you for taking the time to be here tonight. The

027floor is open. Hello. Is it on? Um, hi. My name is I'm very short. Sorry. Um, my name is Aaron Bradley and I'm the parent of two current and one f and one future District 146 students. My kids have had incredible teachers thus far, and I'm concerned that if the board does not act quickly to fairly compensate our educators, veteran teachers are going to leave, and new teachers will bypass this district in favor of others. The two salary scale comparisons the board has shared in their proposal are for a firstear teacher and a 10th year teacher. It's the 15 20-year veterans and beyond that I'm concerned about. Here's a salary chart I made. Um, thank you. uh that shows a teacher with 20 years of experience, a master's degree, and 32 extra hours of education

028with the board's proposed salary. Districts that the board has been using for comps are in blue. For districts with upcoming negotiations, I've kept their last agreed upon salary. And even if they get a 0% pay increase, they are still going to be making more. This is not good. And let's remember that the union's proposal is only 1 to 2% more per year. So, they're still not going to be at the top here. When the board underpays veteran teachers, they're probably hoping for one of two things. By the time a teacher has been with the district for 15 to 20 years, they're invested in their classroom, in their school, in the families they serve. So, even if they're underpaid, they'll stay anyway. Or two, if they do decide to leave, they'll be replaced with an early

029career educator who costs less. As a parent, I don't want that. I want veteran educators to stay in our district, not just to educate our kids, but to help guide the early career educators who do enter the district. The board has allowed the salary gaps for experienced educators to grow so wide that I worry many of them will consider going elsewhere, even with the hurdles to leaving. We cannot allow that to happen. As the union clearly outlined in their proposal, the district has surpluses for multiple revenue streams to cover the cost of the teachers proposal. The board has also made a point to threaten a double-digit property tax increase if the union's proposal is accepted. Let's be clear that a tax increase of that size would mean a multi-million dollar revenue increase each year to

030cover an additional cost that is only a few hundred,000 per year. To say that the union's proposal would be solely responsible for a tax increase of that size is an egregious misrepresentation of the facts and a scare tactic to influence taxpayers that the board well knows have already been hit with assessment increases. >> 30 seconds. >> If the raises the teachers are asking for look large, it is only because they are so appallingly underpaid. Now, even with the union's proposal, our teachers will not be even close to the highest paid in the area. They're barely going to break into the middle of the pack. When I hear my children's teachers say that this is what they need to make a living, I believe them. These are not greedy people. They are dedicated educators who are

031not only experienced but incredibly invested in their students. Their compensation needs to reflect the value they bring to this district. I'm asking the board as a taxpayer, a voter, and a parent to get back to the bargaining table and agree to a contract that pays our teachers what they deserve. [Applause] Thank you. >> Hello. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Jackie Prell. I have a very diverse and long relationship with 146. It's lasted over 15 years and growing. our children, Henry and Margot, and I started being active with 146 at by attending the Bridges program when Henry was three and Margot was a baby. Although Henry graduated high school last spring and Marggo's a sophomore in high school, we are still involved with 146 as Margot hosts the Fulton Cheer

032Club each year. This longevity is a testament to the indelible mark of this that the staff has left on my kids. I can't say enough about the love and inspiration, the opportunity and friendship that the teachers of 146 have shown our kids. That mark um didn't just hit my children. It also completely transitioned my career. I started subbing in 146 eight years ago. After almost a year of sporadic subbing, I was hired full-time as a parent professional at Fulton. It was a turning point for me that put me on a path to close my design business and become a teacher myself. Most teachers can tell you the name of a teacher that they had growing up that inspired them to be a teacher. I don't have that. Instead, I have a whole school. I saw

033the magic that Mrs. Peachy, Mrs. Ba, Mrs. Mendoza, Mrs. Clemens created each day. I saw the level of engagement and excitement for Mrs. Adams and Mr. Glaze presented every class I was in. I saw the creativity of how every teacher shaped the days for each and every child that walked in their rooms. I knew the Fulton staff was special because of my experience as a parent. But it wasn't until I had a peak behind the scenes as an employee that I had the proof of dedication, care, effort, creativity, and love that the teachers put into the children of our community. To the parents in the room, I'd like to directly tell you that there is more depth of character to the people that are helping shape your children than you realize. They put your kids

034first all day every day. They deserve your appreciation and your support. What they are asking for is not much compared to surrounding districts. To the board members and administration that are present tonight, your priorities should match that of the teachers. Put the kids first. That looks like a wellsupported, happy staff that wants to stay in your employee and looks forward to coming to work. It doesn't look like active campaigning against teachers that a couple of you have been doing um undermining school communities at undermining school communities that teachers work so hard to build. The district mission statement begins with the phrase collaborating together. That seems like an important phrase to exemplify moving forward and contract negotiations continue. I've had the opportunity to attend the big opening day presentations that you host. I've heard you compliment

035the greatness of the amazing folks that bring your school to life. Please don't show us that that's only lip service. Show us that this staff exactly what they're worth. A happy school is a successful school and you have the power to inspire that. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Anne Frederick. I have two children here at Cruz uh school. I want to begin by expressing that I along with everyone in this room deeply respect and value the hard work and dedication of our teachers. That said, it is possible to respect and appreciate our teachers while also questioning the specific salary percentage increase currently being proposed by the union. We must be mindful of the broader financial impact these decisions have on the community. First, I want to acknowledge the work and sacrifice that the school

036board members have made. These are our neighbors, our friends and parents of children in this district. And above all, they are volunteers. The union is asking for 7% raises each year for three years. That level far exceeds inflation and compounded over time creates costs the district cannot sustain without consequence. I would like to address a concern regarding the impact of salary increases on property taxes. In 2023, my total property tax bill amounted to $13,300. Of that, $6,100, or approximately 46% was allocated to District 146, making it the highest taxing district on my tax bill. The portion of my taxes allocated to District 146 increased by $1,500 compared to the prior year. This increase corresponds to a year in which teacher salaries rose by 3% annually. As a title one district, many families already struggle to

037make ends meet. While teachers do deserve fair pay, we must also protect the well-being of our community. Many residents work hard in low-wage jobs and are already stretched thin. That's why the board's offer is both competitive and responsible. This proposal is a significant step up and shows a commitment to teachers while respecting our community's limits. I would also like to address the recent social media campaigns against and the personal attacks against the board. I find this approach deeply troubling. Our board members are volunteers who are giving their time and expertise to make decisions that affect our children's education. They are not faceless bureaucrats. They are members of our community and the attacks on them, calling them out for being math challenged or somehow out of touch are shameful and counterproductive. These are professional individuals who

038are work to balance the needs of our teachers with the needs of the community. They are making difficult decisions, but they are doing so with the best interests of our students in mind. I would like to point out that two of our board members are educators. Three are married to educators. I want to be real clear. I'm not here to say our teachers don't deserve a fair wage. We all know that they do. But we also need to be honest about the long-term sustainability of the proposals on the table. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. Fair compensation for teachers, better educational outcomes for students, and a strong sustainable community. But a strike or the threat of one is not the way to move forward. It's a divisive tactic that

039hurts our kids, our teachers, and our community. I urge the union to reconsider framing this as an us versus them situation. The only way forward is through collaboration, working together in the best interests of our children, teachers, and the community. True progress requires open communication and a shared commitment to resolution. >> Yeah. Come on. >> Thank you. Good evening. I just wanted to take a brief moment to share some things to consider as to why so many of us have gathered here. Imploring you to support us in supporting our students. We are told many of the opening days each year and echoed in our professional development opportunities to remember our why. why we continue to choose to teach and nurture students to grow themselves and to grow their skills. I'd like to share behalf on

040many of my colleagues and some truly inspirational professionals as to our true why. At the core of why so many of us at our core is our why is the same as I assume as your own. I'd imagine you each serve on this board because you want to help build a quality community where students can and families can continue to thrive from good education. When you see your child come home with that light in their eyes and smile about how proud they are that they can read with greater command or are inspired by some science concept that opens their understanding to the world in a new way. Your heart, your peace, and your hope gets renewed in their passion. The teachers here today feel that same glow, that same fire, that same hope when we

041get to interact with students. And they get it. They show excitement and a new understanding about the world and how they fit in it. Our biggest joy is the connection that we get to feel sharing a growth experience with students when we get to imagine and discuss and create with our students. Each year I have the privilege to see students blow me away with how they can communicate, design, collaborate, and teach each other with the various topics that we get to explore. That's why we're asking you to consider what is best, not just for our sake. We support when you support teachers in the way we're requesting. It lets us hold on to our why. It allows us to nurture our love for the job and keep that fire that in us that lights up

042young imaginations and those conversations that leave students and educators changed. These pressures, excuse me. We know that this community and board are not blind to the pressures in education and the world. These pressures can be magnified for us. We ask that you help alleviate a little of what keeps us from the good stuff for these students. When the professionals here are well provided for, it frees our minds, our hearts, and our why to create and inspire. It leads to the amazing conversation, the projects uh the that bring our students a greater depth of knowledge, the experiential learning that gets students talking, smiling, and bringing stories home. We want more than anything to settle the discrepancies that brought this host here and get back to more creation, inspiration, and the magic connection that brought and kept

