The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. However, the administration failed to communicate a plan to ensure safe, healthy schools for all students, teachers and staff. The district is now paying an outside company to clean the schools, in addition to paying the custodians who were laid off,. However, schools are consistently dirty and unsanitary and have been since the start of the school year. Cockroaches, mold, mice and fly infestations are just some of the reported health conditions.  

In September, parents kept more than 600 hundred students home from school in a protest against the unsanitary classroom conditions. Also in September, the BIEA filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Healthcare Administration (OSHA). Since then, the Blue Island mayor, Crestwood mayor, State Rep. Bob Rita and others have called on the District 130 school board and McKay to reverse course by removing the outside agency and bringing back the district’s custodians. It is now November and HES is still understaffed by at least ten custodians, and no real plan has been shared with teachers from the district to address the shortcomings. 

The following statement is attributable to BIEA President Sherri Roozee-Sera: 

“The results are abundantly clear. Our teachers don’t have any confidence in our district’s leadership, Dr. McKay. For months, the BIEA has tried to bring forward concerns about our student and educator building conditions with the hopes that the district and board would hear us.  We’ve communicated our concerns at board meetings, in numerous e-mails, through an OSHA complaint and direct discussions with the district office. Despite all of this, no real plan has been communicated to the BIEA about how the district plans to address the unhealthy, unsanitary conditions or the continued concerns we have in regard to this issue.   

Our students deserve better than this. Our teachers and staff deserve better than this. It’s clear the contracted cleaning company, HES, is not working out. We need a plan to clean up our schools and keep them clean, and we believe that starts with bringing back our custodians.” 

The BIEA represents approximately 300 teachers and staff educating nearly 3,000 students who attend one of the 12 schools in District 130.  

On Tues., Nov. 10, the teachers, staff and parents will be attending the District 130 Board of Education meeting. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Eisenhower Cooperative (5318 W 135th St, Crestwood). 

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

SACC provides before and after school childcare for District 65 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Children in SACC participate in recreational, educational and enrichment activities, including arts and crafts, sports, STEAM projects, reading, homework assistance and creative play. SACC is operated by trained childcare paraprofessionals. Known for providing optimum care for all students, SACC is particularly important for the district’s most vulnerable students, including those with special needs and individualized education programs (IEPs).

The following statement is attributable to EACCP President Natalie Copper:

“We are so grateful we can save this program and continue to provide an affordable after school option to hundreds of working families in District 65. We absolutely love our students and are so glad we will be able to continue to help them learn and grow. We want to extend a special, heartfelt thank you to all the parents and community members who shared their stories, stood alongside us as we pushed to save SACC and who continue to support us today. We could not have done this without you. Thank you, thank you!”

EACCP represents 44 paraprofessional childcare workers who staff the SACC program.

On Mon., Nov. 9, the District 65 Board of Education (BOE) will be holding a special meeting to vote on the proposed budget cuts that include closing two schools, getting rid of the Head Start program and cutting several teaching and school staff positions.

A rally is planned at 4 p.m., just before the start of the BOE meeting at 5 p.m. Hundreds of teachers, staff members and parents are expected to go to the rally and attend the board meeting immediately following. The rally will be held outside the Joseph E. Hill (JEH) Education Center (1500 McDaniel Ave., Evanston). The BOE meeting will be inside the JEH.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“I can tell you the absolute last thing we want to do is go on strike,” PEEA President Jacky Blum said. “It’s unbelievable we’re at this point. We have given the board every opportunity to meet us in the middle. In fact, we’ve made much more movement than the board has at the table. We’re giving them one more shot tonight, but if they don’t do the right thing for our students, our schools and our community, we will have no choice but to go on strike tomorrow.” 

This afternoon, the PEEA membership overwhelmingly voted against the board’s most recent offer. PEEA and the District 50 BOE have been bargaining since April. 

“We’ve been working without a contract, showing up in good faith for our students since the beginning of the school year. We continue to show up to the bargaining table ready and willing to find common ground with the board, but we continue to be met with a board that seems nearly unwilling to negotiate,” Blum said. 

The main issues at the bargaining table are: 

• Health insurance: The PEEA’s healthcare costs are increasing so much, under the district’s proposal, Pinckneyville teachers will actually be taking home less money than they are right now. 

