"We’ve been enjoying filet mignon for chopped steak prices," he said.

He also said teachers were being offered "table scraps." It's the silly season, when keeping a high paying job with benefits is refered to this way.

Out of curiousity I went to the board meeting last night. I have never seen such a spectacle before. I found the teachers monopolizing of the board meeting public time unusual at best and disturbing most of the time. They have a union rep to do the negotiating. When story after story droned on and the board was considering wrapping it up, this rep stormed out in front of the board and yelled, "You WILL listen to us." The negotiating should happen behind closed doors. This public display was unprofessional.

Many in the community are hurting but the teachers who spoke were most concerned with more money. In this economy, many are asked to do more with and for less. It appears many of the teachers live in the education bubble, especially, the young teacher whose parents are also teachers. There was no real world experience in his understanding of the current situation.

With all their talk of advanced degrees, they don't seem to comprehend that others in the community are facing hardships.

I went with an open mind but was disappointed in the teachers' behavior. The sea of green t-shirts and the self-important and self-serving remarks made them all look and sound below "average." I'm now FOR getting rid of steps and lanes and FOR the pay freeze.

So let me get this straight, a teacher now deserves a raise for grading papers on a Sunday when watching the Bears? So I guess I should ask for a raise for answering customer emails from home when I am watching my beloved Dancing with The Stars on Monday night .... I think not. Do your job and quit complaining that you deserve more..... you actually have a job that you are STILL GETTING PAID TO DO ... in Camelot no less.

Dear Board of Education,
Thank you for representing the entire tax base of Geneva and all of the citizens concerned about these complex issues. We greatly appreciate the hard work you are doing to negotiate a fair and affordable contract while keeping a realistic perspective through the drama and rhetoric. So many families are suffering immensely in this economy and we respect your efforts to approach the negotiations with the economy in mind. Stay true to the facts, know that the community greatly supports your efforts, and please do not give in to the union's ridiculous demands. If the teachers are are so unhappy, they are free to enter the free market and compete for a job like the rest of us facing the economy with 8% unemployment rate. There are hundreds of teachers looking for a job and would be thrilled to get a chance to educate the youth for a fraction of the current teacher salaries.

The attitude from teachers now seems to be: "Let's get the last scraps of meat off the bones of taxpayers before it becomes rancid and too late." Upset because they have no contract? Really? Welcome to the real world.

We have not heard anything close to understanding from teachers regarding the financial brick wall this town is up against. The teacher's attitude seems to be 'I want what I can get and you taxpayers will just have find a way to pay for it". Statements of teachers negotiating in good faith don't seem to hold true.

This Geneva school board has the future of our town and it's citizens in their hands. They can hold down costs so we can work through this terrible financial mess, or they can be intimated by the teachers union and the heck with the future of Geneva.

I would hope that the administration has a list of substitutes and teachers they were not able to hire to work if the teachers do end up going on strike. That would be a sad day if it happens but the administration has to have contingency plans available. As much as I try to be supportive of the individual teachers, not the union, it gets more difficult every day. I find the new signs going up saying we love Geneva teachers somewhat ironic. Their union obviously doesn't care about the taxpaying residents at all.

Board: PLEASE stand your ground! Last night's meeting should have proven even more that the community will stand behind you in your decision to freeze pay. If you are not looking at making some cuts at the very top, perhaps you should be.
Were there really teachers standing along Rt. 38 last night w/their green shirts and signs? I sure hope that is a rumor.
The watching of her "beloved Bears" remark required me to sit on my hands. Many of us have to give up things we enjoy doing, not just teachers.
Mrs. Young did herself no favors when she stood up and yelled about being heard. We sure heard you, Mrs. Young, and I think you need to step down because your actions in the past few weeks are questionable as to where your passion is. It certainly isn't in the classroom. I also hope that teachers who think that the non-display of students' work in the classroom is going to be some lesson to us should really think about their actions. This is going too far and someone needs to put a stop to it. Enough already.

