The union that represents teachers and other staff in Blue Ridge schools says it’s considering a strike after failing to reach a new contract with the Farmer City-based district.
The Blue Ridge Federation of Teachers voted Sunday to form a strike exploratory committee, which the union says will help “plan for how to best execute a strike and support members for whom a strike would cause a financial burden.” The union said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the district’s last contract offer.
Union President Don Anton, an English teacher at Blue Ridge High School, said teachers are accustomed to preparing the worst—like a fire or tornado drill—and hoping it never happens.
“It’s all about transparency and planning and hoping that we don’t have to execute the plan,” he said.
The union has been without a contract since June 30, Anton said. The union wants the district to address what it calls a “revolving door” of teachers leaving the district for better pay elsewhere. Anton said the district’s retention rate for teachers is lower than several neighboring districts.
“Every kid deserves to have an adult who’s in their corner,” Anton said. “A relationship they can fall back on when homework gets hard, or if there’s a problem at home or with a peer. And when staff are leaving, those relationships vanish, and it undermines our ability to give kids the best learning environment. That’s our primary goal in this negotiation is to stabilize our workforce so we can recruit excellent employees and then keep them.”
Blue Ridge’s teacher retention rate was 89% as of 2018, according to Illinois Report Card data. That’s lower than LeRoy (92.9%), Unit 5 (91%), and District 87 (92%) schools, but comparable or higher than other nearby school districts, including Tri-Valley (85%), Gibson City Melvin Sibley (89%), and El Paso-Gridley (78%). It’s also higher than the statewide average (85%).
"Keep in mind that these retention rates are for teachers only," Anton told WGLT in an email. "It does not include the cooks, drivers, custodians, secretaries and other vital staff who also play a key role in educating and connecting with our kids."
However, Blue Ridge average teacher pay ($47,031) lagged the state average for 2018 ($65,721), according to the Illinois Report Card.
Both sides are set to resume negotiations at a Sept. 24 meeting.
In a statement, the Blue Ridge school board said it “received word from media sources” about the vote to form the strike exploratory committee.
“The Blue Ridge Board of Education respects and values the work of our employees. We remain committed and hopeful that we will come to an agreement that is fair to our employees and maintains the financial health of the school district,” the board said in the statement.
The Blue Ridge Federation of Teachers represents around 110 teachers, cooks, secretaries, nurses, and other school support staff.
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