• Wages: The BOE’s offers don’t begin to address the rising costs for families, due to high gas prices and increasing inflation. 

“We’re teachers. We’ve done the math. We know our district has the money to meet our requests without raising taxes. It’s clear this isn’t about money. It’s about respect for us and the good work we do every day,” Blum said. 

If the District 50 BOE fails to act by 9 p.m., the PEEA will go on strike tomorrow.  

“This isn’t a done deal. There’s still time for the district to make things right,” Blum said. “We love our community. We love working in Pinckneyville, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the community support we’ve been receiving. It’s wonderful to know we have so many parents and families supporting us.” 

PEEA represents about 36 teachers and licensed educators who support nearly 500 students who attend school in District 50. There are currently no bargaining dates scheduled, although the PEEA remains willing to bargain whenever possible. 

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“We’re happy to welcome so many dignitaries to the Illinois Education Association, home to 135,000 public school and university employees across Illinois. They have all been recommended by IEA’s political action committee, IPACE, which is comprised of members throughout the state. These candidates made their pitch to IPACE and our members voted to recommend each of them based on their support of public education, unions, those who work in public schools and our students. We look forward to working with these lawmakers on issues important to our members.” 

WHO: Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton, Lt. Gov. candidate Christian Mitchell, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and state Sen. Doris Turner. 

WHAT: Gov. JB Pritzker and other elected officials will visit the IEA, encourage Illinoisans to vote 

WHEN: Mon., Nov. 2, 11:45 a.m. 

WHERE: IEA headquarters building, 100 E. Edwards St., Springfield, IL 62704 

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

The following statement is attributable to AEA President Sara Carter:

“We stand in solidarity with Teamsters Local 525. These workers are our neighbors and fellow public employees, and they deserve fair treatment, respect and the ability to support their families.

As fellow union members, we understand the decision to strike is never an easy one. Often, it is a last resort after efforts to reach an agreement have failed. Working without a contract, worrying about lost pay and facing uncertainty about affordable health insurance are real concerns that affect workers and their families. Standing up for fair treatment takes courage, and no worker should feel alone in that fight.

We are one community. We are the Alton Redbirds. Our schools and our city depend on dedicated public employees. We may work in different places, but we share a common bond as union members. When we stand together, we are stronger. Together, we can make a difference.”

AEA members will be wearing red on Wed., Oct. 28, contacting their alderpeople to encourage a swift and fair resolution, attending city council meetings and showing support for the Teamsters on the picket line.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

WHO: Hundreds of parents, community members, teachers and staff

WHEN: Tonight, Oct. 20, 6 p.m.

WHERE: Eisenhower Cooperative (5318 W. 135th St., Crestwood)

NOTE: NEW VIDEO shows more than 50 students walked out of Veterans Memorial Middle School (12320 Greenwood Ave., Blue Island) on Friday to protest the unsanitary conditions. This comes after parents kept hundreds of D130 students home earlier this month because of the unhealthy, filthy conditions.

D130 schools remain dirty and are not being properly cleaned by the outsourced cleaning company working in the district. Teachers report mold, maggots, mice and cockroaches and have filed an Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) complaint over the conditions.

Recently,  Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto, Crestwood Mayor Ken Klein and Worth Township Supervisor Patricia Murphy have joined calls from state Rep. Bob Rita, teachers, parents and community members to bring back the custodians laid off by D130.

More information here.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

The following statement is attributable to the Joint District 300 Local IPACE committee spokesperson Sandra Ludwig:

“We recommend voting “yes” on the D300 referendum because our students and educators deserve safe, updated schools that meet the needs of our growing communities. With this investment, we can provide a better future and more support for our growing student population. This investment will allow us to address overcrowding, improve learning and working spaces, and expand opportunities for our students, like career and technical education. Strong students mean strong schools, and strong schools strengthen our entire community. Now is the time to invest in our future.”

This referendum is an investment in our schools that will help support more than 20 projects throughout District 300 aimed at:

• Addressing overcrowding in rapidly growing schools;

• Improving student learning;

• And, creating a career and technical education center to provide advanced learning opportunities for our students.