Please don't give in to the Union! Then all other districts will start to follow! So many people that used to have starting salaries of $39,000 for 12 months of work can't even find jobs paying that in the free market. Also those in the free market are doing the jobs of 2 or more people due to do many layoffs and cutbacks everywhere. Those that do get 2% raises in essence lose these raises to requests to raise our taxes that are already to high. Free market companies do not have this luxury!!!

I am seething with frustration right now with the thought of giving these teachers another dime! They are parading around in their green shirts in the name of "solidarity" but what they are really doing is HURTING the kids while they are doing this. Imagine if I wore something to my place of employment that goes against everything that they stood for, would that bring me JOY to be there...or dissension? Mrs. Young - take your 83,000/year and move to Florida!

My 7th grader came home from school yesterday and proposed that the students should wear shirts saying "we are aware of the meaning of your green shirts and it makes us feel like all you care about is money". While that might be hard to fit on a tee shirt, it is clear that the students are keenly aware of the ongoing display of green shirts, buttons, etc. and the meaning behind this "flair". Having two children already graduate from Geneva, let's get real and say it like it is. There are some very good teachers. They are the minority though. I wish their contract didn't have a no-fire clause. I can think of nothing better than "cleaning the slate" and getting rid of a ton of dead weight. Let the teachers then go and try to find another job in this economy. My guess is that many of them would have plenty of time to watch their "beloved" Bears! Please stay strong and do what you know is right Geneva School Board!

What recourse do we have? Besides posting on blogs and social media? And I'm sorry about not being able to watch your Bears Mrs. V. - but I have spent many children's birthdays or events working so that I can put food on my family's table!
I agree with you Julie - UNIONS served there purpose at one time but not anymore, not in this day and age!

Dear Teachers
You claim that life is unfair. Walk a mile in my shoes and you will realize how blessed you are in your current position. We were transferred here for my husband's job. I am a teacher (who paid for her own master's degree out of her own pocket) and cannot find a job because I "cost too much". My husband ultimately was laid off when the company closed because of the economy. We had two unemployed, trying to pay a mortgage and taxes in Geneva, without a support system. Was told the substitute roster was full and the retired teachers were getting priority for the substitute calls. We struggled, used the food pantry, shopped at Good Will, tried to make unemployment dollars and part time work stretch. Almost lost our home. Tried to sell our home but couldn't because it was worth so much less then we paid for it and we had a sexual predator move in our neighborhood. Had to pay for two emergency surgeries without health insurance. Realized we were not alone and learned so many of our neighbors were struggling too. Met many other moms who are former teachers who cannot find work either. Held on to hope as long as we could. Barely survived the financial crisis. You are so out of touch with reality if you think you "deserve" a pay increase in these economic times. You are living a dream while most of us are living a nightmare. I have lost all respect for the teacher's union.

Julie, these are the issues that need to be reported. If they refused to help your child please by all means report this. This is another example of their arrogance. I saw it last night at the Board Meeting. They were picketing down Route 38 and near the School handing out Union literature. This behavior should not be even allowed. These teachers with their long speeches last night are obviously preoccupied with thoughts of " fixations of money and greed dancing ion their brains" to help out their students? That teacher should be disciplined. The Union rep and her husband were at the School Board meeting last night. She is a kindergarten teacher making $83,302 and the husband made $113,570 back in 2010-2011.

I did report it. Nothing happened that I'm aware of besides Admin telling me that the teacher shouldn't have done that. I have no idea if the teacher was even talked to about it but I did make it clear to him in an email that I didn't appreciate what he did. I got absolutely no response from the teacher. All I have is my voice and I don't think it means much.

Just in case anyone isn't aware:
https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=32941996
If nothing else, 304 needs to CUT the very top-heavy Admin pay. good gravy!

It has come to my attention that there are comments being made by someone who has the exact same name as me. I am the Andy Drendel who teaches in the Kaneland School District and I am not the one who has left any comments on here about it. I've never even visited this site before today and I've never left any comments regarding anything that has to do with the Geneva School District or the School Board. I do not appreciate the comments that have been made regarding my career in teaching or my salary (which I know isn't a whole lot). Please respect my privacy and understand that anyone posting under the moniker "AndyDrendel" is not me. Thank you

With the GEA burning through cash to fund the propaganda machine, they must be underwritten by the state and federal level unions.

