Thank you for a MUCH for a more accurate accounting of where negotiations are at. The Board must have master communicators to make the teachers out to be the bad guys - and I'm embarrassed at how willingly they do it. Maybe if the Board said, "Our teachers DO deserve better, and we are doing everything we can to meet their contract requests. They have earned it." After all they have sacrificed willingly the last 5 yrs, in addition to the loyal support they have given the district on getting the referendum passed as well as the Sears legislation. The Boards behavior here is just wrong!

It's all about the teachers, never about the kids.

It's ONLY about the kids! Teaching in a room with 40 students is ridiculous! Studies have proven that a good relationship between a student and their teacher greatly improves learning. With that many kids in a classroom it's impossible.

My parents were teachers. My grandmother was a teacher. My aunt was a teacher and then an administrator, as was my Uncle. Basically? I come from a teaching family. (this is why I chose NOT to become a teacher, I saw it up close and personal). In my observation, I can see wrong on BOTH sides of the table and I'm trying not to point a finger at something I only know a small bit about. But, I have a 5 year old little girl that just started school for the first time in August...and she doesn't understand what "strike" means. She just knows that she won't get to go to school today, won't get to see her beloved teacher, won't get a chance to learn something new. At this age, they LOVE school...it's not a vacation for them. Please, District 300...get it together.

John Dill... Are you kidding me. It's only about the kids. Teachers go into this profession for the love of teaching and making a difference in a child's life. Do you think that can be done in a classroom of 40 children or more? Try standing in front of 40 seven year olds and let's see how much progress you can make in one on one attention. It's not about money. Do you know what the starting salary is for a teacher out if college, such as my daughter? Probably around 24,000.00. Know the issues before you comment. Trust me no one goes into teaching for the money, they do it for the love of educating a child. By the way, my daughter is having a difficult time getting a teaching job because of cut backs. They are not hiring new teachers, so sadly she is earning her living, for now, as a waitress. Which, by the way, pays better than a teaching salary, but does nothing to help shape the future of our kids. The reason she went to college to get her degree in this noble proffession.

Joy S.
If the average class size is 40, then I feel that is too much for any teacher to be expected to handle and I think that should be addressed. But what are their other demands? Is it about money? I'm retired and I don't get an increase and still have to come up with more money for many demands, i.e., government taxes, Real Estate taxes, etc. THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR ANYONE TO BE ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. I will be very dissapointed in the teachers and union if that's what they are doing.

Dan is right. The administration agreed to the class sizes and giving the teachers raises (just not as much as the teachers would like). In agreeing about the class sizes, the district has to hire 60 more teachers and some schools have to purchase trailers to accommodate the new classes. Where is all this money supposed to be coming from. It kills me to disagree with the teachers. I come from a teaching family. But something has to give and it only seems to be the school board.

Dan..right on!! this has NOW become about money! The district offered to cut class room sizes and now the teachers want more MONEY! There are many working people who haven't had a raise in YEARS and are taking on more work. They are still working and "dealing" with it because they are "happy" to at least have a job! The teachers need to get back to work and be happy they have a job! I say the district needs to let those teachers go and bring in new teachers who WANT TO WORK!!!

You can look up these teachers salaries and I'd say they are getting paid pretty well. I am a hairstylist and I haven't raised my prices in 5 years due to the economy, I don't get paid sick days either or vacation days! My daughter is in kindergarten and doesn't understand any of this! She loves school and is sad she isn't going today! Watching these teachers picket and seeing them laughing like their having a good time is a joke!!

Mary I agree thats exactly what the board should be saying!!! With that being said, i am appalled at the teachers. I went on their Lead300 page and their attitude both angers and saddens me. I have volunteered the last 18 years at my kids schools and supported the teachers 110% all 18 years!! But now to hear these teachers not have one good thing to say about being a teacher sickens me. This makes me think that maybe it is all about them???I thought I would never say that i cant wait till my last child is out of High School, 1 1/2 years to go!!!!

Raise the class sizes, fire all the teachers and replace them with min wage workers. Teachers should just be quiet and happy. The public should bank on their love of teaching and use that against them for leverage. Right?