The Joint District 300 Local IPACE committee is made up of representatives from the District 300 Education Support Association (DESA), District 300 Educational Services Personnel Association (DESPA) and Local Education Association District 300 (LEAD 300) unions. The unions represent nearly 2,500 teachers, nurses, soScial workers, psychologists, speech language pathologists, , counselors, coaches, interventionists, paraeducators, clerical, custodial, maintenance, building and grounds, family school liaisons, parent educators and all other educational support staff working in Community Unit District 300. Members educate and support the 20,000 students who attend more than two dozen schools in the district.

For more information on the referendum, including the exact ballot language click here. Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

The regulations make clear that participating in this program will hurt educational equity in Illinois and will not benefit public schools. The state will have little ability to regulate the program to prohibit discrimination or prevent fraud, waste and abuse. Federal voucher dollars will primarily subsidize families who already pay for private school. Dollars that do go to public school students in underresourced districts will not offset losses to their school districts due to enrollment decreases.

Joint statement below:

Governor Pritzker is facing a critical decision about whether Illinois should opt in or out of a new federal school voucher program created in July 2025 under HR 1 (the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”) Previously, the Governor stated that he would not make that decision until the federal government released regulations with details on how states may implement the voucher program.

The US Department of Treasury has now released those regulations. In light of what they contain, what we know about how voucher programs operate around the country and our direct experience with how a state voucher program operated here in Illinois, we, the undersigned organizations, urge Governor Pritzker to keep the federal voucher program out of Illinois.

The new regulations make it crystal clear that the Governor will have no authority to ensure that federal voucher-funded programming meets even minimal quality standards. And the Governor can do nothing to ensure that voucher dollars are distributed fairly across the state.

In the federal voucher program, federal tax dollars are funneled through private scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Taxpayers can direct a portion of their federal tax bill to go to a specific SGO, which will issue vouchers to pay for out-of-pocket costs of education for individual students.  Children may apply for a voucher to any of the SGOs on a state list, whether they attend private school, public school, or no formal school at all. The SGO decides who will receive a voucher, the amount of the voucher, and where the voucher can be used.  

Under this scheme, taxpayers receive a 100% credit for their payments to the SGO, and the federal government then has less money for all its operations, including federal funding for public education.  The Treasury estimate is that the program will cost $26 billion, mostly flowing to private schools.

The regulations clarify that any state that participates must include every SGO that applies on its state list that meets the few basic requirements stated in the federal tax code. Schools and programs funded by the SGO vouchers will not be required to follow state and federal civil rights laws protecting access to education, no matter a student’s disability status, gender identity, home language, religion, or income. Children receiving vouchers, and those denied vouchers, will have no enforceable rights. The regulations expressly prohibit states from placing any stronger requirements on SGOs’ operations.

The primary focus of the federal voucher program is to vastly increase the amount of federal tax dollars spent on private schools, which can and do discriminate because they are not required to follow federal and state civil rights laws protecting access to education. 

Because private schools already charge families for all programs and services, funneling tax dollars to cover those costs through SGOs, many of them already in operation in state voucher programs around the country, will be straightforward. In addition, the private school industry already has infrastructure to solicit contributions from wealthy individuals, and parents of private school students are accustomed to writing tuition checks.

Public schools are not set up to solicit dollars from individuals and charge families for providing children with education, and, crucially, they should not be doing so. The design of the federal voucher program means that it will surely increase inequity, even within the public school system, with funds disproportionately going to wealthy schools and communities. Underresourced schools will get crumbs, and even those crumbs will require an administrative apparatus that does not exist and for which the federal government has allocated no resources. Meanwhile, public school budgets will be further drained as some portion of their students use vouchers to leave for private school or homeschool. 

Our state leaders wrote a promissory note when they overhauled the formula for distributing new state funding to public schools in 2017. They promised that public schools would have full, adequate funding by 2027, a promise most unquestionably owed to communities whose schools have been underresourced for decades. That promissory note is now due, and opting into this federal policy would make it even harder to pay what is owed to our students. 

Our state leaders must commit to implementing sustainable, progressive revenue to fully fund our public schools and must advocate vigorously for Congress to repeal this harmful federal program, which—even if our state does not opt in—will damage the education system of the nation as a whole.