National Education Association (A 501C-5 tax-exempt organization)
For Fiscal Year End 8/31/10
Total Revenue $377 Million
Dues from members — $358 Million (95% of total revenue)
Revenue redistributed to “causes” $117 Million (31% of total revenue)
http://tinyurl.com/8gepux8

Illinois Education Association (A 501C-5 tax-exempt organization)
For Fiscal Year End 6/30/11
Total Revenue $50 Million
Dues from members — $44 Million (88% of total revenue)
Total Employees — 352
http://tinyurl.com/8dr4g6r

Geneva Education Association (A 501C-5 tax-exempt organization)
For Fiscal Year End 7/31/11
Total Revenue $41,000
Dues from members — $41,000 (100% of total revenue)
Compensation to 35 paid positions —$31,000 (76% of total revenue)
http://tinyurl.com/94bthxv

Here's a Halloween costume idea for all the parents and kids out there. Instead of "state prisoner" with a random number, why not "CUSD 304 Prisoner" with your Property Tax Bill dollar amount emblazoned across your chest.

http://rlv.zcache.com/state_prisoner_shirt-p235702319387862768t53h_400.jpg

First one to get a photo of your kid in a classroom in the outfit wins valuable prizes!

Editor's Note: A user named Andy Drendel who is commenting on several teachers-union-related articles is not the teacher by that name who works for Kaneland School District. Please keep that in mind when responding to comments.

Julie - Yes, there really were picketers on Rt 38 last night. They were standing on the curb so close to the street I was afraid I would hit one of them as I drove by. Totally inappropriate.

Board - Implement objective performance reviews tied to merit increases. There should not be any "guarantees" at these pay rates. If you can't do that, then 0% raise for at least year 1. Let the free market reign and let the teachers feel what it is like to work in the real world. This sense of entitlement has got to go.

"Its for the Kids" has taken on a new definition. The growing debt and higher taxes to come will be earmarked "its for the Kids." So when you go to tuck your kids in to bed at night, thank them and their future kids for taking the responsibility that we failed to take at keeping things in check. All of this "i want it now because I deserve it" is a slap at not recognizing the dire economic conditions we face. Keep it in the negotiating meeting room and spare us the not so well thought out drama; we all know there will be plenty of drama to go around when a decision is finally made.

(GEA union spokeswomen)"Young acknowledged members of the public have experienced stagnant wages and pay cuts, but that should not affect teachers because the district can afford to give them raises."

http://www.kcchronicle.com/2012/10/09/district-304-teachers-near-impasse-talks-yield-little-progress/apdzbcw/

Seriously??? That is their best argument? Where does all the entitlement come from?

Geneva School Board....PLEASE stick to your principals and do what is financially correct for the taxpayers. If it is possible to end tenure, end steps and lanes, end entitlement then please do so ASAP. It would be refreshing for a public school district to approach public education the way successful corporations do so...following the best practices of HR for recruitment, evaluation, and compensation of the best employees (teachers) and release the rest who are not striving to give their best.

Last week, we had Partners Day at Geneva middle school south. Can't tell you how many teachers were wearing their green buttons. If I were to see 1 green t-shirt, I was going to walk out! My husband took a 20% paycut, for 2 years. Yes, he still had to make phone calls, answer emails & do paperwork at night & weekends. But, he had a job & insurance for our family. It's just how the economy is these days. EVERYONE has to adapt....including Geneva teachers. They should be happy with a pay freeze & not a cut. The picketing was an embarrassment, not role models for our children.

Anyway you look at it, anyone who has a job should be happy to have it and to ask for a raise at this time with our current economy is ridiculous. Teachers have no idea how good they have it. and to use the holier than thou attitude of we teach your children is shameful and reprehensible. I work in a school district as an asministrator and I understand the inner workings and industry and unions and the concept of tenure are outdated concepts and neither is in the best interest of our children. If the teachers truly cared about our kids, they would accept the offer and be extremely grateful for he opportunity to contribute to the greater good of society. BOE hold your ground.

