Kewanee Education Association votes to approve new contract

KEWANEE, Ill. (KWQC) - The president of the Kewanee Education Association announced Sunday night that members have voted to approve their new contract.

The Kewanee Education association has been negotiating with the Kewanee School Board since April for wage increases, and has been without a contract since August 15. In October, the school issued their “last, best, and final offer” to teachers.

In a statement, Kewanee Education Association President Ruth Kapacinskas said, “Tonight the members of Kewanee Education Association voted to approve our new contract. We believe this contract is a step in the right direction, but there is much more work to be done to make Kewanee a place that attracts talented education support staff and teachers and retains the experienced staff members we have. We are looking forward to continuing to work towards truly making Kewanee a destination district where educators can spend their careers. Our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions and we won’t stop until we get that right. We are incredibly grateful to the Kewanee community who rallied around us. We are humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support. Thank you for standing by us during this time. We look forward to continuing to work together to make sure all our students receive the high-quality public education they deserve.”

The contract will not be official until the Kewanee Board of Education also approves it. That vote is expected to take place at Monday’s school board meeting at 7:30 p.m.

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