Public Not Likely to Learn Teacher Contract Details Until Early Next Week

Community members curious about the terms of a tentative agreement struck Sunday between the Geneva School Board and the Geneva Education Association will have to wait until early next week to find out the details.

According to the joint press release issued early Monday morning and signed by School Board President Mark Grosso and GEA President Carol Young, the GEA is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to accept the terms of the agreement.

Grosso said after Monday night's School Board meeting that the Board of Education probably won't convene again until a special meeting next week—most likely Monday or Tuesday—to ratify the three-year contract.

Both negotiation teams signed a confidentiality agreement saying they would not discuss the terms publicly until the contract is signed, sealed and delivered.

Grosso said the negotiation process was "tough on everybody and emotionally very stressful."

"Last night, either side could have walked away, but it took some fortitude on both sides, and we ended up with a solution that we hope all will find good for the students, good for the teachers and good for the community," he said. "That was our intention when we went into that process."

In other action, the Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution to accept a 1.5 percent tax levy increase over the 2011 extension—the lowest of five options presented and half the increase allowed under tax-cap legislation.

School District Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Donna Oberg projected that the 1.5 percent levy increase would translate to a $340 property tax hike for the owner of a home valued at $315,000.

Geneva Patch will follow with a full article on the levy Tuesday.

Want to stay up to date on school issues and breaking news?

• Like our Geneva Patch Facebook page.
• Follow us on Twitter at @PatchGeneva.
• Sign up for Geneva Patch's newsletter and breaking news alerts.

Click the "Keep Me Posted" button below this text.

Related Articles

• Reports: GEA Members Authorize Strike; Nov. 9 Earliest Possible Strike

• Geneva Teachers Express Frustration Over Stalled Negotiations
• UPDATE: Geneva School Board Calls Special Meeting to Discuss Teacher Negotiations
• Is a Teachers' Strike Possible in Geneva? Green Buttons Show Solidarity on First Day of School
• Patch Poll: How Much of An Increase Should Geneva Teachers Get?
• Batavia Teachers Get Raises in New Two-Year Contract; Geneva Still Negotiating
• Where Do You Stand on the Geneva Teachers' Union Negotiations?

• Geneva Teachers Expected to Picket Before Tuesday School Board
• State Teachers Union Announces Geneva Talks at Impasse
• UPDATE: Geneva Teachers Union Posts Its 'Final Offer'
• District 304: GEA's 'Final Offer' Calls for 18% Salary Hike in Final 3 Years Before Retirement
• Teacher Talks Resume Friday; Here's the Timeline If an Agreement Isn't Reached
• Geneva School Board's 'Final Offer' Made Public
• Geneva Teachers Give Notice of Intent to Strike
• School Board: Union's 'Rigid Stance' Kept Parties Apart for Months; GEA Responds
• Patch Poll: Which Offer Is More Fair to Teachers and Taxpayers?
• UPDATE—Geneva School Board: GEA Filed Intent to Strike While Sitting at Negotiations Table
• Geneva School District Outlines Plans in Case of Teacher's Strike
• GEA Posts Open Letter to Geneva Citizens
• Geneva School Board Releases Its Most Recent Contract Offer; Special Meeting Monday
• 'Show Will Go On' for the GHS Fall Play—Even If There's a Teachers Strike
• Geneva School Board Posts Most Recent Offer to GEA
• School Still Scheduled for Monday in Geneva
• Tentative Geneva Teachers Agreement Struck; School in Session Monday

Download the movie