Community Consolidated School District 146

Dear District 146 Community,

We are pleased to inform you that District 146 and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. With this development, there will be no strike next week.

The terms of the agreement will not be publicly released at this time. 

We thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process.

Sincerely,
 

Dr. Jeff Stawick
Superintendent

Dear District 146 Community,

This email is to correct a false report circulating online about the negotiations in our District. Individuals have posted that the District and the union haven’t used the mediator since June and suggested that the Board has not really made any offers to the union this week. That report is false.

Here are the true facts:

• Fact: The parties have met with and communicated with the mediator multiple times since June, including multiple times this past week.
• Fact: In August, the School Board President reached out to the union president through the Superintendent to meet one on one to discuss the state of the negotiations and attempt to find common ground on the remaining open items. This offer to meet was declined by the union president.
• Fact: The Board made two alternate offers to the union on Tuesday morning via the mediator. (The implication that, because the mediator was on vacation, he was not working with the parties or could not have conveyed any offers is false. He was accessible and was in contact with the parties while he was away.)
• Fact: I contacted the union president Tuesday morning in order to ensure the Board’s offer via the mediator was received.
• Fact: The union responded with an offer Thursday evening via the mediator.
• Fact: The Board made another offer to the union on Friday morning via the mediator.
• Fact: The Board looks forward to receiving the union’s next offer.

 

Sincerely,
 

Dr. Jeff Stawick
Superintendent

Dear District 146 Families,

As you are already aware, the Board of Education and the teachers’ union (Tinley Council of Local 604, IFT/AFT) have been involved in ongoing negotiations for a new contract since February.

After hearing from teachers and community members at its Board meeting on Monday, September 8, the Board shared two alternate offers with the union on Tuesday, September 9. On Thursday evening, the union rejected the Board’s offer to either (a) increase salaries by 6% per year for all three years or (b) expand its existing retirement incentive to a retirement benefit. The union made no material movement in response, only a slight modification of its retirement proposal. This morning, the Board offered three years of 6% raises and essentially the same terms the union proposed on retirement, and we look forward to a meaningful response from the union.

Meanwhile, the union filed its notice of intent to strike today, which means the union might go on strike as early as (but not earlier than) the week of September 22. However, we cannot be certain, because it is possible the Board and the union could reach an agreement before then. Therefore, the purpose of this communication is to provide you some basic information in case a strike were to occur.

In the event the union goes on strike, at least initially, schools will be closed and classes and extracurricular activities will be cancelled. We will advise families of any school cancellation in the same manner as on days when school is closed due to snow or other emergency reasons. The District also will provide information and updates via its website.

We apologize for any inconvenience that may be caused by a strike and resulting school closing. We are unaware of any other arrangements that can be made for your children on such short notice other than to keep them at home if school is cancelled due to the strike. Accordingly, we suggest you ask your children to bring school devices, books, and schoolwork home with them in case they are needed.

Special education services will not be delivered to any students on the days schools are closed during a strike except for those students who are enrolled in special education programs outside the District. Those students will continue in their programs, and the District will continue to provide transportation to/from those programs. Please direct questions about special education services to the Kelly Voliva, Director of Student Services.

During a potential strike, the District will continue to provide boxed breakfasts and lunches to students. These meals will be delivered to various sites throughout the District so as to be accessible to as many students as possible. Information regarding the availability of these meals will be provided in follow-up communications.

In the event of a strike, the Board promises to review the situation daily and to keep you informed. If a strike does occur, we are hopeful it will be resolved quickly and that your children will be able to return to school as soon as possible.

Please contact my office with any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Stawick
Superintendent

Dear District 146 Community,
 

On Tuesday, the Board of Education extended new offers to the Teachers Union. The offer included raises of 6%, 6%, and 6% over the next three years, up from the previous offer of 6%, 6%, and 5%, or making the retirement incentive a benefit for all.

After we informed the staff and community yesterday that a new offer was made, the Union countered with proposed 7%, 7%, and 7% raises over the next three years, showing no salary movement from their last offer. The Union also included expanding the retirement benefit with a 10-year eligibility window.

Today, the Board sent an offer of 6%, 6%, and 6% raises over the next three years, along with essentially the same retirement terms offered by the Union yesterday. 6% is the maximum the District can offer without incurring TRS penalties. By avoiding TRS penalties, taxpayer money goes directly to students, teachers, and schools rather than to TRS. 6% is also higher than the raises shown in the Board’s or Union’s lists of comparable districts.

In addition to the latest offer, the Board has already made several concessions. Throughout the negotiation process, the Board has offered: 14 sick days (previously 12), three bereavement days per occurrence (previously two per year), $2,000 annually in lieu of medical insurance, life insurance equal to the teacher’s annual salary (previously capped at $20,000), and a $100 per sick day buyback at retirement (previously $50).

Again, we will continue to keep you updated as the negotiations continue.
 

Sincerely,
 

Dr. Jeff Stawick
Superintendent

Dear District 146 Community,
 

At Monday’s Board meeting, the Board of Education heard from many teachers and some community members. Based on the union leadership's request to return to the bargaining table, the Board of Education reached out to the teachers union through the negotiations mediator first thing Tuesday morning with new alternate offers. As of today, we have not received a response.

