Supt. Stines’ plan is due to the State Board of Education by the end of the month.
Fairview Heights, IL – Teachers and staff in Grant School District 110 are taking every action they can to fight for more opportunities for students and the district’s accountability to the community. To ensure Superintendent Matt Stines and his financial team have what they need to submit a plan to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) by the end of April, the union has offered a contract extension that will allow for a smooth planning process while ensuring educators are compensated appropriately.
The Grant-Illini Federation of Teachers released the following statement after submitting the proposal to district leadership on Saturday, April 6:
“We know firsthand that our district’s financial future is unclear, possibly unstable, thanks to the inaction and lack of transparency coming from Superintendent Stines. Our contract expires June 30. Rather than taking the time to negotiate a new agreement during this time of uncertainty, we’ve offered a simple rollover of our current contract with a stipend to offset inflation. This gives Superintendent Stines and his team the information needed to demonstrate a complete representation of our district’s circumstances and immediate needs to ISBE, and more time to focus on accomplishing that goal on deadline.
“Teachers and paras and parents have spoken out about what is necessary to give our students the education they deserve. It’s time for Superintendent Stines to make that a priority as well. We submitted this offer to the board of education in a good-faith effort to assist with this process, and we hope they are agreeable to our proposal.”
ISBE voted to certify Grant District 110 as being in “financial difficulty” last month after the district failed to submit legally required financial and budget information in a timely manner for this and previous years. The district has also failed to apply for much-needed grants to support student programming.
The deadline to submit a financial plan to ISBE is April 29.
The Grant-Illini Federation of Teachers represents 76 teachers and non-certified staff in District 110. They are affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) represents 103,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in PreK-12 school districts throughout Illinois, faculty and staff at Illinois’ community colleges and universities, public employees under every statewide elected constitutional officer, and retirees.
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