MURPHYSBORO (WSIL) � Murphysboro teachers have voted to go on strike next week.
The teachers union met with school board officials and a federal mediator Thursday night but didn’t come to an agreement.
The Murphysboro Teachers Union filed an intent to strike notice earlier this month after talks stalled� and then voted to strike before Thursday night’s bargaining session.
In terms of salary, the two sides were about $614,000 apart, although district superintendent Chris Grode said the district has increased its offer significantly since the last offer that was posted to the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board.
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Murphysboro Education Association spokeswoman Lisa Shields said the offer wasn’t enough.
"All of the teachers don’t want that to happen because our priority is the studentsÌýand obviously that’s what we spend our lives doing is working with the kids and providing them education and places to go," Shields said.Ìý"But we realize how important this is because we realize this is not only about us but it’s about the future of the district and attracting quality educators to the district."
The teachers can’t officially go on strike until October 1.