Please be assured that the Board acknowledges the sentiments expressed at Monday’s meeting and is still committed to finding a solution that benefits both the teachers and the taxpayers.

We will be sure to keep you updated as the negotiations progress.
 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Stawick
Superintendent

Dear District 146 Families and Staff,
 

On behalf of the District 146 Board of Education, we are writing to provide an important update on the ongoing negotiations between the Board and the Tinley Council of Local 604, IFT/AFT. We have been negotiating a new teacher’s contract since February 2025. Unfortunately, the two parties have not yet reached an agreement. The parties are working with a mediator and are now in a “public posting process.” This process requires both parties to publicly post their most recent offers.

The details and rationale for the District 146 Board of Education’s last offer, which includes salary increases of 6%, 6%, and 5% over three years and the retention of the District’s existing retirement incentive, can be found on our proposal webpage. We encourage you to review what the Board is offering.

The Board of Education and District administrators value our teachers and are proud of the educational environment we have been able to create together, including small class sizes and student-teacher ratios, exceptional educational programming, and minimal unfilled vacancies. Our last offer continues to support our teachers, keeps District 146 highly competitive within our Tinley Park, Orland Park, and Oak Forest communities, minimizes exposure to TRS penalties that would divert money away from our teachers and students, and responsibly balances the financial burden on the taxpayers of our communities.

Sincerely,

Julie Berry, Board of Education President
Dr. Jeff Stawick, District 146 Superintendent

 

The Tinley Council of Local 604, IFT-AFT is the local teachers’ union representing 241 staff members, approximately 55% of the employees in District 146. The Union serves as the collective bargaining representative for district teachers, negotiating on their behalf regarding wages, benefits, working conditions, and other terms of employment.

Negotiations for a new contract began with an introductory meeting on February 5, 2025. The parties met eight times before it became clear to the Board’s negotiating team that the assistance of a federal mediator was needed to help the parties reach an agreement. The parties have since met twice with the mediator. After no agreement had been reached, the parties entered a statutory “public posting process” on August 1, 2025. This process requires the parties to publicly post their most recent offers and a cost summary

The current contract expired July 31, 2025. While there is no current agreement in place between the District and the Union, the District will continue to honor the expired contract while bargaining is ongoing. Once an agreement is reached, teachers will receive the difference in pay.

The two parties have reached agreements on all issues except for salary and eligibility for the District’s retirement incentive. Recognizing the recent rate of inflation, the Board’s first offer on salary was higher than the final settlement for the last contract. The Union’s first and second offers were 10% annual raises, compounding to approximately 33% over 3 years. The Union is also proposing to make a retirement incentive a benefit that every Tier I teacher receives, regardless of how long they work, creating additional costs to the District and possible financial penalties the District would have to pay to TRS.

The Board’s latest proposal includes raises of 6%, 6%, and 5% over the next three years with the retirement incentive staying the same. The Union has proposed raises of 7%, 7%, and 7% over the next three years with the retirement incentive converting to a guaranteed benefit for all Tier I employees, approximately ⅔ of the District’s teaching staff.

Although the Board believes teachers deserve the highest compensation possible, they also have a responsibility to taxpayers to act in a fiscally responsible manner. Raises over 6% create exposure to financial penalties through the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), meaning tax dollars go to TRS instead of our teachers or our students. The Union’s proposal could also lead to higher property taxes for District 146 residents.
 

The District’s proposal would cost an additional $3,113,000 (over current costs) over three years. The Union’s proposal would cost an additional $3,896,000 over three years. This does not include the penalties for TRS or the additional costs related to the retirement incentive.

The District has been taking part in the Property Tax Relief Grant for the past six years. These abatements expire this year, meaning District 146 taxpayers could see a spike in their property tax bill. When the abatements end, the District is projecting property taxes to rise by 20% over the next three years and 28% over the next five years. 

The Board intends to offer additional abatements to protect taxpayers from an additional burden that large. However, under the Union’s proposal, additional abatements may not be possible at the Board’s planned levels, if at all. This would result in higher property tax increases.

Higher raises are projected to create a structural deficit in future years that would negatively impact the District’s long-term financial health. A structural deficit is created when the financial obligations of the District will exceed its revenue growth over an extended period of time, leading to annual deficits year after year. A structural deficit combined with a lower fund balance would force the Board to consider undesirable financial remedies such as larger class sizes, fewer extracurricular and student enrichment opportunities, and delays of projects to improve and maintain our schools.

No. In fact, District 146 believes our teachers are our greatest asset and is committed to maintaining competitive compensation while ensuring the district’s long-term financial health. That is why, under the District 146 proposal, teachers would receive an 18% compounded salary increase over three years and our starting salary would become the highest among K-8 teachers in Tinley Park, Oak Forest, and Orland Park. 

Teachers would also maintain a retirement incentive of two years of 6% raises and either a post-retirement payment or post-retirement insurance.

The Board’s financial decisions must reflect both our commitment to teachers and our long-term fiscal responsibility to all stakeholders.