When discussing Union Greenshirt salaries, remember 1.3 and 1.5.

First, in order to compare apples to apples, you need to multiply the Union Greenshirt’s salary by 1.333 to compare it to the salary of a 12-month job.
A $100,000. per 9-month “year” Union Greenshirt’s salary is equivalent to a $ 133,333. 12-month job salary of a taxpayer in private industry. Plus the Union Greenshirts get free health insurance, as well as other lavish benefits under Illinois laws that their union paid off corrupt government bosses for, which almost no one in private industry gets.

Second, because the Union Greenshirt’s total compensation package is larded up by state law with outrageous pension, retiree health insurance and other valuable benefits, you need to multiply the Union Greenshirt’s salary by at least 1.5 to calculate the total annual effective compensation that Geneva property taxpayers and income taxpayers are paying the Union Greenshirt. A Union Greenshirt that receives a salary of $ 100,000 for a 9-month school year is receiving at least $ 150,000 in total compensation for those 9 months of work from Geneva’s property tax paying families and households and Geneva’s Illinois income tax paying families and households.

I applaud the Board for focusing on the long term mission as it makes this short term decision, and I hope that the teachers do the same. Long term, we cannot afford to have employment contracts that mandate annual cost increases, lifetime employment, and increases in pay for longevity on the job - expertise in taking a kid to the bathroom and reading Sally Dick and Jane does not qualify for a 6 figure income in my opinion, even if one of those students becomes President some day. There is a difference between teaching a Theory of Relativity and a 20 yr veteran teaching lessons from "Fido lost his Bone" in my opinion.

While I understand the teachers standing up for one another, if doing so creates a large group boycott of employment, then I cannot feel bad when substitute employees that do not boycott employment are provided full time offers, with benefits.

There is nobody forcing an unhappy teacher from looking for alternatives in other districts and tax payers are not against teachers making more money. However, we do have a cap on salaries, benefits, and cost of education services, as a total cost of governing and providing public services in this community

If the community wants to have unlimited pay increaees, which it currently has built in to contracts, then it needs to broaden the tax base and bring in more corporate entities to defray taxes. Unfortunately, corporations are run to be efficient, and they choose the places that have the lowest taxes..

Our nation is in crisis with 23 million out of work, and local teachers are demanding salary and wage scale increases! I served on a school board for 7 1/2 years and find this an applaing position of the teachers. The issue is not what they think they deserve, but rather what the taxpayers can afford. Right now they cannot afford more tax increases.
The School Board should look into closing one of the new middle schools(which are half empty) and sell or lease it to some other government body or business.

Don't forget, the Administration is going to ask the board for the legal maximum tax increase for the 2013 tax bill... that being 3% on top of the 1.5% increase that the Board approved last year. This has to stop. Try living with less District 304, we're tired of your greed.

A reasonable approach is.......when things are tight you tighten your belt, and when things get better you loosen your belt. However, the situation in Geneva is we have a decade of extremely burdensome school construction debt and interest to pay back. Teachers are unwilling to take any ownership for this burden. They certainly are un-willing to sacrifice for 10 years. So they want to make it clear, right now, they don't intend to take any ownership of Geneva's financial problems.

But the fact is, when the people (taxpayers) who pay you have a financial problem, you as their employee have a problem too. There is a life lesson here. We all have to help each other from making big mistakes, but if we do make a mistake, everyone (teachers and taxpayers in this case) has to sacrifice to get through the mess. You can't opt out.