Signed,

 More background on the federal voucher program and regulations

Fact Sheet: What You Need to Know About the Regulations for the Federal Tax Credit Private School Voucher Program, National Coalition for Public Education (Oct. 1, 2026)

New Case Study of Illinois School Districts Shows Public Schools Stand to Lose Funds Under Federal Voucher Program Institute for Public Good and Illinois Families for Public Schools (Oct. 4, 2026)

Who is likely to benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit? Brookings Institute. (Sept. 23, 2026)

Civil Rights Organizations Urge Governors to Reject the Trump Administration’s Federal Private School Voucher Scheme (Sept. 29, 2026)

About Illinois Families for Public Schools

Illinois Families for Public Schools (IL-FPS) is a statewide, grassroots, non-profit 501c4 advocacy group founded in 2016. IL-FPS is the voice of public school families in Springfield and across the state, advocating to defend and improve Illinois public schools. More at ilfps.org.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“Public money should stay in public schools. The Illinois Education Association has long been opposed to voucher programs, which siphon money from already underfunded public schools and send that money to private institutions. In Illinois, 86% of the state’s 1.6 million school-aged children attend public schools. Until our state fully funds our public education system, IEA will fight any effort to divert money from them. Illinois has tried the voucher experiment, and it failed. The Invest in Kids Act diverted money away from schools where children of color live, as well as children who live in rural areas. From Rockford to Cairo and Quincy to Danville, Illinois should fund its public school system adequately and equitably and should not steer that money toward schools that have no accountability, no oversight and no concrete data to measure success. The research is clear; vouchers lead to worse academic outcomes for students. Our public schools are community centers, welcoming all students and their families. From elementary school science fairs and middle school band concerts to high school football games, our public schools are where our neighbors gather, our communities thrive and our future is shaped. We are calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to reject federal vouchers and protect public dollars for public schools.”

IEA is asking its 135,000 members to email Governor Pritzker and demand he stand with us.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. However, the administration failed to have a plan in place to ensure safe, healthy schools for all students, teachers and staff. The district is now paying an outside company, in addition to the custodians who were laid off to clean the schools.

“We are literally paying twice as much for cleaning services, and our schools are dirtier than ever before. Conditions are getting worse, not better. We are seeing mold, mice, cockroaches, feces, and urine. Our bathrooms frequently don’t have soap, paper towels or even toilet paper,” Blue Island Education Association President Sherri Roozee-Sera said. “How are we supposed to teach in this filth? How can our students learn here?”

On Sept. 21, more than 600 students were kept home from school during a protest by parents. Parents are also planning to attend tonight’s rally and several plan to speak.

“Every child in District 130 deserves to walk into a school that is clean, sanitary and safe. That has not been the case despite our school staff’s best efforts. Unfortunately, this not something just our schools can fix. But it is something our school district can fix and just hasn’t prioritized,” Parent Victoria Garcia said. “This should not be about politics, personalities or pointing fingers. It should be about solving a problem that is affecting children, teachers and staff right now. Our message is simple: Clean the schools now. Put an immediate staffing solution in place, such as a the pre-approved custodial staff that has been laid off. Verify that the buildings are safe. And give families a transparent plan for what happens next.”

“No student should be expected to learn in a school like this. Why is it okay for our students to be subjected to these hazardous conditions day in and day out?” Roozee-Sera said. “The administration continues to rely on the outsourced workers they’ve brought in, but we are here in our schools every single day and we can tell you they are unreliable and our schools remain disgustingly filthy.”

Current conditions at District 130 include (pictures available here):

• Mold: Testing revealed that Kerr Middle School locker rooms tested positive for mold.

• Mice/cockroaches/flies: Rodents and insects are being drawn to the filthy conditions at school. Mice, cockroaches and fly infestations are frequently spotted by students and staff.

• Unsanitary/neglected bathrooms: Both student and staff washrooms are filthy. Multiple buildings have reports of feces and urine on floors and walls, overflowing garbage cans and stalls filled with used sanitary products. Both student and staff bathrooms are frequently out of supplies like paper towels, soap and toilet paper.

