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Crystal Lake teachers declare impasse

CRYSTAL LAKE – After several federally mediated bargaining sessions between the District 47 Board of Education and the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association (CLETA), CLETA is declaring impasse and initiating the public posting process. Once the public posting process is initiated by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) the union…

Southern Illinois University faculty secure new contract

CARBONDALE – Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and the Southern Illinois University Faculty Association (SIU-FA) have reached a collective bargaining agreement that has been ratified by the SIU-FA membership, the university and the association announced today (Aug. 5). The agreement is effective July 1, 2024. “Our most valuable resource is our…

73% of Crystal Lake teachers considering leaving the district

Teachers and community will rally ahead of tonight’s federal mediation session CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers’ Association (CLETA) recently surveyed its members and found 73% are considering leaving teaching and 89% of those surveyed say their jobs have gotten harder in the last year. This new data…

IEA statement on Sonya Massey murder

SPRINGFIELD – The following statement is attributable to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Al Llorens: “On July 6, 36-year-old Springfield resident and mother of two, Sonya Massey, called 911 to ask police to come to her house to check for a prowler. Within minutes of entering her home, a Sangamon…

Columbia College Chicago staff release video exposing college president’s financial missteps, call on college administration to avoid layoffs, take thoughtful approach to financial issues

CHICAGO – Professional staff at Columbia College Chicago released this video exposing President Kwang-Wu Kim’s missteps which have had a negative impact on students and staff. The video shows Kim’s net fundraising efforts on behalf of the college are less than half the amount raised by vending machines on campus and…

Budget proposal cuts programs to aid teacher shortage

The following statement can be attributed to Al Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association: At a time when Illinois is experiencing a statewide teacher shortage, it is incomprehensible that funding for vital educator support programs are absent from the current budget proposal.  Sadly, two such programs — the teacher…

Arbitration panel upholds union workers’ rights in landmark decision

CHAMPAIGN – In a significant victory for labor rights, a federal arbitrator has ruled in favor of a member of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Association of Academic Professionals, IEA-NEA (AAP), upholding union educators’ rights and ensuring fair treatment in the workplace. The arbitrator found the University of…

Columbia College Chicago lays off more than one-third of its professional staff

Petition calls on administration to stop layoffs, warning students’ education will suffer CHICAGO – Professional staff at Columbia College Chicago submitted a 150-signature petition to President Kwang-Wu Kim, urging the administration to halt the scheduled layoffs of employees and asking it to explore alternative budget management strategies. The Columbia College administration…

Illinois Education Association honors Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and former co- director of Citizen Action/Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Today the Illinois Education Association (IEA) honored Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and William McNary for their commitment to public education. Welch was honored with the IEA “Friend of Education.” McNary was awarded the IEA “President’s” award. The following statements are attributable to IEA President Al Llorens:…

Illinois Education Association honors educators from around the state

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) awarded seven educators from around the state for their outstanding commitment to their schools, students, communities and public education. The awards were presented during the IEA Representative Assembly (RA). The RA is the legislative body of the IEA and helps the state’s largest…

Nursing program will provide much needed healthcare to South Side residents

CHICAGO – City Colleges of Chicago and University of Chicago have partnered to bring a nursing program, known as the Malcom X College Learning Center, to the City Colleges’ Kennedy King campus on the southside of Chicago. The new center is expected to open for the 2026-27 school year and will be…

Illinoisans believe teaching is harder than ever, support fixes

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) will release its sixth annual IEA State of Education report on Tues., March 12, the only bipartisan poll monitoring Illinoisans’ views on all aspects of public schools. The findings will be shared during a news conference today on Zoom at 10 a.m. The poll…