043so many in the career >> in service to our community. We do not show up each day out of greediness or some other motive society may wish to attribute to us. We show up to guide, support our students and continue to towards the goal this board shares. We want strong, well-prepared and inspired students that will go out to these communities and help them continue to flourish. These educators want to send back to families the students that bring that smile or light in their eyes of what schools have the power to do. So, please consider more deeply what we both hope for. Support students, support families, and support us in helping them. [Applause] >> Good evening. My name is Marggo Prell. I'm a sophomore student at Tinley Park High School. I attended Fulton Elementary School in

044Central Middle School. I grew up in District 146, and I'm happy to say it was the highlight of my life. Everything from meeting Sheldon the Turtle in kindergarten, math class with Mrs. Day, choir with Mrs. Dexter to spending time with Miss Crowley in the library in eighth grade was what made my childhood special. District 146 was my safe space, a place I felt heard, wanted, and happy. The teachers who made me feel this way deserve to also feel heard, wanted, and happy. Today, I ask that as the district board, you do your duty. Do what is best for the students. By not giving these faculty members what they deserve, the next generation of students will miss out on the opportunities I had. As a student who thrived in district 146, I would hate to see

045the people who made me flourish not get what they deserve. Thank you. [Applause] Um, good evening. My name is Roy Casada and just want to say a word to the gal who's up here who's also a part of the community and mentioned about collaboration. Collaboration only works when both parties are willing to work with each other. And when one party is willing to work and the other one during mediation is preparing media responses, that doesn't seem like collaboration to me. With that being said, my wife is Dr. Lisa Casado, who sits right over there. Been very supportive of her as well as all of our teachers. She's lived in this district for 20 years, and our children were brought up in this district 146. I'd like to take a moment to talk about how we

046value our veterans in this district, being me myself, a veteran. A veteran is someone who has dedicated their time to a cause in which they deeply believe. As a 29-year veteran teacher and a 20y year veteran of the district, my wife dedicated her time and energy to her students. She spent time furthering her education so our all of ours, including yours, excuse me. Sorry, I get a little emotional. so our district can benefit from best practices. She invested time in teaching students and attending their events. This often meant sacrificing time away from our own family. In six years, she will have to make the hard decision whether to retire or keep teaching and lose a retirement benefit that she earned over the course of 35 years, as well as all the teachers behind me. The

047current contract does not value veteran teachers. That's not opinion. That is fact. And that's countrywide. The district does not value veterans of any kind. Unfortunately, I don't know why. Well, kind of do. We show what we value by what receives our time, attention, and respect. My wife's great-grandfather was a veteran of World War I. Her grandfather was a veteran of World War II. Several of her uncles fought in Vietnam. Her brother deployed shortly after 911 and returned from a deployment. myself. I just returned from a deployment a couple of years ago. How does our district value those veterans? By taking away the one day aside to honor us and all of our veterans. There is no allowance for Veterans Day in the current calendar. The current calendar shows that our district does not value veterans.

048We show what we value through what receives our time and respect. It's time for the contract and calendar to reflect that respect. It's time to respect all veterans. Although I still have time, when I walked through this hallway, as all of you did, there was photographs of children and families and teachers rooms that are nicely decorated. >> 30 seconds. >> They do that out of the kindness of their heart. And they come in for free to do those things because they value you. None of you would be here >> because of if you didn't have educators. You wouldn't have your job. You wouldn't have yours if you didn't start with an educator. We all value our education and that's where our time and money should be invested the most. I am too a taxpayer and

049I don't mind investing in our children's education if that means for a better and greater future. [Applause] My daughter is a sophomore at Tilly Park High School. However, she >> grew. Oh, sorry. My name's Julie Wagger. Um, I've lived in Tinley Park 21 years. I have a 15-year-old. She's a sophomore at Tilly Park High School. She started her career here at Cruz when Memorial was having their expansion done. My daughter had speech praia. We came in through early intervention and my daughter received speech services from the time she was three until the time she was eight. When she was eight, she graduated to an IEP for academics. And she struggled, but the teachers at Memorial took the time. They listened to her. They valued what I had to say about her education. And we got

050her through it. She joined student council from third grade to fifth grade even during co. When she got to CMS, she joined builder's club and she found her voice. Miss Stokes, who is here, can attest to the fact that my daughter just she tried she tried her best and she worked really hard. She graduated in 2024 and at that graduation ceremon or actually at awards night she received the Maxine Gil service award. It was because of the teachers at Memorial and at Central. My daughter is now a sophomore. She ended her freshman year with a 3.41 GPA. because she learned how to study. She learned how to note. She learned how to pay attention. She learned how to an ask questions. She goes back and sees her teachers on open house. She goes back and

051see them for parent teacher conferences. She's in student council, pep club, and the key club at Tinley Park High School. Without teachers, she wouldn't be where she was. Ask her today what she wants to be. She wants to go to ISU and become a teacher. That's what they deserve. That is what they're asking for because they build the future. When you have a child who couldn't talk, who now wants to be an educator, who wants to be a teacher, that shows something about the teachers in this district. And every time we walked into CMS or into Memorial, they all the teachers knew every child. >> Every single child. You don't get that anywhere else. Please do what's right. Pay them for what they deserve. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, I'm Iman. Um, I'm a parent of

052three cruise bears and I'm going to keep it short. I'm going to keep the numbers and the math for the teachers to decide what they want and deserve all they're asking. What I'm going to speak about is the fact that every single one of you sitting before us um behind the mic has reached that position because of teachers. Not because of your parents, not because of your next door neighbor, but because of teachers. They taught you how to do all this fancy math you displayed in front of us. They taught you how to publicly speak in front of everyone and fight for what you believe is right. Yet you look them in the eyes right now and demean them. Tell them that they are unworthy of the growing demands of this economy. I will take

053out the food from my mouth and feed it to these teachers. You nor I can ever do do or put up with half the work and stress these teachers and staff go through. And let's be honest, the current co babies are now attending this year. And because you don't work inside a classroom, you'll never see the chaos that they're dealing with. And they're dealing with it with a smile on their face. Every single day, all this will be gone. You will be scrambling with finding new teachers, and you'll be dealing with parent complaints about the new teachers, the lack of experience, and the chaos that will accompany having to replace more than half the staff. I chose to buy my house in this location because I seen the school rating for Cruz was excellent. That

054was thanks to the teachers. Their work is what got that rating. Our children want to be able to to be standing where you are standing right now, having discussions and making fair salaries like you. Without these teachers, our kids lose that opportunity. That's all in your hand. Make the right judgment. [Music] [Applause] Hi, my name is Anne Gasevas. This is my daughter, Veronica Gasevas. Um, my children have both finished school here last year, Eveina and Veronica, and they went through Cruz and of course, Central. My husband and I are both educators. We've each been in education for 25 plus years. We moved into our house 21 years ago, years before we had our children. And despite our years in education, we just kind of assumed we moved into a good district and didn't do tons

055and tons of research. But boy, did we learn that we hit the jackpot. We could not have been more pleased. We went off to work every day and we never ever worried for a moment about our children. We are under no illusions that we raise our children on our own. Cruz staff and Central Middle School staff raised our children, too. And we are forever, forever indebted to them. We are indebted to the school board as well. We had no idea that a school board and staff could work together so well. When my older daughter was in second grade and Eveina was not yet in kindergarten, I was itching to get her into full day kindergarten and to reduce those daycare bills a little bit and came to a board meeting. And the board listened and

056responded, not in time for my daughter to get full day kindergarten, but they moved on it really fast and got it done that following year. So, this board, I think, has always been very, very responsive and very supportive. And as a parent, I'm appreciative of all those initiatives of small class size and and supporting our teachers and give them giving them what they need. As an educator, as a parent, as a clinician, a researcher, I know that the number one factor, the thing that makes the biggest difference is the teacher. That's it. It's the teacher. They're the reason kids want to come to school every day. And if you've ever had a teacher who's not so great, you know that they don't want to come to school when they don't have a good teacher. So

057I ask the board to continue working with our teachers to continue trying to figure it out because they're definitely worth it. If I had all the money in the world, I would give it to them because they are worthy of it. And I'm just going to let Veronica have the mic for a sec. Okay. Good afternoon. As previously stated, I'm Veronica Gase. I'm currently a senior at Victor J. Andrew High School. Um, at Andrew, there's a common miscon misconception that because we are the minority of Central Middle School, um, that Central is the worst middle school. And I can honestly say that that is not even remotely true. From the moment that I have stepped on Cruz's campus, I have been treated with nothing but the most positive and encouraging experience. And that would not

058have been possible without every single incredible educator that has stepped foot on these grounds. From Mrs. Hy in kindergarten to Mrs. Snoff in fifth grade to Mr. Norris and Mr. Journey in eighth grade math. I have been um nothing but inspired and encouraged to strive past my full potential and I have been provided the basis to exceed the requirements of all of my AP classes. Um these teachers have given me nothing but the best and they deserve every single additional dollar that you can give them. Thank you. [Music] Hi, my name is Allison von Borsttol and I am the child of a proud teacher who has been in the district for over a decade. I have seen firsthand that the dedication and the and the love that the teachers have in this community is boundless.

