EDWARDSVILLE - Alton Education Association Negotations Chair Jason Chapman issued a statement for his organization about the upcoming discussions with the Alton School Board.
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The statement went as follows: "Now that the Alton School District has finally received its new funding numbers from the state, we are hopeful that we can reach a fair agreement.
"The Alton School District is scheduled to receive $1,497,763 from the Illinois State Board of Education's new Evidence-Based Funding formula. This is over $500,000 more than was originally predicted by the ISBE. The Alton Education Association (AEA) is well aware of the District's financial issues, but this new amount of Evidence Based Funding money would easily pay for the AEA's last proposal of $800 plus step for our certified members and $0.40 plus step for our non-certified members.
"Bottom line, we’ve done the math and the district can meet our requests without raising taxes. The district needs to quit attempting to balance the budget on the backs of teachers and support staff.
"The data shows rising administrative costs for the past three years, at the same time, educational costs are decreasing. This is unacceptable and shows the district is not putting our students first. Attracting and retaining quality teachers is imperative to a great education.
"The AEA will return to the bargaining table Monday, April 16, to try and
reach a mutually agreeable settlement with the Alton School Board so that we can
continue to provide the best education possible to all of our students.
"AEA will beholding an informational picket ahead of meeting with the board. The informational picket starts at 3:30 p.m. at West Elementary School 1513 State St. Alton, IL."
Riverbender.com will be covering the picket and meeting on Monday night.
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