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District 97 and Oak Park Teachers’ Association Reach Agreement on Contract Extension

District 97 and Oak Park Teachers’ Association Reach Agreement on Contract Extension

During its regular meeting Oct. 11, the District 97 Board of Education approved a two-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement with the Oak Park Teachers’ Association (OPTA). The contract, which was ratified by the OPTA on Oct. 7, will run through the 2023-24 school year.

The new agreement continues the same general compensation structure, health benefits and other terms from the previous contract, but includes the addition of salary increases plus a one-time stipend for teachers and other OPTA members who were employed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An overview of the salary modifications is included below, along with a joint statement from the District 97 Board of Education, district administration and the OPTA.

2022-24 OPTA Contract Highlights

  1. CPI will increase from 1.5% to 2% for 2022-23.
    Annual salary increases are based on the Consumer Price Index All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)—the same rate used in the district’s annual tax levy—with the minimum increase set at 1.5% and the maximum set at 3.5%. Since the rate is determined by the previous year’s CPI, the increase for 2022-23 was scheduled to be 1.5%. In the new agreement, that increase was adjusted to 2%. 
     
  2. Adjustments will be made for our most experienced staff to ensure similar increases for all OPTA employees during the 2022-23 school year.
    The new agreement includes a one-time payment in 2022-23 for staff at the top of the district’s experience scale—those with more than 16 years of service in District 97, who have moved outside of the annual $1,405 increase built into the contract’s four salary bands. Similar to contracts that utilize steps and lanes, increases for staff in their 17th year of district service become solely based on CPI.

    Qualifying staff members—approximately 185 total—will receive a non-compounding payment this year that ensures that they also receive $1,405 above the 2% CPI noted above.
     
  3. Staff will receive a one-time COVID-retention stipend.
    District 97 was fortunate to retain a significant number of high-quality educators and staff throughout the course of the pandemic. In recognition of their hard work and dedication, the new agreement includes a one-time retention stipend for all staff that were employed under the OPTA contract that would be covered by the district’s allocation of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants. Each stipend will be based on the total years served during the pandemic: $2,000 for three school years, $1,500 for two years, or $1,000 for one year.

    The District 97 Board recognizes that the value that all District 97 staff, including members of its other collective bargaining units and non-union administrators and employees, contributed during the pandemic, and will be discussing similar stipends with each union over the next few months. The total cost for these stipends is estimated to be $1 million for OPTA and $600,000 for all other district staff.

Joint Statement

The District 97 Board of Education, district administration and Oak Park Teachers' Association (OPTA) are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement on a two-year extension of the current teachers’ contract with salary increases and a one-time stipend for teachers and OPTA members who were employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new agreement represents 10 months of hard work and dialogue between both negotiating teams, and reflects our shared commitment to moving forward with the best interests of our students in mind.

The negotiations process began in late 2021 during a time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities for our district. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily on our teams as we considered the desired outcomes of a new, long-term contract with our teachers. In the midst of many uncertainties, the teams agreed that it was in the best interest of students to retain and hire highly skilled staff.

After extensive conversation in tandem with the hiring of a new superintendent, it was clear that the best path forward for our students, staff and schools would be a two-year extension to the previous contract. Although Dr. Ushma Shah, the district’s new superintendent, was not part of the bargaining process that resulted in this new agreement, she looks forward to collaborating with the OPTA as she begins her tenure in the district and leading up to the next contract negotiation process, which is slated to begin during the 2023-24 school year. 

We would like to recognize the members of the negotiating teams for the time and effort invested in this important process. We also want to thank David Born from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for guiding us through the mediation process in order to achieve the completion of our new agreement. Thank you to our families and the Oak Park community for their steadfast support of our schools. Most importantly, thank you to our students, who are the inspiration and purpose for everything we do.