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Teachers, support staff urge Streator ESD 44 board to resolve contract talks, restore benefits
Summary
Dozens of teachers, support staff and union leaders used the boards public-comment period to press for higher pay, restored health insurance and the return of classroom aides, warning that continued strain could drive staff departures and harm student learning.
Dozens of teachers, support staff and union leaders addressed the Streator ESD 44 board during public comment, urging officials to resolve contract negotiations, restore benefits and re-establish classroom aides.
Mary Lorett, who said she has taught for 21 years and eight years in the district, told the board the district has made academic gains but that staffing and compensation decisions threaten retention and recruitment. "You don't know what you don't know," Lorett said, urging the board to consider how reductions and part-time roles limit the district's ability to retain "quality educators."
Amber Kappan, an eighth-grade teacher, challenged public comments by district leadership that she said branded staff "selfish and unreasonable," and said those remarks had damaged morale. "I was surprised to hear that Mrs. Virgil would talk to a newspaper reporter criticizing her staff and calling them selfish and unreasonable," Kappan said, and she urged the board to follow the district's complaint process.
Union leaders pressed the board directly. Desi Johnson, co-president of the Streeter Elementary Union, said the superintendent's remarks reveal the board's and administration's opinion of employees and defended bargaining demands for "a livable salary, full-time employment and health care." "If our demands of a livable salary make us selfish and unreasonable then so be it," Johnson said.
Shody Baker, a reading and math interventionist who identified herself as a negotiations team member, cited a 1.34% average annual raise for teachers over the past 13 years and relayed a colleague's $1.6 million medical bill to underscore the importance of employer-provided insurance. "If it wasn't for the insurance...it would have bankrupted their family," Baker said, urging the board to consider staff who currently lack coverage.
Several speakers described concrete classroom impacts. Carrie Rodrez, a kindergarten teacher, said aides historically supported early learners and recounted the first day of school when 25 five-year-olds had no adult other than the teacher. "We are putting our 5-year-olds in a sink and swim situation at the start of their education," Rodrez said.
Support staff member Michelle Gyan, a 25-year district employee, said the district had given "over $45,000 to one person" while more than 200 employees awaited contract resolution; she said that discrepancy had exacerbated frustration among staff.
Speakers repeatedly urged the board to engage actively in negotiations rather than rely solely on administration. Several asked for retraction or apology for public language they viewed as denigrating employees and requested the board answer staff questions in public if necessary.
The public comment portion concluded without a formal board response recorded in the provided transcript segment. The board later continued with routine business, including appointments and calendar approvals.
