32 / 39
The Bement School District is a small rural district in the
heart of the State of Illinois. We have seen the teacher
surpluses disappear and now we are dealing with teacher
shortages just like the rest of the state. The shortage is now
across all levels and all subjects, not just our traditional
“hard-to-fill” subjects such as foreign language, special
education, science and math. The shortage has even trickled
down to our substitute list, making a typical day at school turn
into a three-ring circus, filling with in-house subs or moving
students across campus.
Negotiations started in April and the Bement Community Unit
School District 5 Board of Education had several goals in
mind, but none bigger than recruiting and retention. Tensions
remain high in our state government and, once again, there
is no new information or ability to project or predict finances.
We decided to move forward in good faith and attack our
primary goals along with our teacher’s union.
There are few words that strike fear into a union member’s
heart and mind like “freeze” or “hiring bonus.” We chose the
latter, explaining our rationale. The teachers have been kept
up to date with what is happening in our state and the lack
of qualified candidates for teaching positions. We negotiated
an “up to $5,000 hiring bonus” if the board is unable to fill
a vacant position with a suitable candidate. This would be
done with the notification of the union. There was a level of
understanding with the Bement Education Association, but
also the need to fulfill the other highly important goal
of retention.
Slowly, one branch at a time, we crawled out on the limb
of something entirely new and unprecedented—a loyalty
bonus. In order to be comfortable in offering up language
of a potential hiring bonus, the teachers needed to feel
appreciated for their loyalty to the district and their
continued good works.
By Sheila Greenwood
Superintendent
Bement CUSD #5
Loyaltypaysoff
inBement’s creative
teacher recruitment
&retentionprogram
32
Bargaining occurred as it always does and the agreement
was made that teachers who had served our district for 10
years would receive a one-time bonus of $500 in the first
paycheck of their 11th year. Teachers who had served 20-
plus years would receive a one-time bonus of $1,000 in their
first paycheck of their 21st year. This assured the board
that the teachers wouldn’t take the bonus and leave after
the landmark year was met. Teachers in between 10 and 20
years of service would also receive the $500 and teachers
with more than 20 years would receive the $1,000 bonus.
Retention is sometimes a matter of feeling appreciated and
feeling like an important part of something. We felt that this
would be a step in the right direction. The largest expense
would be in the first year of implementation, but would not
come close to the expense of teacher turnover and losing
curriculum. Bement is still in the building mode and we want
to continue in that direction for years to come. The Bement
Board of Education accomplished the goals it set forth and
we were able to demonstrate our appreciation to our loyal
staff and have a recruiting tool if needed.
Slowly, one branch at a time, we
crawled out on the limb of something
entirely new and unprecedented—
a
loyalty bonus
. In order to be
comfortable in offering up
language of a potential hiring
bonus, the teachers needed to
feel appreciated for their loyalty
to the district and their
continued good works.