059We have heard earlier today that the majority of this board is not made up of educators. Some don't even have children in the district. So I can only assume as volunteers you generously and genuinely want to do what's best for both the students and the teachers. And yet the reality is that this board is using scare tactics by bringing up increase in taxes. I work as a data scientist by trade and I've looked over the public data. The reality is that you can meet the teachers asks today. The reality is that many teachers in this district in this building need to work multiple jobs. The reality is what you're proposing is disrespecting veteran teachers by telling them after decades of service there's the door. If they continue working they will lose benefits. In short, the

060reality is simple. You have the means. They have the support. Listen to the teachers. Thank you. [Applause] Okay. Make sure you guys could hear me because I'm very tall. Uh my name's Ashley Patrick. I'm a mom of three at Memorial. I wasn't going to talk today, but after seeing the room, I felt compelled to. And if the teachers here know me, they know I don't keep my mouth shut for anything. I think it's abs absolutely ridiculous yet beautiful that we're all here tonight to show support for the teachers. We shouldn't have to be here begging for them to be compensated the way that they need to be. I'm here to support the teachers that have supported my family so many times. I'm a special needs mom. When my child first came to Memorial, she did

061not speak. As a matter of fact, she was at a private school and they broke us. They told me my child wasn't ready for school. They made me feel like a bad parent. There was days I literally left and cried in my car. I took her to Memorial and they said, "Let's give it a try and see what happens." And it was a 360 turn. My daughter's in first grade. She's reading at a second grade level and she doesn't shut up now. I've literally watched these teachers spend time outside of the classroom calling to support my family, checking in, making sure we're okay, spending their own money to show the kids that they appreciate them. I even often joke with the principal, I think these teachers deserve more money. But little did I know I'd

062be standing up here asking you to give the teachers more money. I really learned the support of the teachers when my niece came to live with us last year. I have two children by birth and my third child that's at Memorial was adopted last year after my sister-in-law suddenly passed away. My niece came to the school in the last six weeks of school and almost every teacher in that school welcomed her, got to know her story and let her know she was welcomed here. They also encouraged me to be involved and join the PTA. I think it's absolutely ridiculous that our teachers, the one that we trust every day to help mold our kids, have to beg for more money to be compensated in the way they deserve. To the teachers here, thank you for

063all that you do. Thanks for being there for my kids and all the kids. You deserve to be compensated to live comfortably and not work a second job. You deserve to retire on your own accord without telling the board when you should retire. You deserve to be compensated just like your peers on the other side of Harlem. To the school board, I'm just going to say do better. These are the people that we trust with our kids. Not only for the teachers, but do better for the kids and the future of the community. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Eddie Samara. I am a parent of two student students here at Cruz and I graduated from this very building 20 years ago. Several of my former teachers are in this very room right

064before me and I appreciate you all. I love you all. As a minority student 20 years ago, there wasn't many places that I felt like I belonged. But one of the few places that I did feel seen, supported, and included was right here among the teachers at Cruz and all of 146. Their compassion, dedication, and genuine care left a lasting impression on me, the kind that every student deserves to experience. That's why when it came to ex choosing a school for my own children, there was no question I wanted them to be here in district 146 learning from the kind of educators who once believed in me and gave me the support that I always needed. These teachers are our students, educators, counselors, caregivers, and often their stability and security. We entrust them with their

065lives. I now ask you that we do right by them. Please give these educators the fair pay they deserve because their impact goes far beyond the student the classroom far than you'll ever know. Further than you'll ever know and I just want to add that everybody rushing to the podium is a testimony to the love in this room for the teachers. So thank you. [Applause] Uh my name is Gina Hullbrook. I have three children. Uh, one that's gone through the district. He's at Tinley um, high school now and I have one at Central, one at Memorial. Um, I am going to be sharing on behalf of Leanne Field. She prepared something but couldn't be here. So, um, I'm going to read on her behalf. Um, my name is Leanne Field and I grew up in

066Tinley. My mom taught in district 146. My kids, husband and I and my three children enrolled in uh, Memorial and Central. After living in the DC region for many years, we relocated in 2021 and enrolled our then two elementary A-aged boys at Memorial. Their school transition was seamless, largely because of their teachers. Both teachers made them feel comfortable, discovered their talents, and encouraged them in unique ways. When my younger son's teacher noticed his aptitude for math, she kept him engaged by writing advanced problems on the back of his worksheets. She proactively arranged a conference with us when he faced challenges and worked with the social worker to put into place a plan for him to succeed. She showed up to all of his baseball games, soccer games. We saw her at fields and courts all

067over town cheering on any student who shared the schedule. Um, and she could name at least a handful of other uh district 146 teachers that also uh went that far and went to all their games. And she said, 'When I asked her if she needed any extra supplies to finish the year, she opened her classroom drawers full of pencils, markers, glue sticks, etc. said, 'I stock up on my own during the sales time so I don't have to bother the parents throughout the year. And this teacher, who was just a few years into her career at the time, made $51,000 in 2021, and she bought her own supplies. This teacher has since earned her master's degree working outside the school hours for years while she attended her students soccer games, baseball games, etc. According to

068public record, her 2024 base salary plus additional benefits was now 62,590. And it turns out that's about average for the district 146 teachers last year. Uh other favorite other favorite teachers, their 2024 salaries clocked in at 70,000, 76,000, 62, and 64,000. Let's look at Tinley Park instead of looking at neighboring school districts to get a better picture of how well we're paying our teachers in relation to our community. According to the latest data on census.gov, the 2023 average household income in Tinley Park for a family with one working member was 100,220 and the median was 85,882. >> For that same data source, 38% of the Tinley Park residents over the age of 24 have a bachelor's degree or higher. So, by contrast, 100% of District 146 educators have earned a bachelor's degree. To put that

069into perspective, the cost of living says the cost of saying yes to our teachers about half of the cost of what it will take to pave Central Middle School's parking lot. Let that part sink in. The benefit of saying yes, however, is a restoration of trust, a sense of respect, and a step in the right direction to show how much we value some of the most important people in our children's lives and in our community. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Adam. I'm a resident at Tinley Park. I've been a resident of the district for over 15 years, and both my children attended and graduated from district schools. We all love our teachers. We recognize how challenging their jobs can be, and we all want the best resources for our children. However, I

070think most Americans would be thrilled to receive the district's 6% salary increase offer, but unfortunately, most of us won't see anything like that in our own jobs. We'd all love to see teachers, and everyone, frankly, make a lot more money. But someone's got to pay for that. It's common and convenient for people to blame the county or the village for high property taxes. But that's also completely false. I encourage everyone to look at their annual first installment property tax bills as it provides a very nice breakdown showing where your tax dollars actually go. And the hard truth is that the majority of it goes to our local school districts. As an example, my total property taxes went up 32% last year with the reassessment, but somehow District 146's portion went up 34%. This shows that

071the district increases its levy at a faster pace than other taxing bodies. District 146 alone accounted for over 39% of our tax bill. That's considerably more than the high school and community college districts combined. The property tax levy increases approved by this district every year are chasing away homeowners and businesses and are completely unsustainable. Just because school districts are allowed under state law to increase their levies by 5% or the rate of inflation every year without approval from the voters doesn't mean that they should. Now, according to information the union has published, the district is flush with cash and shouldn't really have to increase the levy to grant the request. That's not what the district states. If the union is correct, what is the district doing with all this supposed extra funding? What is it

072being spent on? seems like there's a serious discrepancy between the two negotiating parties on what the district's actual financial position is. I think getting to the bottom of that is key to negotiations that should be looked into and resolved. Bottom line, I'm in support of the board not continuing these outrageously large increases in the property tax levy. If that means in part spending less on building upgrades and holding the line in contract negotiations, that's what I'm for. [Applause] Hi, my name is Jennifer Wolf and I am the president of the PTA at Memorial. I am an alum of Memorial and CMS and my own kids have attended school in the district since 2013. Over the years, through my roles in PTA as a parent and as a frequent volunteer in the school, I've gotten to

073know a lot of the teachers, some of them quite well, and I've gotten the opportunity to witness firsthand the time and care that they put into the classrooms and into each student. My children have been lucky to have teachers that have nurtured their academic growth, their emotional well-being, and their character. My son Ree was a part of the pre-K program at Memorial due to his speech issues. He also had childhood aroxia of speech. He worked with Miss Sarah Cersei from day one and she gave him the verbal tools he needed to express himself. It reduced some of his frustration and it led him to be the happy and curious boy I knew him to be. He passed away later that year and I can tell you that time that I had with him was invaluable.