Class size? No, don't blame management. Nothing is their fault. Right?

We only hear about new teachers salaries. What is the average teacher making including all the benefits, both insurance, personal days and pension.? Most of the pensions for private employees are gone. Many employees have not received raises in 2 to 3 years because of the economy. The maximum you can receive on Social Security after paying 7.65 percent of your wages and your employer match is around $30,156 a year if you paid the maximum since age 21 and worked until age 66. Lets compare that with a teachers pension when they retire at age 55, eleven years before a private employee. The average social security payment is $14,760 a year. And those are the people who are paying the teachers pensions through their taxes. According to the Chicago Tribune, the average teacher pension is $65K a year with automatic increases every year. The average wage in Mchenry County in 2011 was $53,305. Teachers made more in their pensions than workers do working every day and all year long. Today they are striking for MORE and the hourly working parents lose their income because they have no babysitters. Enough already!

Christina....did you go to college for 4 years to get a degree in hairstyling? Teaching is a profession. Not belittling what you do, I work in retail but I support the profession of teachers. They are professionals , not daycare workers and should be compensated accordingly.
On another note I do not believe in this day and age there is a need for a union at the professional level. Unions were great and needed for labour workers, but today, for professionals I don't see the need. Especially with teachers. It tends to protect the bad ones and not properly compensate the good ones. My opinion

Merle, sarcasm aside, you want to blame mgmt for classroom overcrowding?

D300 forced two tax referendums in the recent past to deal with capacity issues... but the REALITY is that our gov't decided a while back to ignore our immigration laws and this is one of the direct consequences of that political pandering that we all have to deal with.

Do we expect the administration to poop out a few more schools? Wave the old magic wand? Build a twenty foot wall on the border of Mexico?

If D300 were a part of the Federal gov't, the answer would be easy. Print more money, borrow from the Chinese, ask our grandchildren to pay for our lack of self control... but this is just a big school district in a broke state (that doesnt have its own currency, thankfully) and these are tough issues to find real solutions for.

The gov't will never build that Great Wall. After all, illilegals are votes. That's all it's about.

Debbie, teaching is a profession but so is a hair stylist.

The majority of the people who go to beauty school want to work in a salon, but a good pctg of teachers did not go to college with that job in mind.

Do hair stylists have a union? paid vacations? two months off in the summer? pensions?

Are we glad that our teachers are able to enjoy these benefits? sure we are. We appreciate them and the work they do.

Do we detest the teacher's union for walking off the job, in this economy, because they wNt more money? yes.

you're right, Debbie... illegals are votes.

And they make babies. Much more than the national avg. We are legally req'd (funny how some laws are more equal than others) to educate these kids.

They can't speak the language of the land? No worries... D300 will hire bilingual teachers and assistants to help. Don't have enough room for these kids? No problem... we will buy more chairs and desks. We can fit 50 kids in a room. They're small. Some of the kids barely understand English but are in regular classes? We will just ask our teachers to talk slowly and give these 'new' kids more attention.

I keep saying this, but the two groups who are negotiating aren't allowed to.

It's not the costs of the chairs and desks and bilingual teachers, etc.. that illegal immigration necessitates that is doing us in; it's the poor education that our kids are getting as a consequence that will hurt us so badly in the long run.

Debbie it's your attitude that is so sad!!!!

Too funny. The class sizes are huge because the Illinois politicians we elected cut off the $ so there's no more additions, new schools etc being built and the kids pile up even in this economy were still growing in population out here. Illinois is broke due to poor management and 3 billion in debt. We are tied with California for the most broke state! Now think about that California is the 5th largest economy in the world and we are as broke as them and they have 8 times the residents! You guys want to blame the unions? huh? I bet you shop at walmart to0 and then complain about jobs going over seas. If you don't like whats going on then vote don't sit around and cry about.

Go to the McHenry County Blog and read the real numbers on Dist. 300

We have its a direct result of the state.

Dan... Out of curiosity, one because you are always on here commenting, what do you do for work? Two are you attempting to do anything to effect a change, instead of all your verbalizing?

