Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike

Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike:

Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike Last minute negotiations between the Rockford Education Association and the Rockford School District have ended with no contract deal. No School and Teachers will strike Thursday morning. Posted: 3:41 PM Mar 28, 2012 Reporter: Lauren Kravets, Faran Fronczak   BREAKING NEWS  Raw Interview with Rockford School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Willis  District 205 Teachers to Strike Unless Tentative Agreement Reached by Thursday  Board Meeting Preview  6:00 P.M. Interview With Rockford School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Willis

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UPDATE 3/29: ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- More than 10 hours of negotiating between District 205 and the teachers union ended in a standstill, leading teachers to go on strike, cancelling all classes and activities for students Thursday.
Both bargaining teams met Wednesday starting at 1 PM hoping to end the evening with a tentative contract. Rockford Education Association President Karen Bieschke says getting the exact language of the contract correct is slowing the process down. Interim Superintendent Robert Willis was hopeful both sides would be able to avoid or at least delay a strike. Bieschke says it was the board's decision to end the evening, but the REA was willing to stay and negotiate.
Bieschke says, "You've been watching me all night. I've been sitting at the table working on my computer trying to draft language and to reach an agreement today. We were here to finish it, but obviously that's not going to happen now." However, Willis says, "Well of course we're going to be disappointed. We don't want kids to be home, they need to be in school learning. But this is an REA decision and we have to live with it. But we want to make sure we do this right and get those kids back into school as soon as possible."
Thursday District 205 teachers will officially go on strike, giving parents a very short window to find alternative activities for their kids.
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