074During co as all of you know it was a peculiar effort to put the remote learning plans in place beyond the bare minimum. Our teachers recognized the need to develop enrichment opportunities wherever they could find them. Mrs. Vambborl spent hours with my daughter Maisie on projects to complement her remote learning curriculum. She didn't have to do this, but she made sure that every child who wanted and needed that connection got it. My son Griffin can experience some testing anxiety and so he doesn't always have the best test scores. But his teachers know that he and other students are more than just a test score. They always try to put our kids in the best situation to succeed. And we should at least try and do the same for our teachers. Our educators are not just

075instructors. They are mentors, role models, counselors, and sometimes the most consistent support system students have. A lot of them go above and beyond every single day. And yet, their compensation doesn't reflect the weight of the responsibility we place on their shoulders. The request for fair raises isn't just reasonable, it's necessary. It's an investment in retaining the highquality professionals who shape the minds and futures of our children. Without competitive pay, we risk losing talented educators to other districts or worse, out of the profession entirely. Investing in a teacher's ability to build confidence and instill a love of learning is lifelong and it will continue to pay dividends in our community for decades to come. We say we value education. Let's show it by valuing our educators, not just with praise or pizza parties, but with pay

076and competitive benefits. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Amy Golden. Um, I am a district alum, so I went to Fulton, Sandage, and Central decades ago. Uh, my mom was actually on the school board under Dr. Junior back in the uh 80s when I was in grade school and she ran because she wanted to support teachers. Both of my parents were lifelong educators. I come from a family of educators and I myself just started my 27th year of teaching high school English. I'm also a member of the IFT and support my IF siblings. Um but most importantly, I'm a parent to two children who have gone through 146 schools. Um one is now a freshman at Andrew and the other just started at CMS after they spent years at Ferick. Um, we moved to

077our house because we wanted to be in 146. Literally, I live on Ridgeland around the corner from Feric across the street does not go to 146. We chose our house specifically because of that. And both Ferick and CMS teachers have surrounded my boys not just with amazing education, but also real care, care, concern, and love. And you can feel it. I also, my oldest, went to a private um preschool and it was very clear that the teacher there did not like him. Um I have never felt that from anybody in 146 despite the fact that my children lovely, amazing, very gifted, very challenging. All right. And so so many of the people in this room have worked with them and they know um but they have are amazing. They have always communicated with us. Um

078the amount of work that they put in to help our children is impressive. I still remember during COVID at the very beginning when we were all just had no idea what was going on. I actually counted and I I just looked up the email that I sent to Dr. Stwick in April of 2020. 19 different educators had contact like with my children in one week and we weren't even on like an away time, right? This was like April of 2020 when they had just gotten sent home with like uh here's a Chromebook, have fun. And one of them was in kindergarten and the other was in third grade. Um, postcoar COVID is also hard. Like I'm seeing the kids, you know, as high schoolers who were who were like the same age as my children.

079Um, but they these teachers do so much work to go with them. Um, they have been helping our kids academically and emotionally. Um, and they deserve to be respected. They deserve to be listened to. They deserve to be paid fairly. um multiple amazing teachers who have worked with my kids have disappeared from the district in the last few years. And that's interesting, you know, and and when you kind of ask behind, a lot of it has to do with pay because those teachers who are at the at the far end of that salary schedule are not making what they should be. Um the statistic that over 50% of district 146 teachers have to work a second or third job, it actually it nauseates me. the amount of time that they have to put in just

080to do their first job. There's no reason that our educators should have to take on a second job. That is just absolutely ridiculous. They need to be paid fairly. Please do the right thing here and compensate them fairly. Thank you. [Applause] >> My name is Leslie Peterson. I'm a taxpayer and a resident of Orland Park. I attended district 146 schools. My father served on the board of education. My mom taught in the district and my children also attended 146 schools. This is one of them, Sarah Peterson. Both as a child and an adult, I have watched the district go through many growing pains and changes. the building of two open school concept schools, Cruz and Furk. Additions to the old central mobile units at Sandage when there wasn't enough room and the building of the

081new central which during the planning had an impact on my parents and my family in a very personal and hurtful way. It has been my honor and pleasure to substitute teach both daily and in multiple leaves of absence in the district for 24 school years. And during that time as a parent and a substitute, I have witnessed firsthand the dedication of district 146 teachers. In the years we have lived in Orland Park, I have not seen my property taxes decrease. And in the period between 2020 and 2023, my tax my taxes just for district 146 increased 28%. Teachers aren't just working the designated school hours. They are working before and after school as well as on weekends. As a substitute teacher, I'd challenge all of you to go in and sub for a day or

082two. maybe then you'd have a better understanding of what these teachers in front of you go through on a daily basis. As a taxpayer, knowing my taxes would increase, I ask you to vote to support the teachers request. I'd rather that than to see another unnecessary skylight installed in a media center. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Haley Refe and I am currently an eighth grade ELA teacher at Central Middle School. This is my ninth year teaching and my fourth year at District 146. I'm here today to speak on behalf of my colleagues and myself and to remind the school board who you are referring to in your social media posts and when you talk use the words such as weak, lazy, and greedy to describe us to the community. First, I would like

083to address the word greedy. Personally, I currently host or co-host more than four clubs, two extra duties, serve on three committees, and never turn an opportunity opportunity to create meaningful, worthwhile experiences for CMS in District 146. Although these responsibilities keep me very busy, I continue to step in whenever a colleague or an administrator is in need. Whether it's supervising Saturday detention, covering classes during my valuable plan periods, assisting with events such as Central Got Talent or Math Leads, or volunteering at charitable athletic concessions. To call me dedicated is an understatement. If greed were truly my motivation, I would devote more time to the three side jobs I had to take on as a single woman to make ends meet, such as Instacart, Uber Eats, and private tutoring, so I can still devote my time to

084my students. Despite being a trained professional with two degrees, one of which is acknowledged on your pay scale. Why do I still do it? For my students, of course. And the reality is I am just above one teacher who makes these kind of sacrifices. Pretty generous of us, I'd say. Second, I would like to address the word lazy. There's nothing lazy about teachers who choose to teach summer school or dedicate their summers to fine-tuning curriculum instead of prior prioritizing their own families. There's nothing lazy about teachers who change the grade levels just weeks before school begins, smiling through the challenge because it's what's best for kids. There's nothing lazy about creating welcoming, safe, and inspiring classrooms in a week's time so students feel excited about learning. There's nothing lazy about sacrificing personal times with fa

085friends and family to give life-changing experiences on trips like Six Flags, Springfield, and Washington DC. trips that my colleagues and I helped organize and trips that your children went on, Mr. Lloyd and Mrs. Haick. And I'm sure if you asked them, they would tell you they had a great time making lifelong memories with their teachers. How unique and kind of us. Lastly, I would like to address the word weak. We are not weak for knowing our worth, standing together, and asking you to recognize what we bring to District 146 in this community. This is the very lesson we teach our students every day. We would never tell them they are weak or unworthy. Instead, we would encourage them to reach for the stars. It does not take a weak person to dedicate their life to

086students only to return home to see their character and values publicly questioned. On the contrary, it takes a strong person to continue showing up, to look you in the eye, to speak on it at board meeting, and to keep doing the work we were meant to do, helping kids achieve their best. It is my sincerest hope after tonight we all remember what truly matters, the kids. >> Supporting trained, qualified educators and ensuring they are valued and cared for is what is best for students. I am confident if you ask our students, they'll tell you what we deserve. We are not your problem. We are your solution. And in my heart, that makes sense. [Applause] >> Hello, I'm Luciana Valfrey. >> Uh, and I'm Vivian Luc. We are current students at Central Middle School. We have

087heard that you've been saying our teachers are lazy. What classrooms have you been in? I personally have never seen you. Your words are wrong and disrespectful, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. The teachers The teachers take time out of their day to help us. Waking up at 5:00 in the morning to go to a track conference that didn't end till 3:00 in the afternoon just to be there to help and support. We would like to thank our past and present teachers, Miss Refe, Miss Marinelo, Mr. Miho, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. V, Miss Meadows, Miss Janatada, Miss Wrote, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Cupchek, Miss Dubc, and all the other teachers that have impacted our lives. We thrived with their teaching, and they deserve to be heard. My teachers have helped me, Lucy, and so many other students

088become the best they can be. I watch with my own eyes how hard these teachers work. They may deserve way they deserve way more than what they are receiving. Treat them how they deserve to be treated. >> Thank you. [Applause] Hi, I'm Michelle Hug Heminger. My kids are junior and senior in high school now, but they still bring up memories all the time about their years at Fulton and Central. I was telling them what's happening with the teachers contract and that I planned to attend this meeting to hear what was going on tonight which prompted a bunch of memories to come pouring out. They talked about Mrs. Secor and how kind she was. The kids knew she cared about them and respected them as people, not just little kids. The times she brought her whole

089family to support one of them at the district spelling be and how much that meant to them. They talked about Mrs. day, who my son fondly called his math mom. She saw that he needed a different approach to give him what he needed and she she came up with a plan and made it happen despite the extra time and effort out of her daily schedule. And they talked about Mrs. Turillis back in first grade who differentiated kids in her class beyond what seemed reasonable for one person to do, but she did it to make sure that everyone got what they needed for reading skills and challenges. And they laughed as they both recalled the looks method. And I said, "What is the looks right method?" They said, "Miss Turillis taught us all of the spelling