Debbie, I am licensed by the state of Illinois and therefore need to have 14hrs of continuing education every 2 yrs keep that license! You are belittling me and it is a profession!I Please don't tell me teacher's are doing this for the kids and their love of teaching! My daughter goes to kindergarten here in Algonquin and saw her teacher picketing, and is upset she's not in school! She only goes for 2 and a half hours! We don't even have full day kindergarten here!! I would have to pay 250$ a month if I had signed her up for full day...I pay taxes!!! makes no sense!!! This is not the time to be striking with this economy!

A teacher in Finland explains why her country's school system is the best in the world....,,we pay teachers like doctors, children enjoy over an hour of recess and there is no mandatory testing. The opposite of what America does. Check out where we rank in the world on education. Gov't needs to step in, do away with the union and pay them accordingly. Put children first instead of football players and Hollywood stars. They got it all wrong here. BTW Christina I never said you were not a professional I just feel the college degree goes a long way on the pay compensation scale, usually.

It is easy to complaine about the teachers asking for more money,espically when you dont have the faintest idea what the job entails. We won't talk about the 100,000 in student loans my wife is paying back, We won't talk about her job really being two full time jobs, grading, assesment work, report cards, lesson plans,and a ton of other things are done at home with no extra pay how many of you are willing to work for free? OK pick on the teachers because they are easy targets, lets not complain about the politicans, and school adminastrators who vote thier own rasises or get them in deals under the table. Teachers are professionals and they are all about the kids no teacher in this district is getting rich. With district cuts in programs teachers pay for things out of thier own pockets. they don't complain or beat thier own chest about this it is matter of necessitiy to get the job done. When we talk about any other profession we say they only get what the market will bear. I guess now you have to ask youself are you mad about the money or losing you babysitters?

I'm still waiting..??? Where are all these bad unions at? The union that I belonged we get to vote in or out who runs our local and have never been forced into doing anything we didn't want and have yet to be threatened by thugs or gangsters for $ lol I cant believe people still believe that! If it wasn't for unions and the Davis Bacon act no teacher,tradesman,cop,nurse,fireman, doctor, attorney,banker etc etc would even make a living wage. The only people I ever hear complain about unions or at least mine is because they were to stupid to handle our 5 years of schooling that's required and dropped out then decided to pick on unions because they couldn't handle an actual job that required hard work,skill and endurance. lol unreal.

Get rid of all the teacher's bring in some new ones . Let them draw unemployment

Right on Nick!!

Hey everyone JB is giving out free HJ's !

Hey Jeff I think you must have hit your head your talking out of your back side that is what you sit on all day

We all work JB you should try it sometime! Our taxes are paying for your food,shelter and healthcare. I'm retired wealthy at 41 how bout you? I'm guessing unemployment still? or are you and your mom still getting 5$ a crack for those HJ's?

More people complaining about unions because they were to stupid to go to college so now they want to complain and bash unions now lol. The people you elected and the state officials who trickle out the money for D300 are to blame not the teachers. The states broke because of poor management and crooked politics they don't get enough money now to supply to the districts so there is no new schools and additions to keep up with the population of kids.

Come on boys... Can't we all play nice on the playground?!

As a teacher on the picket line today, I am sad, angry, and tired. I am worrying about my algebra students who spent days preparing for a midterm exam that has been postponed. I'm worrying about my cheerleaders who have spent months preparing for a competition they may have to miss. If you believe nothing else, please know and trust that teachers truly care about their students! So if you disagree with the strike, that's okay, but please don't bash teachers or the work they do for your children.

Jealous JB? I started a a company in 1998 and retired at 41. How bout you? Unemployment still? I have my all American product in over 700 outlets, all 50 states and 18 country's and still growing. How bout you? I guess those HJ's you and your mom give out for cigarettes aren't paying off? Wealthy people can't retire in Mchenry county? I didn't know that? I have a house in Marco Island,FL and a cabin home in SK, Canada. How bout you? Is that good enough for you? or are just gonna live off of our tax dollars for the rest of your life? I would offer you a job t the shop but with your pedophile back ground and no schooling to speak of I don't think it would work out. Let me know how pimpin your mom out works out for ya!

