Teachers’ strike triggers emergency meeting of Rockford Board of Education at 7 p.m., March 30

Online Staff Report

The Rockford Board of Education (BOE) will meet at 7 p.m., tonight, Friday, March 30, in closed session after taking comments from the public.

The emergency meeting was called by BOE President Harmon Mitchell late Thursday night, March 29, after Rockford teachers launched their first strike since 1984.

About 1,500 picketers lined both sides of Seventh Street outside the district administration building March 29 in what is considered to be one of the largest public demonstrations in Rockford history.

Teachers returned to picket lines Friday, March 30. However, they were asked by the teachers’ union — the Rockford Education Association (REA) — to leave picket lines at noon, March 30, and return to the Administration Building at 501 Seventh St., Rockford, at 5:30 p.m., to protest the emergency BOE meeting, which will be in the third-floor board room.

Bargaining talks between the district and the REA are ongoing.

The REA voted 1,500-74 in favor of the strike March 26. Teachers have been without a contract since July 2011.

The REA and the district have met more than 50 times over the past 11 months, but have failed to reach an agreement.

The strike brings to a halt all school functions, with school, sporting events and other activities all canceled. More than 28,000 students are enrolled in the district.

Posted March 30, 2012