090rules, but they explained that sometimes you just need to take a step back, put all the rules aside, and do what looks right in spelling and in anytime you're stuck. You do what you feel is right." So, as I sit here today listening to all of the details about the contract negotiations, all of the rules that need to be followed in applying schedules of pay, the pros and cons of different approaches to handling this problem that we're all trying to solve and and get to a solution where everyone is happy. I can't think but think that the teachers are the people who identify the needs in our kids, figure out creative ways to give them what they need on a daily basis beyond math and reading. They're also teaching them to be good people, how

091to get along with others, how to have empathy, how to have a growth mindset, and how to stay safe in an emergency. So, all I can think is this is one of those times where even though this is a complex problem and there's not a simple solution, maybe we need to take a step back and think about what Miss M Trillis taught my kids in first grade. What what looks right here? We're stuck. So, what feels right? What's the right thing to do? So when you take a step back and apply this simple rule, it seems obvious to me that we need to figure out a way to adjust salaries up to a competitive level with other districts so that we don't lose the amazing experienced teachers that we have in our district to other

092districts who would be thrilled to have them. And I'm confident in our board. I know you want what's best for our district and that you will figure out how to make it happen. [Applause] I don't know if this will help at all. >> Please state your name. >> Um I I've lived and um I was a real estate broker here in um this district for the last 40ome years. And um what I can tell you is that uh everybody complains about their taxes. uh that's not new. They don't complain about the way the real estate values have escalated. Um and and and what the buyers look for, one of the things that the buyers are always looking for if they come into the real estate office uh and if they if they're parents, they're looking

093for a good school district. I don't know if that helps anybody, but it it's a factor that that really um affects uh your property values. [Applause] >> Hi, my name is Hi, my name is Melissa Sans. Um I worked today. My husband has two jobs. He's at his second job right now. I'm playing single mom to three kids. So, I just want you to know that I'm all exhausted and I'm tired and it was that important to be here today. When my husband and I moved into our house, unfortunately, we didn't do the research about the school district. We were just young and dumb, but we got very, very lucky. So lucky. I have one proud graduate of Fulton and Central. I also still have Oh gosh. I still have a child at Central and

094one at Fulton. To say that the teaching staff, the teachers and staff were only that would be a lie. They have become so much more. Their extra parents, their aunts and uncles, their mentors. I have seen these wonderful teachers at sporting events, at plays, at dance recital. They invest in these kids way past the contract that they're even doing when they're graduated from these schools. I'm asking you guys to invest in them. I know that you guys are all volunteers up here, but if you knew anything about me, I'm pretty much a career volunteer. >> I'm at all the schools whenever I'm needed. I've sat on the band boards. I do whatever it is to see who are the people around my children because I worked at a job where there were kids that were

095not invested in. They're products of the Department of Corrections. They're they're in DCFS. This is not a route that we want to do to take people that care about our children away from our children. My children have gotten a great education at 146. So much so that they are in the accelerated classes. My daughter, who is a freshman at Tinley Park, is currently in an honors math 2 class. And I'm sad to say that one of the teachers that got her there is no longer with us because he was offered a better opportunity somewhere else. So, my daughter, who will be going into 8th grade accelerated math next year, won't have that same teacher. And that scares me. You guys are talking about the amount of money now. What about when our children are older

096and they're taking AP classes and they're taking these college dual credit classes and they're saving us money, then it's not all about the money right now. And in reality, it's not about numbers at all because at the end of the day, most of these numbers will not be remembered. But what will be remembered is how you made people feel. [Applause] Hi, my name is Rudy Host. Uh I am a uh member of the Memorial School PTA. Uh I'm starting now my third year uh working beside all the teachers at Memorial. Um, in my time working with them, I've noticed that these are the kindest, most hard-working, passionate individuals that I've ever had the experience of working alongside. Everything that they do is in the interest of our children. I have a question for all of

097you. How many of you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet? I imagine that uh if you have the time to volunteer, not too many of you. None of these teachers deserve to have to work two or three jobs. It's just not fair for the amount of work that they do. And also on the topic of how much they're going to make if they stay here for the whole career, I'm a young person now. Well, maybe not as young as I I used to be, but uh my generation and the generation the generations after me have all come to the conclusion that we're not looking at an organization for our entire career. There's no raises internally. That encourages us all to jump ship and go somewhere else. All it takes is investment into

098your into your employees, your teachers, your community, and the talent stays. I'm just asking you to do what's right, to respect these teachers, and do what you need to do to make sure that the talent stays here. Thank you. [Applause] I'm Mary Day. As a teacher, I thank the families of our district, especially Fulton's. This is my 15th year there and every year has had true partnership at with families to provide the best for our kids. Whether it be the unified actions of the Fulton PTO or individual actions, our schools are better because of you. Thank you. I was also a district parent for 11 years. I thank the teachers, especially those from Cruz and CMS where my kids went. My kids, now men, continue to light up like 21-year-old kindergarteners when they see their

099former teachers. Your impact lives on as your grown students venture into the world. Our world is better because of you. Thank you, teachers. But the dis but the district role which I have held longest is one that many of your employees hold. It is the voting and taxpaying resident which my husband and I have been for 22 years. Property taxes have great greatly increased in that time. But we know that the majority of property taxes are fed to our schools. We see our taxes as an investment in the staff and children of our community and therefore an investment in our home. Because strong schools directly correlate with strong property values. We understand that it takes seasoned educators to sustain strong schools. So, we have always expected almost 80% of our district tax dollars to go

100to teacher salaries. But just as after you last negotiated teacher salaries in 2020, the economy changed, resulting in a much lower percentage of our district tax dollars going to teacher salaries ever since. When adjusted for inflation, I am making nearly $12,000 less than I was 5 years ago. So, we question why after five years of paying inferior salaries, the board still is not yet making the commitment to the community and its educators to strengthen the sustainability of our schools to attract and retain highquality educators to begin to fill this gap that has grown since 2020. The money already exists. We have been paying our taxes at a higher rate than raises have been paid. The property taxes that I paid last year increased more than 19% while teacher raises sat at 3%. Surplus is evident.

101Isby recommends having one year of cash on hand. Yet, our district is holding double that. Why is double the recommended amount of taxpayer money being held? It was said at your last meeting that the district is getting nearly $2 million raised in property taxes because of the abatements rolling off, meaning our taxes are greatly increasing again this fall. So, not only does that money already exist, it is clearly going to continue. The community has been paying and will continue to. So, please use the money as expected for the educators in order to secure our schools and property values. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Renee Benadetto and I want to share my perspective not just as an educator but as someone who has dedicated my life to the classroom to showing up every

102single day for my students for the last 33 years and has dedicated over two decades to this district in many positions. As a former one district 146 math specialist, I will let the numbers do the talking. 299. the number of days I accumulated as sick days. I could have stepped back, taken time for myself, gotten the knee replacement I so desperately need, and no one would have questioned it. But instead, I chose to put my students first to be there to teach, to inspire, and to guide. $40,000, the amount of money and substitute pay I saved the district by showing up every day. This is money kept in our schools. money that should stand as proof of my dedication. Unfortunately, the way our retirement policies are structured, that dedication feels more like a penalty than

103a reward. The contract requires teachers to make lifechanging decisions the first year they are eligible for retirement. For me, that meant stepping away earlier than I was ready mentally, emotionally, and financially. If I chose to continue teaching, I would have lost out on thousands of dollars in pension benefits each year. 22. The number of years I have received excellent ratings in district 146. I am still passionate, still capable, and still ready to serve. But instead of being valued, I was pushed to the sidelines. Here's the reality. Under TRS, teachers can save 176 days equal to a year of service. Instead of being recognized as loyalty, those days create complications in District 146's retirement eligibility timeline. The district offers retirement incentives, but only if teachers retire at the first year they are eligible. That means between

104choosing continuing their lifelong career during a teacher shortage, no less, or giving it all up prematurely to secure benefits. Board members, these policies send a difficult message. They tell experienced, high-erforming educators, educators with decades of excellent ratings, that we must either step aside before we are ready or risk losing what we have rightfully earned. >> I want to emphasize that this is not just about me. This is about ensuring that our district does not unintentionally drive good teachers out of the classroom at a time when we face a nationwide teacher shortage. Calling these restrictions incentives does not make them so. Not when they force people into retirement before they are prepared. Please, I ask you to stop calling this an incentive when it feels like a punishment. Enough with policies that force out great teachers

105when schools are in crisis and students need us most. enough with undervaluing the very people who face the future. This is not about benefits. This is about respect. So today, I call on you to take a hard look about these policies and ask, are we honoring the teachers who have given us the best or are we driving them away when we need them the most? I choose to believe we can do better for teachers, for students, and for the future. Thank you. [Music] Hi. Hi. I'm Laura Syler, a teacher for 27 years. All of them in district 146. District 146 is my work family. When people ask what do you do for a living, I've always been proud to say I'm a teacher. I have so many memories so far. I've celebrated successes in and

106outside of the classroom, graduations, weddings, baby showers with staff with students. I've also cried with staff on 911 and consoled students the very next day. I cried with my co-workers at the funerals of a few teachers and sadly a few students. This district is my work family. But recently looking at the salaries of teachers in surrounding districts with the same years, I realized how undervalued some members in our family are. But not only salaries, it's also about TRS being paid. Many districts do that for their teachers. Ours does, but only for administrators, not for the teachers. Administrators in district 146 have 100% of their TRS paid. Teachers have 0%. When your family undervalues you, it hurts. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. Um, my name is Matt Nelson. I've been teaching here in District 146 for

