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GEA Negotiation Overview
The Geneva Education Association and Board of Education Reach a Tentative Agreement
The Geneva Education Association has reached a tentative agreement with the District 304 Board of Education. No one will be available for interviews this morning. The GEA membership still needs to vote on the tentative agreement. The vote is scheduled for this afternoon. GEA is tentatively holding a news conference at 3 pm Monday at Geneva High School (416 McKinley Ave., Geneva).
The following statement can be attributed to GEA President Kevin Gannon:
“We’ve reached a tentative agreement(TA) after more than 12 hours at the bargaining table. The Geneva Education Association (GEA) negotiation team supports this TA. We are bringing the TA to the full GEA membership for a vote. Progress was made because we remained committed to collaboration, compromise and doing what’s best for our students. We’d like to thank the community for their continued support. We believe it was that push from the community that brought us across the finish line.”
Negotiation Update
A Message from GEA President, Kevin Gannon
Last night the GEA presented the BOE with a proposal in the hope of achieving a tentative agreement. Both negotiation teams are meeting again at 6:30 tonight when the BOE will present their response proposal. If we achieve a TA by the end of Friday night, the GEA team could meet with their membership over the weekend for a ratification vote and get students back into the classroom on Monday morning. Our educators miss their students.
To that end, the GEA reached out to the BOE and made a significant move toward a resolution. The GEA offered a compromise to the Board by presenting a four-year deal that includes the Board’s EXACT Hybrid Model and exact salary numbers in the first two years before reverting back to a traditional Step and Lane model in the third and fourth year. By starting the first two years with the BOE hybrid model, GEA addresses the BOE goal of substantially improving the starting salary of new teachers. Then by ending the contract with a traditional step and lane schedule, we preserve the GEA’s long-term goal of retaining teachers in our district.
Here is a Link to the GEA’s Most Recent Proposal Dated 12/6.
The GEA’s proposal moves insurance and coaching/activity stipends toward being competitive, but Geneva teachers will still pay more for their insurance premium than almost every other surrounding district. The GEA is still fighting to move our compensation package toward the average of Kane County.
What We Need From You, Our Community...
You have been beyond incredible in supporting our educators, but we must ask you for one more favor. Call or email the Board asking them to come to a tentative agreement Friday night so our students can return to school on Monday. As much as we have loved the donuts, coffee, and kind words, nothing compares to the joy we feel when we interact with our students every day.
The Board of Education can be contacted through the Board Secretary at (630) 463-3010 or by emailing board@geneva304.org.
Timeline of December 6 Negotiation Session
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The GEA delivered their proposal to the Board at the beginning of the meeting.
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The Board presented a counter-proposal.
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The GEA presented a second proposal.
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The Board asked the GEA for more time to evaluate the GEA’s proposal.
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The GEA requested to meet with the Board again as soon as possible.
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The Board agreed to meet with the GEA on Friday at 6:30 P.M.
Contact the Board of Education
The next Board meeting is not until Monday, December 10th. Until then, The Board of Education can be contacted through the Board Secretary at (630) 463-3010 or by emailing board@geneva304.org. Please contact the school Board to urge them to agree to a fair contract for Geneva teachers.
GEA Sets Strike Date for December 4th
On December 1st, the Geneva Education Association released a press release announcing that its members will strike on Tuesday, December 4th if a tentative contract agreement has not been reached with the Board of Education. On Wednesday, November 28th, the Board of Education delivered a proposal to the GEA negotiation team. The team made the decision to hold informational meetings about this proposal with its members on Thursday and Friday. The purpose of these meetings was to gather feedback on the Board’s proposal. The negotiation team met on Saturday morning to discuss the proposal and will present a counter-proposal to the Board at the next negotiation meeting scheduled for Sunday, December 2nd at 5:15 PM, at Coultrap Educational Services Center, 227 N. 4th Street. The Negotiation Team decided to wait until Tuesday to give parents time to make arrangements for childcare in the event a tentative agreement is not reached. The GEA hopes that the community will call on the Board to accept this coming proposal to avoid a disruption to student education and the Geneva community. You can read about why the GEA did not accept the Board's most recent proposal by clicking here.
Geneva Teachers Are Always Working
On November 28th, Geneva teachers participated in a grade-in at multiple businesses around town. See pictures below from the grade-in that demonstrates how Geneva teachers are always working.
