The Galesburg School District #205 has canceled school 'until further notice,' due to the teachers' strike in the district.
Related: Galesburg teachers go on strike
"While we wish that we had the resources to offer the teachers more, we believe that our last offer to our teachers for what amounts to a 5.04 percent increase over the next three years was fair given the economic situation in Galesburg and in our state and nation," Galesburg Superintendent Bart Arthur and Board President Mike Panther said in a joint statement Wednesday, August 13, 2014.
Teachers were originally scheduled to return to work August 13. Instead, members of the Galesburg Education Association started picketing around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. About 100 union employees were lined up outside Galesburg High School by 7:30 a.m. Union members are fighting for better building conditions in their schools, among other things.
The first day of school in the district had been planned for Thursday, August 14. Classes, and other activities, were cancelled.
According to the district website, "all extra-curricular activities, including athletic practices, will not take place during the current work stoppage." The union and the school district are trying to set up another time to further their negotiations.