• Dead animals: Dead animals have been spotted on school grounds, including near where students board the buses. In one instance, no one removed the carcass for a week.

On Monday, the BIEA filed a complaint with the State of Illinois under the Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Act (IL OSHA).

“The conditions here are literally hazardous to our health. What I can’t understand is how the district and the board of education still haven’t fixed the problem. They created this chaos. They had no viable plan when they laid off all our custodians, and they still don’t have a good plan. Teachers and staff at our buildings have been shouldering this burden for seven weeks now. This situation is not sustainable. To us, the solution is simple: Bring our custodians back, so our students can learn in a safe environment,” Roozee-Sera said.

The BIEA represents approximately 300 teachers and staff educating nearly 3,000 students who attend one of the 12 schools in District 130.

Tonight’s rally will begin at 5 p.m. at Nathan Hale Primary School (5324 W. 135th St., Crestwood). Rallygoers will begin gathering at 4:30 p.m. Several local leaders, parents, community members and teachers will be speaking.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“Enough is enough. This is why there are laws protecting workplace safety. Our schools are so unbelievably dirty they are literally hazardous to our health and our students’ health,” Blue Island Education Association (BIEA) President Sherri Roozee-Sera said. “The administration continues to insist our buildings and our classrooms are clean. They are not, and we are asking the state to intervene.”

The 18-page complaint details the ongoing sanitation, maintenance, water and environmental conditions at District 130 schools that pose health and safety hazards to students and staff. The reported issues have, in some instances, continued for weeks or months despite being reported to District 130 administration.

The complaint filed by the BIEA details (pictures submitted with the complaint are available here):

• Inadequate cleaning and sanitation of classrooms, hallways, restrooms, gyms, and locker rooms;

• Inadequate removal of garbage and waste;

• Inadequate restroom and hand-washing facilities;

• Standing water and water leaks;

• Falling or damaged ceiling tiles;

• Mold and suspected mold associated with water damage;

• Sewage contamination;

• And, rodents and insects, such as cockroaches and flies.

“We have asked repeatedly for these things to be addressed to no avail. We’ve asked the administration again and again to clean our classrooms and facilities. We’ve gone to the board of education and made them aware of the conditions, and still our schools are dirtier than ever before,” Roozee-Sera said. “Now we’re asking the state to help us. Our students deserve safe and healthy schools. They have a right to equitable learning conditions. No children should be forced to learn in these conditions. Our students, our community, deserves so much better.”

The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. Since then, the district hired an outside company which was supposed to begin work on Sept. 8; however, they were unable to start for weeks because the district failed to conduct timely background checks on the outsourced employees. Now the district is paying outsourced employees and also the custodians who were laid off.

The BIEA represents approximately 300 teachers and staff educating nearly 3,000 students who attend one of the 12 schools in District 130.

Tomorrow night, the BIEA is hosting a community rally. It will begin at 5 p.m. at Nathan Hale Primary School (5324 W. 135th St., Crestwood). Rallygoers will begin gathering at 4:30 p.m. Several local leaders, parents, community members and teachers will be speaking.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

Tonight, MSEA plans to pack the Mahomet Seymour Community Unit School District 3 Board of Education (BOE) meeting. Parents and community members are planning to speak, as well as the MSEA president.

“Unfortunately, we are still not where we need to be at the negotiations table. The district continues to push for more instructional time, despite having no feedback from parents on the impact of changing the start and end times of their students’ school day,” MSEA spokesperson and high school teacher Cam Zindars said. “They also remain unwilling to discuss class size limits, which we believe are imperative to ensuring our students get the attention and support they need.”

MSEA has been bargaining a new contract with the BOE since March and entered mediation on Aug. 10. The current MSEA contract expired on June 30, and MSEA members are now working without a contract.

“We love this community. In fact, I went to school here. I graduated from the high school I now teach at, and I’m a Mahomet taxpayer. It doesn’t get more invested than that. We want what’s best for our students and our community and that includes attracting and retaining talented educators and staff,” Zindars said.