Hundreds of Community Members Rallied to Support the GEA as they Presented a Petition Signed by 1,146 Geneva Residents for a Step and Lane Salary Schedule to the BOE on November 12th.
Watch and Read the News coverage of this event below.
Watch the GEA Present the Petition for A Traditional Step and Lane Salary Schedule Below. You can still sign this petition here.
Dozens of Community Members also Spoke in Support of the GEA While Others Were not Allowed to Speak Because the Board Stopped Public Comment.
Watch some of their speeches below.
The GEA has Posted a small sample of the Letters They Delivered to the Board of Education
You can read each of those letters by clicking here.
Recent event: November 10, 2018
GEA raises $7,800 for Student Scholarship Fund with Trivia Night
The GEA would like to thank all those who helped raise money for the Beth Shannon Memorial Scholarship Fund. Thank you to those who took the time to attend the GEA's annual Trivia Night and to those who donated through Raffles, 50/50 and other ways. The GEA felt so much positive energy in support of education and the educators who provide it. It was so nice to have the Shannon Family attend the event that raises money to honor Beth’s career and the impact she had on her students and her colleagues. The GEA raised $7800 to support the Beth Shannon Memorial Scholarship. This is over $1500 more than 2017!
Upcoming Event: November 11, 2018
Board of Education Meeting
The Board of Education will hold their next meeting at Geneva Middle School South 1415 Viking Dr, Geneva, IL 60134 at 7:00 PM. Please consider attending this meeting to share your opinion with the Board. The GEA will present a petition for a Traditional Step and Lane Salary Schedule containing signatures from more than 1,100 Geneva residents. You can sign that petition by clicking here.
Before the October 23rd Negotiation Meeting, the GEA Rallied with Hundreds of Teachers Outside Geneva's Central Office.
Watch NBC's coverage of this event and read about it in The Kane County Chronicle below.
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https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Kane-County-Teachers-Fight-For-Better-Pay-498374121.html
https://www.kcchronicle.com/2018/10/24/geneva-teachers-rally-in-force-before-negotiation-session/a2x6t20/
At the October 22nd Board of Education Meeting, GEA president and community members delivered clear messages to the Board: We want a fair contract for our teachers, students, and community now!
Watch their incredible speeches below.
On October 9th, GEA President, Kevin Gannon, and GEA Vice-Presidents delivered 350 letters from Geneva teachers urging the Board of Education to settle a fair contract that will allow the teachers to live a middle class life.
You can watch the delivery of the letters, as well as two parent speakers on the district website: https://vimeo.com/294780102
Recent News
10/10 BOE Releases NEW Proposal to Public 40 minutes After Handing it to GEA President, Kevin Gannon
BOE president, Mark Grosso, pulled GEA president, Kevin Gannon, out of a district meeting to hand him a new salary proposal. Forty minutes later, the Board of Education released their proposal to the public through 304 Connects. The GEA negotiation team did not have a chance to see this offer before it was sent to the public. The Geneva Education Association members, including the negotiation team, all found out about this new proposal through the district email. The President of the GEA did not have the opportunity to review the proposal as he needed to return to the district meeting.
Read more about the timeline that led up to this event on our page What's Causing the Strain?
September 4th, 6th, 24th, and October 2nd
The Geneva Education Association and Board of Education's negotiation teams met for four mediated sessions.
The GEA met with the Board of Education on September 4th, September 6th, September 24th, and October 2nd for their first four mediated negotiation sessions. At the end of the meeting on October 2nd, the GEA called for the public posting process. The GEA remains committed to negotiating in good faith to ratify a contract that is sustainable for both teachers and the district. Visit the Negotiation Information Page for more info.
Recent News
10/2 Negotiation Session Ends in Call for Public Posting
The Geneva Education Association met with the Board of Education on Tuesday, October 2nd for their fourth mediated negotiation session. The meeting ended with the GEA calling for public posting, which clears the way for a possible teacher strike. Read the GEA's press release for more info.
August 21st, 2018
GEA collects money from members for student scholarship fund
As teachers return to work, they donate money to the Beth Shannon Memorial Scholarship Fund to help current and past Geneva students pursue a degree in education.
