Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Teacher assistants and support staff give OK to wage freeze for next year.
Support professionals and teacher assistants in Oak Park Elementary District 97 have accepted a wage freeze for next year, aligning themselves with teacher’s union which accepted a pay freeze earlier this year. The move is aimed to show a unified message of sacrifice by District 97 employees leading up to an April 5 referendum, which aims to fix with a tax increase a near $6 million budget gap annually. The 56-member Oak Park Educational Support Professionals Association (OPESPA) and 105-member Oak Park Teacher Assistants’ Association (OPTAA) both announced Friday they will freeze the wages of their memberships for the 2011-2012 school year, saving District 97 nearly $200,000. The Oak Park Teachers’ Association already voted in late …
41.879678
-87.799371
Oak Park Elementary School District 97
970 Madison St, Oak Park, IL
/articles/showing-solidarity-more-district-97-unions-accept-pay-freeze
246152
/locations/3460300
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Move designed to garner support from voters before April referendum.
The union representing Oak Park Elementary District 97 voted Tuesday to accept a salary freeze, regardless of the results of the April referendum question seeking to raise property taxes. District 97 faces a near $6 million budget hole annually without a tax increase, meaning major cuts could lie ahead to district programs and personnel. The one year wage freeze would help preserve some of the programs outlined earlier for cuts, said Supt. Al Roberts. School officials said the move is expected to save roughly $1 million in the 2011-2012 school year. The referendum, which will be on the April 5 ballot, asks taxpayers to consider a permanent increase of about $374 on a typical $10,000 tax bill. “I deeply respect that this was a difficult …
41.890791
-87.783156
William Beye Elementary School
230 N Cuyler Ave, Oak Park, IL
/articles/district-97-teachers-approve-salary-freeze
244968
/locations/3174700
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
District 97 issues letter raising possibility of pay freeze next year to help reduce part of expected $6 million deficit if referendum fails.
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Supt. Al Roberts has asked teachers to consider a salary freeze next year in order to save $1.4 million, according to a letter to teachers circulated by the local teacher's union. Oak Park Teachers'Association President Sue Tresselt recently distributed the letter to District 97 teachers outlining Roberts' request to consider a salary freeze. The school board is pursuing a referendum question in April that aims to raise money through taxes. School officials have said the district could run out of money for operating expenses by 2013. By 2015, the district could face a budget deficit. If the referendum fails, the district would need to make more than $6 million in cuts, according to a public …
41.879678
-87.799371
Oak Park Elementary School District 97
970 Madison St, Oak Park, IL
/articles/oak-park-teachers-asked-to-consider-salary-freeze
246152
/locations/2737101
Jassen Strokosch
7:28 pm on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thanks OPTAA and OPESP. We appreciate the commitment to the school district. more ›