10716 years. Um, before I read what I wrote, just from the updated numbers, I'd be making over $8,000 more if I was working in District 140 right now today. I can't really believe that I'm here needing to advocate for one of the most admirable admirable professions that we call teaching. But here we are and ultimately I know now that this is precisely our passion for our craft has strengthened. Now I'd like to speak directly to the board. I have personally taught a total of four of your children. I watched them continue to blossom and grow right here at Cruz. Even after they left my classroom, I've continued to be involved in their lives and still work to be a positive influence for them because that's what good teachers do. Our work is never done. If

108you want to put a price on that, our salaries should be much more than what the union of teachers is asking for. This experience has already been extremely taxing on all the teachers spirits. I pray that they'll have the strength to carry out the year the way they usually do. Soon, it will become a challenge for all the students and families as they will not receive the proper education that they deserve. Here's the good news. You still have a chance to do what is right. However, the window is closing. I wouldn't pass it up. Teachers are some of the very most forgiving people you will ever meet. If you value our children's futures, then you must invest in education. And investing in education means paying educators what they deserve. Thank you. Good evening. I am

109Trisha Hankoski and I am the media center director at Fork Education Center. But I have been a proud proud employee of District 146 for almost 19 years. I wasn't sure that I was going to speak this evening, but I want to thank everyone for showing in support. It's been tremendous to see everyone come together and as Matt before me just mentioned, the unity is really um just so encouraging and just a beautiful thing among all of our colleagues and the support of the community. Thank you for all of you who have spoken on behalf of the teachers and of course, thank you for being here this evening. I um came from nothing and always thought that education is everything. And a part of that was finding my way in spite of the years that I

110was working here and um figuring out how I could afford to live in district 146. Um I made it everything I could to um find a place to live so that my children could attend here. And the reason that I did that was because of how much I believe in this district and the people that work here. There are a number of people here from Memorial who made a huge difference in my daughter's life and a tremendous amount of people here from Central Middle School who had a wonderful impact. My children are freaking fantastic humans and I'm so proud of them every single day and I love that they're out in this world and all of that is because we invest in them with all of our love and that was what I knew would

111come to them from the people here at District 146. I sent letters to the teachers saying, "My my little baby, he's going to be a seventh grader and he's only been in a tiny tiny private school. Please take care of him." They were probably like, "Who is this mom that's sending a letter like this?" Like, we don't have a hund and some other kids. But I knew that they would nurture and I knew that they would look out for them and I knew my children would thrive. And that is what everyone here who is standing before you asking to be shown appreciation and valued and not have to balance everything that they can with this the low wages. I'm not here to talk about how I have a second job and how my salary is

112abysmal. Even though while working here all these years, I've gotten two degrees and um immense amounts of student loan debt. I'm here to celebrate my colleagues because they are all incredible and so deserving. Thank you. All [Applause] right. I don't know much about this situation at all. Uh, my name's Chanel. I go to CMS. I'm an eighth grader. [Applause] >> I was an immigrant and I moved here to the US when I was in first grade. And my first school was District 146. So, I didn't know I didn't know English a lot, but the teachers here, they were so patient with me and they helped me understand what everyone was saying. And now, like I got into enriched DLA, so [Applause] [Music] So that proves that like they just work so hard and they deserve

113like everything. And in seventh grade I was like really depressed but they still help me through school just one day at a time. And it shows that they're so supportive and that they deserve more than what you guys give them. Yeah, they they they're just awesome. They deserve everything. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I'm short so I know I'm Lori Kaiser. I am a currently a second grade teacher at Fulton. I've been in this district um for I think 25 years now. I actually came to this district from another district and for many years I actually surpassed the salary scale of my colleagues in my previous district. I know that I'm actually making probably good money because I'm finally at the years. However, I think I'm a little oblivious to what other people make. My family has

114seen the dedication. My husband probably knows I don't come home on Friday till at least seven. My kids know that I wasn't around all the time because I was at school. During COVID, I turned classrooms into homes. I know Mrs. Melissa said that. I've dedicated my life to profession of teaching. My mom is an educator, so I'm the second generation. I'm proud to say that I have a third generation in the crowd right now as a fifth grade teacher. I have another daughter who's currently in college. I had kids later in life. My husband traveled and I before kids, but I never thought that buying back my years from my sick time would actually hurt me in the long run. I never actually probably paid attention to the retirement piece when people said, "Oh, when

115are you retiring?" I said, "After Holly graduates." I said, 'Th that's three years. Little did I know that when I started reading all the things and it said, 'W whoa, the first time you have to retire is at the age of 55 and when you have at least 35 years. When my kids were sick, I barely had sick days. Now I've accumulated 192. I've been in front of the students as much as I can. And now, like someone else said, I feel like I'm being penalized. I actually would like one more year. Holly really doesn't want to have a graduation party and retirement party at the same year. She wants to again have the UN. I carry the insurance. You do provide good insurance, but I also pay my premiums. But again, I have a

116lot of decisions to make. I'm not ready to retire. My kids may tell me I have gray hair, but I think I'm still full of spunk. You ask me, I'm still at school late. I probably bug Matt. I don't know where he is, about all the kinds of things. I'm very visual. I've worked really hard for this district. And I hope that you can see how hard all of us are working and how again we need to make sure teachers are valued and accepted the way we are and keep this district going strong because I have believed in it all these years. I think I said that to members one time after COVID. I want to still believe. Please value us. Please support us. Please get us back to the table. Thank you. Hello, my

117name is Riley Drew and I am the daughter of Julie Drew back there. She is a fifth grade teacher here. [Applause] So lately, my mom has been struggling with cancer as a lot of these teachers know. And that just like can prove like about all the teachers that go through so much and they come here and spend their days here out of their own time and effort. And I just think that they need more from all of you guys because they work so hard. And my mom goes through so much every day and I watch her work and she's my inspiration for when I get in school. I started in fourth grade from just being in normal classes, but she pushed me and now I'm in all the hard classes and she helps me so

118much and I love her so much. Thank you. [Applause] I wasn't going to say anything. My name is Lana Allen and I've just I'm the parent of two children who have gone through the district. Um, we started in the district at in 2002. Um, and we started when there weren't a lot of black faces in this community. And so that was probably one of the scariest things for us to put our first child in a school where there was nobody who looked like him. And being at Cruz and having Mrs. poverty as his teacher. She made sure that everybody in that class didn't see color. And then the one time that people started to see color, she like redirected everybody. He came home one day and said, "Mom, they're calling me black." But in kindergarten,

119he's thinking the he's thinking about the color black. So I went up to the school and I talked to Mrs. poverty and she we had a whole lesson on color. But the other thing that she convinced me to do was have him write a story because they had the young author's group and so he wrote a story on just the different shades of black and he actually won an award and it went to the district. So when we talk about the impact of teachers, I think I cried more when he wasn't in kindergarten anymore because I wanted to be in Miss Har's class because because I saw how phenomenal she was. And so now, like I said, both of my children went to Cruz and they went through Central. But the thing about Central was

120I took my daughter out of Cruz when she was in the third grade because I was teaching at a Christian school. And at a Christian school, you really don't get paid anything. I want to say I was really like volunteering to teach. But the reason why I brought my daughter back to Central was because I wanted her to be taught by those teachers. I saw the impact that they had on my son. And so I wanted her to experience that environment because I could have kept her with me, but I said, "No, I wanted her to experience that." And so now even me as a sub, I remember being I was thinking about subbing and Carrie called me. She said, "Hey, um, we need a sub at Central. Would you be interested in doing it?"

121Because I was going to try to sub at Cruz. But then Carrie wasn't there anymore. >> And so I'm all I'm saying is is that these teachers deserve more than what you can imagine. I don't think you really realize the impact that they're having on our children. My daughter now is 23. She's an RN, she's a nurse, and my son is 28, and he is now a music producer. But all of that happened because they made it a safe place for my children who didn't look like them, didn't look didn't see faces that look like them, but they created a safe environment for my children to learn in. So I applaud all of you because my children would not be who they are today if you have not committed to them and made them feel

122safe where like I said if you look around it's not a lot of black faces. It's not but you guys have not only welcomed my children but you have welcomed me into this environment and I can honestly say that I feel like family. So thank you. You guys know me, Karen Lions. I am the ESP union president. I am speaking on behalf of the teachers. Um, I became a sub in 2009 when my son was in first grade. I saw what the teachers did to my son in first grade. How they improved his speaking as a sub. You don't know what you're in for the first day. You don't know what those kids are going to be like. That was in 2009. Now in 2025, I work as a parah because the kids need us.

123The kids need the teachers. The kids need the experienced teachers. They need the the veteran teachers. They need that experience. The new teachers are great. They come with great fresh minds, but they need the fresh teachers or the veteran teachers. And if they leave, we're in trouble. And my perspective is that I'm a parah. I started being a parah and subbing at the age of 45. I'm old and I admit it. But it's like we need people. You need to step into a classroom and see what these kids are like today. And then you'll understand the experience is needed. And you guys can all look at us in the face and go, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." You we're hearing it over and over again. But we feel it. We live it. We experience it. [Applause] Okay.

