Geneva Teachers Express Frustration Over Stalled Negotiations

At Monday's School Board meeting, teachers pack the room at the Coultrap facility, asking the board to "rediscover the power of coming to the table with the possibility of a win-win."

Geneva teachers stepped to the podium again Monday night, expressing frustration with ongoing teacher negotiations that have been unresolved since the present contract ended in Aug. 15. Dr. Vicky Tusken, a teacher at Geneva Middle School, called for a problem-solving approach to negotiations, in which neither the Geneva Education Association nor the School Board "come to the table with a set of must-haves." "I am boldly asking all of you to push aside the rancor," she said. "Let us rediscover the power of coming to the table with the possibility of a win-win." She implored the School Board to give up "your adherence to a hard salary freeze," the first public reference to either side's position at the bargaining table. "The very fabric of …

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No more taxes

12:16 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012

Lost me Arron, you compared babysitters but pre school teachers can't be compared or other private school teachers? Someone tell me if Marmion, St. Pats or Rosary pay some of their teachers 100000 plus average of 70000 and have a great pension plan. Similar jobs but they have to be more realistic with their compensation and hold to a budget and not go into debt. For them they can't just tax more …   more ›

Patch Poll: How Much of An Increase Should Geneva Teachers Get?

Patch Poll: What does the average Joe and Jane citizen of Geneva think would be a fair raise for teachers in School District 304?

Jeff Ward

In Regard to TaxFACTS, I Told You Thusly!

If you back people into a corner often enough, they're bound to come out fighting!

After being accused of some intemperate columns lately (who me?), instead of issuing my trademark “I told you so,” I’ll simply echo Sheldon Cooper’s milder Big Bang Theory refrain, “I told you thusly.” Though I have to say that wasn’t nearly as much fun. Because if there’s one thing I’ve tried to teach you people, as even fictional physicists will attest, for every action in this life, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unless, of course, you write a column about high school purses or backyard chickens, in which case some reactions are more equal than others. And it’s this very regard that I’ve tried to warn y’all about the TaxFACTS group. While they certainly performed a valuable service by sounding the runaway School District …

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John R

11:00 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012

@ Mitotero the guy pacing around at the back of the room was probably Bob McQ. He normally paces in the back or sits on the edge of the stage, resting his head in his hands, directly behind the podium. I actually find it a bit unsettling. I like Jeff agree that the taxfacts folks have some valid concerns. But for some reason they don't want to hear it. Especially, if you disagree with some of the…   more ›