District 15: Arbitration Looms for Late Start Early Release Decision

The Classroom Teachers' Council grievance filed regarding the decision to instate an early release on Fridays for teacher development time is now headed to arbitration, according to the Journal and Topics.

The recent decision by the District 15 school board to instate an early release on Fridays will now go to an arbitrator to determine if the contract with the Classroom Teachers' Council (CTC) has been violated, the Journal and Topics reports.  District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson said the date for the hearing with the American Arbitration Association has not yet been set, according to the Journal and Topics, and added that after the hearing occurs, it could take up to 90 days for a ruling on the issue.  The District 15 school board held a special meeting on Friday, May 3, to make a decision on the issue that has loomed since December of 2012 when the idea was first introduced.  District 15 parent Lisa Szczupaj said at the meeting, "…

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District 15 Board Stands Behind Early Release Decision, Despite CTC Grievance

On Friday, the District 15 board approved an early release on Fridays to allocate development time for teachers. Despite a grievance filed by the teachers' union, the board stood behind its decision Wednesday.

The Classroom Teachers' Council (CTC) recently filed a grievance against District 15, according to the Journal and Topics, relating to the school board's decision on Friday, May 3, to instate an early release on Fridays to allow for teacher development time.  At the school board meeting Wednesday, newly elected Board President Peggy Babcock told those in attendance the board has no plans to reverse the decision and will stand behind it, despite the grievance being filed, according to Gerard Iannuzzelli, District 15 board member.  The grievance process first requires both sides sit down with a grievance office, said Manjula Sriram, District 15 board member, and if they cannot reach an agreement, an arbitrator would be utilized.  "If an …

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Chicago Food Guy

10:10 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013

Why would teachers bite the hand that feeds them? Without unions, teachers would be on even keel with the rest of the nation; in other words they to would be subject to demotions, pay cuts, cuts in hours, no raises, less benefits, higher insurance costs...just like the rest of the nation.   more ›

District 15 Votes for Early Release Fridays Starting Next School Year

By a vote of 4-1, with one board member abstaining, the long battle over when teacher development time would occur was decided at a special District 15 meeting Friday night.

District 15 Board Approves Early Release Friday

After five months of public forums, surveys and input from parents, the board voted 4-1, with 1 abstention, to instate early release on Friday to allow for teacher development time.

During what was - at times - a tense meeting Friday night at Sundling Jr. High School, the District 15 school board ultimately voted in favor of instating an 'early release' for students on Friday afternoons starting in the next school year, to allow for teacher development time.  The vote was by no means, clear-cut. Board members Tim Millar, Scott Herr, Manjula Sriram and Gerard Iannuzzelli voted for early release, while Richard Bokor voted against it. Peggy Babcock abstained from voting. David Seiffert did not attend the meeeting; Millar said Seiffert was out of the country and unable to participate in the meeting.   "I still have many questions; more than answers," said Babcock. "I worry about junior high students being let go early on …

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Susan

10:01 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Andrew Um, where in my post did I say I took my half days off on our early release Friday??? Lawsey. Let us all hope and pray some of these amazing district 15 teachers are educating your child(ren) on proper reading comprehension.   more ›

District 15 to Hold Special Meeting Friday for Vote on Late Start Early Release

A decision on whether children who attend District 15 schools will start school late, or leave school early one day a week to allow for teacher development time, is expected to be made Friday night by the District 15 school board.

The Late Start/Early Release issue has been simmering since December of 2012, when the school district first reached out to parents to make them aware of it.  The goal is simple; to allow for teacher development time once per week to allow for additional training time to prepare teachers for Common Core standards and other benchmarks required by the Illinois State Board of Education. The issue is, when should it happen.  Parents became highly involved in the question of late start vs. early release when an initial survey was sent out by the school district in early January. One parent in particular, Lisa Szczupaj, created a Change.org petition that attempted to gauge input on whether an early release on Friday should be considered as an …

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CASA

5:36 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013

There is a video recording at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD4C69QoI0s&feature=youtu.be   more ›

District 15 Late Start, Early Release Decision Coming

The board of education will vote in April on whether students and teachers will start school later or leave early next year, one day a week, to provide for teacher enrichment time.

The District 15 school board will be voting on April 10, one day after the upcoming election, on whether students and teacher will start school late, or leave early one day a week for the 2013-2014 school year. The additional question is, what day of the week will this change occur on? See how the District 15 School Board candidates responded to the Late Start/Early Release question on a recent Palatine Patch questionnaire.  At the March 13 school board meeting, results from a second survey taken by parents were presented by District 15. The most popular, first choice for parents (1,479 votes) was for an early release on Friday afternoons. The next highest vote getter (885 votes) was for a late start on Mondays. The third highest, first …

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D15 Parents Have Until Tomorrow to Complete New Schedule Change Survey

A survey available to parents of current and incoming students in District 15 is available regarding proposed schedule changes, but it must be completed by Friday, February 8.

New Survey Available for District 15 Parents: Schedule Changes for 2013-2014

A new survey which allows District 15 parents to rank early or late release and day of preference is now available through the school district website.

A new survey was made available on Friday, February 1 through the District 15 website to allow parents the chance to rank in order of preference whether they would like an early or late release, and on what day it should happen for the 2013-2014 school year.  The survey (links below) must be completed by Friday, February 8.  A previous survey was provided for parents, though it met with great opposition from parents who requested numerous times that a Friday early release option be provided.  After a pubic forum held by District 15 on Saturday, January 26, the decision was made by Superintendent Scott Thompson that a revised survey would be distributed including the Friday release option.  Information now provided on the D15 website does …

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D15 to Issue New Schedule Change Survey After Parent Response at Forum

During a District 15 public forum Saturday, more 150 people attended, and roughly 70 voiced opposition to proposed schedule changes for the upcoming school year, according to one parent.

District 15 administration decided during a more than two-and-a-half hour public forum Saturday, to issue a new survey after a considerable response from parents relating to proposed schedule changes for the 2013-2014 school year. During the emtionally charged Community Communication Forum at Sundling Jr. High School, more than 150 people attended to either weigh in personally or learn more about proposed early or late starts for the next school year, that according to District 15 parent Lisa Szczupaj. Around 70 people actually got up and spoke against options given to parents on a recent D15 survey.  The schedule changes are meant to allow for more teacher development time.  Superintendent Scott Thompson started off the forum, Szczupaj …

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LS

11:37 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013

We have been and are talking about the effect on junior high after school activities. That is the reason the Friday Early Release works best. We were told early on by the Superintendent's Office that Friday is a day that teacher run after school activities are not scheduled. Therefore, Early Release on Friday is best for junior high.   more ›