To date, D90 teachers have worked without a contract, or any agreement on raises addressing their below State average salaries. This threatens the welfare of our school district, impacting our teaching staff, student body, property values, and our community’s commitment to adequate wages.  This petition calls for a raise teacher’s salaries to safeguard our community’s commitment to educational excellence.  

Despite protracted negotiations since summer, 2025, the River Forest Education Association (RFEA) and D90 BOE have failed to agree to terms to raise teacher’s salaries.  Since 2010, D90 teachers have experienced a 21% decrease in inflation-adjusted salaries.[1]  In 2025, D90 teachers earned an average salary of $77,679, placing them below the State of Illinois average teacher salary of $78,500.[2]

The state of D90 teacher’s salary is threatening the stability of our school system, causing challenges in retention, low morale and academic functioning.  This year, Roosevelt’s performance was downgraded to “Commendable.”  

Financial models based on publicly available data show that if D90 maintains normal revenue growth (standard property tax increase aligned with inflation), holding all costs steady, and using reserves to bridge as growth continues with inflation, the funds exist to support a salary increase.  D90 can use the Educational Fund (Cash on Hand) to support teacher’s salaries, and still have 11 to 12 months of liquidity. 

Additionally, D90 can explore cost saving measures not limited to: reduced administrative funding (currently 29% above the state average);[3] limit capital expense spending and explore higher return funds to house reserves (earned 4% in 2025).  

This is an urgent matter; we urge the public to sign this petition demanding that teacher’s salaries can be raised without additional referendum funding.  We sign this petition calling for the following:   

1. D90 teachers will receive a minimum pay increase of 10% in Year 1, with a target of 20% increase by Year 4.  This includes an immediate $3500 pay increase for all teachers, eliminating the $3500 stipend per teacher for extra-curricular work, which would now be rolled into all teacher’s job descriptions.  Funding for this stipend already exists in the D90 budget.  The raise would be 10% less the $3500 increase.
2. Closely matching D90 teachers and administrator’s state average salary percentiles, with no more than a 15% difference in percentiles between average teacher pay and average administrator pay.  

This petition demands an immediate resolution to this dispute.  D90 has the means to raise teacher’s salaries without a need for a referendum.  This is not a question of financial capacity. It is a question of priorities; we demand the BOE support our teachers and our community, so that D90 can thrive.  

[1] https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?districtid=06016090002
[2] https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=teachers&Districtid=06016090002
[3]https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?districtid=06016090002&source=admins&source2=avgadminsalary