The Bensenville School District 2 Board of Education has approved a five-year contract with the Bensenville Education Association (BEA), the union representing the District’s 200-plus teachers.

The new contract covers school years 2022-2023 to 2026-2027. By fitting within the District’s budget, it honors the interests of taxpayers while increasing teachers’ compensation to a more competitive level.

“To our teachers, our new collective bargaining agreement reflects the appreciation we have, as a community, for the work that you do,” said Dr. Chris McCullough, BSD2 Board President. Dr. McCullough noted, “Our teachers support the children of our community by preparing them for success in high school and ultimately for college and/or careers, so we are very grateful for everything that you do.” 

“To the community of Bensenville, I want to emphasize that this contract was established in a very responsible way,” continued Dr. McCullough. “We will not go into deficit as a result of this contract. It is respectful of our community members’ hard work and the hard-earned tax dollars that support our school system.” 

Throughout the contract, teachers will receive annual raises that are tied to the year’s inflation rate and are projected to range between 4 percent and 5 percent. The District will also pay a larger portion of their health insurance premiums, especially for family plans. 

Negotiations on the contract began in February, and were conducted under an interest-based approach to collective bargaining. This approach required both the Board and BEA negotiating teams to work collaboratively throughout the bargaining process.

The Board and BEA reached a tentative agreement for the contract in mid May. BEA members then voted to ratify the agreement during the last week of school, and the Board approved the contract during its June 1regular workshop meeting.. 

The contact will be posted to the District 2 website as soon as the legal language of the agreement is finalized.