This is not a Geneva problem, this is a problem that is being played out throughout the entire state of Illinois and the United States. This is a financial issue and the unions can not defend their demands. Can't defend their demands here or anywhere. The GEA (Geneva Education Association) has backed itself in a corner with their salary demands and are now attacking the board of education and individuals. It is clear that they do not have the community support that they assumed was theirs. The taxpayers have had enough. The community has been informed about the true financial situation of the district and is now looking long-term. It is time to stop this debate and let each side do what they need to do. The teachers are asking for the board to compromise on the yearly salary issue yet aren't willing to compromise themselves. There is no need for the board to compromise on the hard salary freeze, let the union do the compromising. The board needs to more on to other pressing needs like the tax levy vote coming in December and creating a plan to pay down the $309 million in debt service. Even if they take a 0% tax levy vote, school taxes will increase over $400 on a house valued at 288k with your tax bill due in June 2013. The time for talking is over, both sides need to lay their final and best offer on the table and settle this contract. The taxpayers and students do not deserve to be living in the dark. Declare an impasse and move to the next step. The time is now

Does anyone have factual data regarding what is being offered and what is being demanded? Everything I read is emotion based un-serving of the community.

To those of you that want to take a hard line just for the principles of it (replace them), do you not foresee that causing more problems than it fixes? I doubt there would be a high demand for our houses should we let go an entire District of teachers. Oh and replace them, with who? The teachers that every other district has chosen not to hire? Well, that should fix our Camelot problem but not much else.

I am sure there are plenty of well intentioned persons but I cannot help but wonder how many hard liners no longer have children in the system.

Without sounding too partisan here, part of the problem is the Illinois Democratic Party. They have been in charge for years and have pandered to government employee unions. If we want to see real reform, STOP electing Democrats to the State Legislature. The Illinois GOP has already stated they will freeze property taxes for three years and audit state spending if elected. I hate to sound partisan, but the cold-hard reality is the Democrats are the problem in Illinois. Vote all of em out!

As for the Teachers, this is totally unacceptable. They should not be allowed to unionize or strike. They are public-servants and should act that way. End of Conversation!

This is a classic struggle. Pushing until the other guy gives in. In the past it's always worked for the unions and taxpayers gave in too. Well, things are changing.

Our debt problems were caused by out-of-control egos and an inability to perform financial planning. We now have $300 M in school capital debt/interest. That's nearly a 1/3 rd of a $1B. And we have an annual operating (expense) budget that's close to $100 M a year. If we were a private corporation, we would be one of the biggest.

Still, we have no one on the board who with experience at this financial level. It would not be hard to put out a public10 year financial forecast (plan) that shows what our annual capital debt payments and operating costs (at say +2.5% annual growth) will be over each of the 10 years. From that you determine what our tax rates will have to be each year.

I guarantee this plan will show that we must flatten out our operating budget costs NOW. There is nothing we can do about our debt but pay it back. But we can and must stop the rise of our annual operating costs. Teachers salaries are the biggest part of our annual spending needs.

Without this public 10 financial plan, the teachers can keep contending that Geneva has money to increase their salaries. And, the school board will have no financial plan to back up any resistance they attempt to put up against union demands.

We need a 10 year financial plan.

Any supporter of today's Teacher's Unions is the next best thing to a pedophile. Teachers today cannot conceive of anyone's struggles but their own, certainly not the parent whose $12 dollar an hour paycheck is spent helping to put their child in a classroom desk so they can see the symbolic green shirt of victimized nobility. Whose paying for those shirts anyway? And the lawn signs? And the insufferable arrogance of these "professionals"?

Is the current 50% overpayment of the Union Greenshirts in salaries, benefits and pension a “victimless crime?” No, Geneva’s families and households are the victims today. And even worse victims are the students, who are condemned to suffer under a mountain of debt and escalating Illinois income tax burden when they grow up, because of that 50% overpayment.

This is the civil rights issue of our time: the right of Illinois’ children to have a chance to achieve at least a middle class standard of living as adults, without being buried under a crushing burden to pay obscenely excessive Illinois government union pensions. The Geneva school board is fighting for the civil rights of Geneva's students, who are the victims of the Union Greenshirts’ child fiscal abuse. It’s like taking candy from a baby. Protests and pickets normally are in support of the victims of a civil rights abuse. Tuesday night it was the perps picketing.