Proviso teachers, school board reach tentative agreement to end two-week strike and send 4,200 students back to class
Striking Proviso High School District 209 teachers on Wednesday reached a tentative agreement with the school board on a three-year contract that is slated to bring students back into the classrooms at the district’s three high schools Monday morning.
“We are pleased to reach an agreement that prioritizes our students, parents and communities,” Proviso Teachers Union Local 571 President Maggie Riley said in a Wednesday statement.
“Our membership will be voting on the tentative agreement next week,” Riley said.
District 209 School Board President Rodney Alexander said in a Wednesday statement the union and district officials “are pleased to announce we have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a three-year contract.”
“The Board, District administrators and teachers look forward to continuing to work together to maintain and enhance the quality of education and fiscal stability of District 209 for the benefit of our students, staff and community,” Alexander said.
Alexander said all classes and extracurricular activities will resume on Monday and “specific contract terms will be available for public release” after the union and school board officially vote to approve the agreement.
While students are on spring break this week, they are expected to return to the classroom Monday at Proviso’s three high schools: Proviso East in Maywood, Proviso West in Hillside and Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park.
The tentative agreement was forged following two weeks of canceled classes for the district’s 4,200 students and after striking teachers demanded District 209 Superintendent James Henderson step down in the wake of a heated confrontation with school board member Claudia Medina, who was supporting educators’ requests for better pay and smaller class sizes.
While the details of the three-year tentative agreement were not available Thursday, last week Riley said teachers “started this bargaining process a year ago with one priority in mind — our students.”
“We have been fighting for a fair contract that prioritizes student learning, helps efforts to recruit and retain educators, and brings needed stability to District 209,” Riley said.