124If there's no more public comment, we'd like >> Okay. [Applause] Can you continue to record them on my phone? >> I was not planning to speak today, so I do not have anything polished. >> Please state your name. >> Nicole wrote 8th grade English language arts. Since you wanted to ask Mr. Bettis exactly who I was, I'll pose for another picture if you'd like. >> I have been teaching for 18 years. This is my 19th year as an educator. I felt compelled to speak today in direct response to Dr. Stwick. You showed several charts of salaries. I would like to give you the numbers that show how horribly inaccurate your charts are. 19 years master's degree plus 30 additional hours. Last year, I made $72,23 before taxes. If I worked in district 117, I would

125be making $80,178. If I worked in district 135, I would be making $72,267. If I worked in district 118, I would be making $84,189. If I worked in district 140, I would be making $77,767. If I worked in district 123, I would be making $82,711. That puts district 146 at the lowest salary, not comparable. Thank you. [Applause] Okay, if there's no more public comment, then we're going to move on to our union reports. [Applause] Not because I'll be long, I promise. But take a seat. It's okay. Um, you all know me. I can talk, but I don't think I could even come close to become being as eloquent or as powerful as what you've heard tonight. I really don't. Every one of these people have spoken from their hearts and I can't embellish that. I

126do want to give you just some things that I planned on saying, but I'm going to truncate all that because I really want you to be left with the feeling of knowing these people better than you knew them when you walked in the room. Because what we really need for you to do is to listen to us. We're telling you what we need. We're not just shopping at other districts for things we'd like to have. We research this. We talk to our members one to one. Tons of surveys. True or false? >> Constant. Constantly picking their brains. What is it that you need? What does this contract not give you that is something that you need? We didn't send them a list of things saying, "Do you like this or this or this?" We asked

127them to come up with a couple of things that they really needed. And overwhelmingly, they need to improve their work life balance. The plate is so full. I mean, it's beyond full. In the last five years, you probably don't even realize this, but you guys have given us over 25 new resources, initiatives, programs, etc., etc., that we have to learn, implement, manage, and sometimes just a year or two later, they're gone and the next thing comes in. It's exhausting to have to put all this on the plate. And it really does add a lot of more additional work to the job. The job is not what it was five, 10, even five years ago. Additionally, the behaviors have really changed. You need to come in the classroom. I know we see you at a couple

128of events a year, but you need to see what these people are dealing with dayto-day. I know that when we met at negotiations, most of you did not know the state of Illinois does not require toilet training for kindergarteners. Let that sit with you for a minute. I mean, about some people here that teach upper grades. It's not a requirement anymore. The job of being a kindergarten teacher did not used to include that. Now, it's a huge part of their day. And we've been trying to find ways to ease this work life balance and change the working conditions for the better. I know the board came in saying we don't have any asks. And that might seem commendable, but it really does show that you're out of touch. And I'm sorry you don't like that

129expression, but you're out of touch, guys. Truly. I mean, I've gotten to know [Applause] I've really tried to I've spent the last several years genuinely trying to really build relationships with admin and the board members that do come around for different things because I want you to understand us. We want to understand you, but you're out of touch because you keep saying that you value us. We've seen it on your posting. We've seen it on the social media. We've seen it on the welcome day when the the big presentation about all of your wonderful trips with your families in the summer. It it didn't resonate with people. It made us feel more apart from you. And when we see that up on the screen, but it doesn't seem to jive at all with the reality

130of the day-to-day. And even though we're still going above and beyond, we're working without a contract and we haven't stopped going pedal to the metal. I was going to say something else not appropriate, but I stopped. I did stop. But seriously, we we really are trying to show you that we're not feeling valued. It's not me and a few of my friends saying, "Oh, we think we'd like to have this in the contract." This is nearly 240 people saying, "We're going to have to go somewhere else if we can't solve this problem." I get phone calls on this literally every day. I had 97 text messages in two less than two hours the other night. People are saying to me, "Please let them know this. Please let them know this." And it's not one or

131two people here and there. It's not pockets of interest. It's really a show of force. We did a straw poll because I was lying go are we going to be able to to move forward in this process. We didn't hear from you guys for months. It's been almost four months since we were at the table. You really can't count the mediation much because we sat there one day, you guys came in after 11 weeks with nothing and then we sat there another day and we still had to wait two weeks. And then that the difference was the difference was a small movement. But you've got to realize, do the math. Going up 1% for one of those years is less than $4 a day for these people for one year. They look at that number

132and they think that is not going to change my reality. And I realize you don't want to pay penalties. I get that. But talk to other districts. They're doing that. They're paying TRS. So they've got to be looking at penalties. And I realize that you don't want to have to go above 6%. We understand that. We've talked about it ad nauseium truly. But for for several years now when you've been paying 3% when inflation's been at eight, it's put us in an upside down position. And it's probably not even going to be one contract to get us fully whole. But they're looking at other districts. And I know you had a lot of information up there that I didn't have a chance to look at ahead of time. And I'm a data geek. I love

133math. My family will tell you I'm all about the math when I'm not about the reading. But I'm I'm seriously love numbers. I love to go into the data. And what we're seeing is not what you're showing. It's not what we're looking at. I did find a lot of lot of inconsistencies with 140, but I also found some other errors and we've got a real issue with the comparables because the the four districts that are on your posting, we can see that 135 and 140 are our closest neighbors, but they're not necessarily relevant because just because they're gra geographically there doesn't mean they really have an impact on where people are applying and where people are choosing to work. These people would work 20 minutes away if they got more money. I'm I'm guessing a

134show of hands. Would you drive a half an hour for more money? >> I mean, so we've got to be looking casting a wider net. Just because they're only six blocks away from our closest school doesn't mean that they're what these people see as comparables. And I'm just trying to tell it to you straight. They're in a position where they're working two and three jobs. They're putting off things like braces for their kids. Even if they have dental with the with the district, they can't afford all these things. They've put off put off moving out of their parents' home. They put off getting to a bigger house and they're crowded. They put off renovations. They put off vacations. We just saw your wonderful vacations and these people can't afford to go on them and they've

135been putting it off for years. I do not want I do not want this to become more and more confrontational. We're telling you what we genuinely need. We need you to listen to this. This is the most important thing that we're going to do all year and probably for a lot longer than that. We really need to figure out how the numbers that we're seeing. I go to board meetings. You guys see me there all the time. And the ones I haven't gone to, I watch later. I have a script of the last one. I took down Jay Money's words. I I took all your whole meeting is all scripted by me late at night one night. Keep typing your names and what you said exactly because I wanted to be as if I was

136there. I wanted to understand what was going on in that room even though I was not in the room where it happens. Okay. And at that meeting he talks about how the district despite a slight deficit due to some smaller state funding and I'm sorry smaller federal funding was still in a good financial position. And that's what I've heard at all these board meetings I go to. And I hear about this the additional revenue that they weren't expecting. And I realize there's been tax abatements and that those are great, but we have to invest in the teachers. These people have to feel that this is the place where they want to work and you're asking them to work extra days because those 15 minutes which seem longer to you guys and don't cost you any

137money. Those 15 minutes add up to over a week of time that they're spending working. And that really means a lot more than a week because I'm telling you, I'm at that building memorial till 10 o'clock a lot of nights. Ask any parent that's in this room. They see me there because I am working my tail off because I want to make a difference. And I'm not alone. There's 238 more of me. And we want to make the difference. And we want to make it here. And we want you to want us to make it here. So you've got to make it more compelling, more attractive. We're not just you're not just competing with 142 and 145 or 140 135. I know you guys have family there and work there, but they're not the only

138districts we're looking at. We're casting a wider net because people are willing to go other places. And despite what we have up on the screen tonight, we've asked people to go and take a look for yourselves and see maybe we're not getting the right picture and I can't look at every single salary for every single year for every single district. So, they've taken it upon themselves to look and they're finding that they would make more in other districts. I believe that there's a discrepancy with the starting. Some districts report it differently than others. I think that's a big problem because we're looking at data that's skewed and we don't even know how it's skewed. But I think that it's pretty reliable when someone knows their salary and goes and looks at five or six other

139districts that they'd be willing to drive to. And nowadays they can take their years with them. The days of staying at a district because you can't you don't want to go down the sc salary scale have changed. Now that everybody's given up to 20 years. So now it's easier for them to take 146 years and they're portable. We don't want them to leave. I work with great people. Great people, not good people. I came here late in life. I did finance and accounting. Then I stayed home with my three kids because I had them all in one year and the daycare would have been more than my job. So I stayed home with them. Never regretted it. Wonderful thing. My daughter spoke tonight. She was smart enough not to tell me she was going to

140do that because I would have given her the wrong place at the wrong time. But she figured it out and here she was. And she spoke adlib from her heart because she sees what I go through every day. My family knows what this means to me and they know what I've sacrificed and they know what I deserve. You've got to stop saying you value us until you really value us. It's not something that we can just ask for. We really have to find a way through this because otherwise it's going to be maybe a slow bleed or maybe a fast exodus. But people are telling me that other districts are looking more attractive. And it's not 142 and 145 that they're comparing to. They're willing to go farther because the money is important to them.