There are still several issues that need to be resolved at the bargaining table, including: 

• Teacher-directed, collaborative plan time: The district administration wants to make changes to teachers’ planning time. MSEA is pushing to keep their plan time as it is, so teachers can continue to determine how to best meet their students’ needs. Teachers use their plan time to put together lessons, meet with parents and grade assignments. 

• Health insurance: The BOE is not being realistic about how rapidly health insurance costs are increasing.  MSEA is trying to ensure there is enough money applied to premiums that we don’t end up going backwards financially.  

• Wages: According to an MSEA internal survey, the majority of District 3 teachers and staff have considered leaving the district in the last five years, mainly due to financial reasons. Mahomet-Seymour teachers’ salaries are lagging behind several nearby districts including Taylorville, Mount Zion and Urbana. Starting wages for bus drivers are so low the district is struggling to hire the new drivers we desperately need. 

“When it comes to wages, we are not asking for anything the district can’t afford. There’s no way we’d do that. We’re part of this community, too. But what I can tell you is if we don’t do something soon, we won’t have bus drivers to safely transport our students to and from school. We will lose our dedicated teachers to neighboring districts that pay more money, and our administration will continue to give themselves raises at the expense of everyone else,” Zindars said.

MSEA represents more than 250 teachers, counselors, bus drivers, classroom aides, office personnel, custodians and librarians serving the 3,400 students in Mahomet-Seymour CUSD 3.

On Mon., Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m., the BOE will be meeting in the board room at Middletown Prairie Elementary School (1301 Bulldog Dr., Mahomet). The MSEA asks that community members come to the meeting, wear red and show their support for the teachers and staff trying to settle a fair contract.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“Our teachers and students are seeing mice, fly infestations, feces and urine that’s not being properly cleaned up and even dead animals that are rotting on school grounds. There is no way any child should be learning in conditions like this. These working conditions do not allow teachers to properly do their jobs,” Roozee-Sera said.  

Current conditions at District 130 include (pictures available here): 

• Mold in locker room: After being told that mold was dirt, staff kept pressing the issue and the site was tested. On Monday, testing revealed that Kerr Middle School locker rooms tested positive for mold.  

• Unsanitary/neglected bathrooms: Both student and staff washrooms are filthy. Multiple buildings have reports of overflowing garbage cans and stalls filled with overflowing sanitary products.  Both student and staff bathrooms are frequently out of supplies like paper towels, soap and toilet paper.   

• Filthy floors: Lunchroom and gym floors have not been properly cleaned all school year. There is food and debris stuck to them. They’re so dirty that kids are literally sticking to the floors. Kindergarteners eat breakfast in their classrooms each day, and those carpets are filled with food crumbs and debris. 

• Bathroom Accidents: Our youngest students can have accidents.  Over the past month, student accidents have not been properly cleaned up in a timely manner.  One teacher, out of desperation, put sawdust on a student accident.  It stayed there for several days until someone finally came to clean it.  There are frequently feces on the toilet seats of student bathrooms that are not properly cleaned.  Trained and knowledgeable staff are needed to address bathroom accidents and vomiting.   

• Rodent/insect infestation: All the built-up crumbs and garbage are attracting flies and mice, which have been spotted throughout our buildings. 

• Dead animals: Dead animals have been spotted on school grounds, including near where students board the buses. In one instance, no one removed the carcass for a week. 

“It’s like the district is completely ignoring us. No one is listening when we tell them about the terrible conditions. In the meantime, we’re expected to try and teach our students, obviously these poor conditions are a huge distraction to teaching and learning,” Roozee-Sera said. 

The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. Since then, the administration has not met with the custodians to figure out a plan to bring them back. Instead, the district is attempting to outsource the cleaning jobs.  

“The new company was supposed to start on Sept. 8, however they weren’t ready on that day and still do not have the ability to fully staff our buildings. The staff that we have seen don’t appear to know how to properly clean schools,” Roozee-Sera said. “We’re asking the district to revisit talks with our custodians, attempt to resolve whatever issues they are having with them, and bring them back to work in our buildings.  We cannot continue to work in these conditions, and we have lost faith in the district’s ability to resolve this issue with an outside company.” 

The BIEA represents approximately 300 teachers and staff educating nearly 3,000 students who attend one of the 12 schools in District 130. 

