A teacher's strike may soon impact Carbondale School District 95.
Unions representing the teachers and support staff say they've submitted their final offers to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Once the board posts the offers, the Carbondale Education Association and the Carbondale Educational Support Professional Association can choose to go on strike in 14 days.
Carbondale Education Association President Melissa Norman says the teachers don't want to strike, but she says they've been negotiating unsuccessfully with the school district for months.
The CEA includes 136 teachers, social workers and other licensed professionals. Its current contract expired on Aug. 11.
The Carbondale Educational Support Professional Association has 111 members that are classroom aides, cooks, secretaries, maintenance workers, couriers, birth to three educators, behavior specialists and paraprofessionals. This is the group's first contract negotiation with the district. It has been bargaining with the board since August 2018.
The CEA's next mediation session with the Board of Education is set for Monday.