Jeff you do need some help you would be a lot better off get some counselling
They who have never talk about it 41 and still at home with mom &dad
What a good life

Dan if you hate America so much why do you reside here?

Again..I'm still waiting..??? Where are all these bad unions at? The union that I belonged to we got to vote in or out who runs our local and have never been forced into doing anything we didn't want and have yet to be threatened by thugs or gangsters for $ lol I cant believe people still believe that! If it wasn't for unions and the Davis Bacon act no teacher,tradesman,cop,nurse,fireman, doctor, attorney,banker etc etc would even make a living wage. The only people I ever hear complain about unions or at least mine is because they were to stupid to handle our 5 years of schooling that's required and dropped out then decided to pick on unions because they couldn't handle an actual job that required hard work,skill and endurance. lol unreal.

Jeff Jeff Jeff
Just wanted to say thanks I just another food card, welfare check, and I am going for a sticker for handicap, you know you have to work the system. So I can park up real close in my expensive car. I get all of this from you wealthy people

Jeff my man its people like you that make is so easy for us and I want to thank you
some of us do leave the nest and some don't some of us have a good life thanks to all the wealthy people keep paying you taxes so the teachers and I can live better God Bless America

Jeff your unhappiness is showing from when you were a child.
You do need some HELP !!!
You can find it in the yellow pages under (L) for looser
The teachers and I love all the free money we get for doing nothing !!!
gatta love those teachers they work the system as well as I do
America what a fine place to live it's all free

jeff there seems to be a lot of anger with you . You really need some help!! You should check I think there is a DR Phil that works with a bunch of losers you would fit right into that group and maybe he could help some of those scum suckers of a teacher that all they do is complain . I still don't quite see it if your unhappy with you job just quit what is the big deal. Don't think any of them quit wonder why, maybe all the free money they get for 9 months of work and all the days off in-between Bet your dad wish he could have afforded an abortion years ago, would be one less at home now

jeff your anger is showing. Did you not get in touch with DR.Phil you know the looser DR. Where do you think I dont love America everything is free look at the teachers free money !! Free days off, summers off, kids not learning , let's give them a raise its America
And for you PLEASE get some help !!!

Brian, He keeps dishing it out Im gonna dish it back. Why are you so prejudice against me being successful? Your against hard work that paid off? You hate veterans now too? So whats wrong with veterans? Are you upset that their not cowards like you? You ask me why am I wasting my time with childish insults and then you reply with them? lol Wow your a veteran hater and your anti small business too. What do you do besides hate America? Why do you live in this great country of ours if you hate it so much? Wow your an actual person who hates vets I know they exist just didn't think there were any around here your by far the the biggest coward I have ever seen on here. Let me know when you want to meet up for that sno cone.

jeff still didn't get any help !!!
Well you know a alcoholic doesn't have a problem and you a LOOSER don't have a problem
Your not smart enough to see what a looser you really are, and the HELP you need

Jeff just like an alcoholic you talk to them and they don't need help
and you a BIG LOOSER you don't need any help either. One day you will say JB you were right I was a BIG LOOSER and now I am just a looser

Jb you better come up with some new material your getting your ass kicked and its pretty pathetic.

Hey Jeff, just a quick question...if you started your own business when you were 29 and in the service previous to that, when were you in a Union?

dam jeff these idiots are really obsessed with you. I have a small part time business that me and my wife work at I guess I better check with Rob first to make sure its ok!

Yeah Nucky that's fine, thanks for asking! I was wondering because I see a lot of your posts and seemed funny that someone as accomplished as you would be so childish with their posts and opinions. We actually agree on 90% of our views, it's ashame that you can't argue as well as you sling the bs.
I do enjoy reading the posts, do you and Nucky ever hit the stage together? Seems to me like Nucky is Abbott and you are Costello. Perhaps, if you associated with better people, you would learn to win your arguments instead of just sounding like a child. It doesn't help our side at all.

LOL...you must work with Rickles too...really old material. Pretty funny stuff in back in Middle School. I asked because I was interested in his background, because we have very similar views and opinions. No concern of yours, I'm not trying to steal your only friend Nucky.