“Mom, do you get paid $46,000?” my son asked after sitting through 90 minutes of community statements at the River Forest school board meeting last Tuesday. After many unsuccessful months of negotiating for a new teacher contract, I brought my family to the meeting to witness what advocacy in the workplace looks like and read a prepared statement myself.
The $46,000 figure was shared as the starting salary a colleague was offered in 2020. Five years later, those baseline salaries haven’t risen much. New full-time classroom teacher salaries start at $50,009, a salary below the minimum recommended living wage for Cook County as determined by a recent MIT calculation (https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/17031).
According to public-facing documents on the District 90 website, several full-time employees who have worked in the district for years still earn less than the recommended minimum living wage.
“No, but ‘Leaders look out for the last,’” I replied, using a phrase he’s heard for years, mostly in the context of family bike rides, encouraging the first rider to make sure the last one has also crossed the intersection. He immediately knew that mom was looking out for every D90 teacher, not just herself.
There are many upsetting things happening in the world these days that are outside of our control. But advocating for fair teacher pay in our own community is within our control. I strongly urge residents to reach out to the D90 Board of Education and voice your support to end these tiresome negotiations with a fair contract now.
Lindsay Johnson
Oak Park