Tonight’s BOE meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Eisenhower Cooperative Building (5318 W. 135th St., Crestwood). At least 100 teachers and community members are expected to attend the meeting.  

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

The following joint statement is attributable to IEA President Karl Goeke, Homewood-Flossmoor Education Association President Dana Noble, Homewood-Flossmoor Classified Staff Organization President Paula Snyder, Lincoln-Way Education Association President Patrick Leonard and Lincoln-Way High School Education Support Professionals Co-Presidents Nicholas Albergo and Jeremy Horvath:

“The Illinois Education Association (IEA) condemns the racist harassment directed at Homewood-Flossmoor students during Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor football game.  The behavior is completely unacceptable and deeply troubling. No student should have to experience racial slurs, racist gestures or harassment at a school or athletic event.

The Illinois Education Association’s mission is to effect excellence and equity in public education. We believe that commitment requires us to stand firmly against racism and racial harassment whenever and wherever it occurs. Every student deserves to attend school and participate in school activities in an environment where they are safe, respected and treated with dignity, regardless of the color of their skin.

While we appreciate that the offending students were removed from the game and Lincoln-Way East administration has committed to take appropriate disciplinary action,  this cannot be the end of the response. Racist behavior must have meaningful consequences, and schools have a responsibility to ensure their students understand the harm caused by racism and the responsibility we all share for creating school communities where every student is treated with dignity and respect.

The students who were subjected to this harassment deserve to know the public education community unequivocally stands with them. There is no place for racism, racial harassment or intimidation in our schools, at our athletic events or anywhere in our communities.”

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

“We love this community and our students. The last thing we want to do is be out on a picket line instead of in our schools with our students. But we are willing to do whatever it takes to get the best contract in place for our students. We are still hoping we can come to an agreement,” MSEA spokesperson and high school teacher Cam Zindars said.

MSEA has been bargaining a new contract with the BOE since March and entered mediation on Aug. 10. The current MSEA contract expired on June 30, and MSEA members are now working without a contract.

There are still several issues that need to be resolved at the bargaining table, including:

• Teacher-directed, collaborative plan time: The district administration wants to make changes to teachers’ planning time by creating district-directed, collaborative time. MSEA is pushing to keep their plan time as it is, so they can determine how to best meet their students’ needs. Teachers use their plan time to put together lessons, meet with parents and grade assignments.
• Health insurance: The BOE is pushing for higher healthcare costs for all teachers and staff. This comes at a time when medical costs are rising across the country and inflation is up.
• Wages: According to an MSEA internal survey, the majority of District 3 teachers and staff have considered leaving the district in the last five years, mainly due to financial reasons. Mahomet-Seymour teachers’ salaries are lagging behind several nearby districts including Taylorville, Mount Zion and Urbana. Starting wages for Bus Drivers are so low the District is struggling to hire the new drivers we desperately need.

“The district will tell you our wages are average, but our students deserve better than average. We are also in the middle of teacher and support staff shortage. There simply aren’t enough adults to work in our schools and if our wages aren’t competitive we will lose talented educators to neighboring districts,” Zindars said.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provides data to the public regarding educator and administrator pay from around the state. The report card from the state for Mahomet-Seymour shows administrator salaries are much closer to the state average than Mahomet-Seymour teachers’ salaries. In fact, the gap has grown increasingly bigger over the last decade. Now District 3 teachers’ salaries are more than $16,000 behind the state average.

“This isn’t just about teachers either. Many of our education support staff, including bus drivers, office personnel, custodians and paraeducators, are struggling to make ends meet. The district is offering them a smaller percentage increase than they have historically. These are the people who work with our most vulnerable students. They make it possible for every child, no matter what disability they may have, to attend public school. They are invaluable to the district, and we should treat them as such,” Zindars said.

MSEA represents more than 250 teachers, counselors, bus drivers, classroom aides, office personnel, custodians, and librarians serving the 3,400 students in Mahomet-Seymour CUSD 3.

On Mon., Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m., the Mahomet-Seymour BOE will be meeting in the board room at Middletown Prairie Elementary School (1301 Bulldog Dr., Mahomet). The MSEA asks that community members come to the meeting and show their support for the teachers and staff trying to settle a fair contract.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.