Teachers and concerned Ottawans gather outside the high school Sunday evening. (Photo: C. Hagemaster) Negotiations between the Ottawa Township Education Association and the school board began at 5:00 this afternoon. At around 9:00 this evening, the board announced there would be no school on Monday. It is unclear whether negotiations are over for the evening. [...]
Ottawa teachers, board will bargain on Sunday
October 17, 2009 By
Negotiating teams for the Ottawa Township High School Education Association and the school board will meet at 5 p.m. Sunday in another attempt to end the dispute that has closed the school since Setpember 30th. The bargaining session means the meeting teachers had planned to hold with community members on Sunday has been canceled. Concerned [...]
Ottawa crisis continues – Community meeting set
October 17, 2009 By
Bargaining teams for the Ottawa Township High School board and the schools’ teachers met for more than ten hours Friday, but failed to reach an agreement that would end the contract dispute that has kept students and teachers out of classrooms since September 30. The bargaining session, the longest in the dispute, ended after midnight. [...]
IEA Recommendations to Pension Task Force
October 16, 2009 By
The Illinois Education Association has delivered a list of recommendations to the Pension Modernization Task Force. The task force was created by the General Assembly during the spring legislative session and is charged with studying the pension systems with the purpose of making recommendations to the governor. IEA, represented by Lobbyist Will Lovett, has been [...]
insider
October 16, 2009 By
Ottawa teachers are taking to the Internet to try to end to the dispute that has closed Ottawa Township High School since Sept. 30. The teachers today issued a video “call to action” urging members of the community to demand the school board return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract. See the [...]
Legislature votes to support MAP following rally at IEA HQ
October 15, 2009 By
Thousands of college students and faculty rallied under a tent at IEA Headquarters on Thursday. They were in Springfield as part of a successful effort to convince lawmakers to save the Monetary Grant Program (MAP), which provides cash grants to needy college and university students. (See a brief video) Student advocates came to the State [...]
Bargaining session set for Friday in Ottawa
October 15, 2009 By
Negotiators for the Ottawa Township High School teachers and the school board will meet Friday afternoon to discuss the contract that has closed school since September 30th. The school board requested the meeting shortly after the teachers asked the public to demand the board return to the bargaining table. Whether the board is now willing [...]
Ottawa board requests meeting
October 14, 2009 By
The board for Ottawa Township High School reversed itself late Wednesday afternoon, asking a federal mediator to arrange a meeting this Friday with the bargaining team for the teachers union. The request came within hours of the release of a video appeal by the Ottawa Township High School Education Association. In the video, the teachers [...]
Ottawa teachers urge community to demand a settlement
October 14, 2009 By
Ottawa teachers are taking to the Internet to try to end to the dispute that has closed Ottawa Township High School since September 30th. The teachers today issued a video “call to action” urging members of the community to demand the school board return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract. See the [...]
Ottawa crisis hits two week mark
October 14, 2009 By
Ottawa Township High School, which shutdown on September 30 due to a contract dispute, remains closed today. Teachers are expressing frustration over the refusal of the school board to show any interest in reaching an agreement that would bring students back into the school with their teachers. The major sticking point in Ottawa has been [...]
Illinois Education Association is an association of more than 130,000 members composed of Illinois elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty and staff, educational support professionals, retired educators and college students preparing to become teachers.