141We got into education knowing we weren't going to make a fortune. That was never something we thought, oh, we'll go go in and change it. And I thought I am the least likely person to be standing here. Truly not a big fan of conflict. And yet here I am in the middle of negotiations and here we got conflict. But this is important to all these people. So, even if it's not an issue that means something to me, it's important to me now. And it is really important to me. And I'm not somebody that lets go very easily. There's people you could ask, but I'm not going to tell you who they are. I'm telling you, this is something we can do. You've got to look deeper into the pockets. We know that you're paying for

142other things. We understand we don't want buildings with rats falling from the ceiling anymore. We appreciate that. That's been taken care of because the snake in my room two years ago, that was m way easier to handle than an actual picture of a of a rodent coming down. So, we know those things have to be done, but it can't be at the expense of our livelihood. Those years of 3% really put us in a hole. And if you take a look at your B at your posting and you talk about 6% 6% 5% compound, it gets you to 18 and 37s gets you to 22. That math is sound. Some of the other math is not because when you take a look at the hole we're in, and yes, you're not responsible for inflation, but

143you still have to react to it. You still have to plan for it. This was not something that was completely unseen. And when inflation goes up to 8% and you're paying a 3% raise, that's the time to start looking at it. Two or three years ago, we know that the ESP and the custodians were given voluntary increases because it was harder and harder to find people that could work at the lower salary. The same thing with us. When you've been paying 3% for years, kind of now's a reckoning to be honest. At this point in time, 6% sounds great. And a lot of people in other industries, and someone spoke about this tonight, never got a six% raise in their life. Okay, I get that. But they sometimes get raises and promotions and bonuses and

144things that teachers are never going to see. The only way they get more money is if they stick around and they go up that ladder. They can step to another ladder by putting a lot of money. Yes, some of it is tuition reimbured, but a lot of it is not. And a lot of time to get to the next ladder so that they can make more money. That's the option open to them. That's it. So when you put them in a position where they're making less than surrounding districts and they're not keeping it all up with inflation and they're making less than they were in 2020, we have to fix that. There's something that's going to have to give. I don't know if you have to have smaller fund balances. I'm not sure how all

145of you are dealing with all that, but we're going to have to figure out some way to make it work because this these people, they deserve what they what they're asking for. They really do. And I know you don't want to pay penalties. I get that. But other districts are are paying TRS and they can't all be paying penalties. And if they're doing it without paying penalties, I think we ought to find out exactly how because they need this. It's not just, well, it's something nice to give. They need it and they'll leave if they don't get it. That's I mean, they all can't be just telling me that so that I can get up here and tell you that. They really are looking very closely at districts, whether they're closer to home, different hours,

146more money. Those are things that drive people away from a district. We got them here. Make sure we keep them here. And we want to attract more of them. You've heard tonight dozens of people talk about how impactful the education by these teachers has been in their lives. That's not something tangible. Money is tangible. Money can be funded. You can do other things to get money, but you can't do other things once these people leave to get the same kind of quality and passion. I mean, above and beyond all the time. I mean, we show you guys are always talking about how they appreciate it. Dr. Sts came to our building the first day of school. We had no power and no air conditioning and my room was 88 degrees and for eight hours we

147we toiled like we're in a sweat shop. Why? Because we wanted a great open house. We wanted the kids to feel welcomed. We wanted everybody to feel like everything is normal. And they deserve that. They deserve it and we gave it to them. And you know that we do this every single time. So, it's not even just the money, though. The retirement thing is really a bug in my bonnet because I've had several close friends now affected by this over the past few years. And I want to work until I can't work anymore. Me at home when I was off on my medical leave was not a pretty thing. Every single day, I was counted counting the hours off. I showed up for the most ridiculous reasons in that building. And I'm sure they thought,

148"What did she forget here now? She's always here." And I didn't forget a darn thing. But I want to be around that. And I want to be able to teach as long as I can teach and not lose any retirement incentive. I don't know that I'll be around long enough to get one because I started late, but I don't want anybody else to not get it either. You've got to value this. Most districts don't have this clause in there. Most districts don't push people out. And why? Because it's wrong. It's just wrong. How would you feel if you were told you didn't have value anymore? we should celebrate that these we should be celebrating that these people have the passion and the drive to keep doing it when they could retire. They could be home

149sitting down trying to figure out how to get health insurance. But they could do that if that's what they wanted to do. They want to work. They want to be a part of this. They want to continue to affect change. You should want that. You should want these people here. It's good for you because it makes you look great. And we're about making you look great. Why do we do all these open houses and these things and try to do the best? We want the district to look great. Doesn't hurt if it makes us look good, too. But we're not doing it just for ourselves. We're doing it for these kids. We want them to have the understanding that they are the first thing that we think about and we're not giving up. I actually

150had a student, this is a little sad, but I actually had a student say to me the other day, we had a fire drill and afterwards he said, "My mom said we're probably going to have a different kind of drill and she asked if I remember from first grade, but that's when somebody bad comes in the building." And I said, "Oh, don't worry. I think my teacher will go jump in front of me." The mom called me later that afternoon and she said, "I'm really sorry. We were talking about the Minnesota shooting. Coincidentally, my daughter happens to know the parent of one of the ch children that was killed, but that I didn't share that at all with anybody. Not my colleagues, certainly not my students. But this child said to me, "If there was

151a bad guy that came in with a gun, would you jump on top of me and save me?" And I said, "You bet. There's nowhere else I'd be. If I couldn't get you out of here, then you'd be under me." And a couple other kids heard that and said, "Well, how do we get all under you?" And I go, "I'm going to find a way." It's a good question, second grade. But my my response was, "I will find a way. I I will step in front of whatever needs to be done. And I'm not the only person that thinks like that. We spend our days off thinking about how would we save these kids in emergency because we love them. Think about that for a minute because some of these kids have been yours. How

152many people do you know that would step in front of somebody shooting for your kid? It's got to be a small number, guys. And wouldn't you pay them whatever they needed to be whole? whatever they needed to not leave this district. It took longer than I planned as usual, but I want you to really think about this and the next time you're meeting together, think about doing the right thing for the right reasons. It should be good for you. It should be good for the community. We're helping keep up their home values. Yes, they're going to pay taxes regardless, but they've gotten away with some abatements. And so, at some point in time, your property taxes are going to reflect your property values. And yay for them, they've got strong property values, and people want

153to move here. We've got people that couldn't get into the district and find a house soon enough for school to start. And they wanted to know if we knew of any places that were for sale. Like, now they'd like us to be real estate agents to get them into the district. You know, not not my area, but people want to be here. And so we want to reward that by teaching to the best of our abilities. We want excellence and we're willing to work hard for it. We really feel that it's doing the best thing for the kids. It's great for us, but it's even greater for the kids. And we are counting on you. We are really, really counting on you. Get back to the table. [Applause] as the ESP union. Oops. as the

154ESP union. I've got two quick short things to say. I know that we're still short on paras. Um we do so if anybody knows anybody who wants to be a parah in our district and next year we will be negotiating. Um anyways, please send them. And then the second thing is SH. I want to give a major shout out to Sh because she has been amazing getting paras in and getting them through the system and and just working with us. So I want to give a shout out to Sh uh Rubc. So thank you. [Applause] >> Hey, thank you for your comments. Can I have a motion for the action items, the consent agenda? I move we adopt item 6.1, approval of minutes. 6.2, approval of close session. Minute 6.3, approval of the destruction of

155close session tapes. 6.4, approval of financial items. And 6.5, approval of personnel items. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> Any discussion? >> Secretary, please call the role. >> Boehner, >> yes. >> Nenza, >> yes. >> Dunlap, >> yes. >> Casper, >> yes. >> Hamen, yes. Lloyd, >> yes. >> Barry, >> yes. 6.6, approval of budget for FY26. >> I move that the board of education adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget as presented at the budget hearing. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Secretary, please call the role. >> Boehner, >> yes. >> NZA, >> yes. >> Dunlap, >> yes. >> Casper, >> yes. >> Hammerick, yes. Lloyd, >> yes. >> Barry, >> yes. 6.7 approval of CMS band opportunity. Is can I have a motion? >> Move the board of education approve the request

156for the CMS band opportunity as presented. >> Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Any discussion? >> Secretary, please call the role. >> Boehner, >> yes. >> Nenza, yes. >> Dunlap, yes. >> Casper, >> yes. >> Haick, yes. Lloyd, >> yes. >> Barry, >> yes. 7.1 uh close or seven seven close session. Can I have a motion for close session, please? >> Move we go into close session to discuss collective bargaining. >> Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion? Secretary, please call the role. >> Bayner, >> yes. >> Nenza, >> yes. >> Dunlap, >> yes. >> Casper, >> yes. >> Hammerick, yes. Lloyd, >> yes. >> Barry, >> yes. >> There will be no action after close session. Thank you.