By AP/KWMU
Smithton, ILL. – Teachers in the Metro-East town of Smithton Tuesday rejected a new contract offer from the school board.
That unanimous vote extends the teachers' strike into its second week. The proposed contract would have given a 3% raise in the first year and a 1.65% raise in the second year.
But it would also have capped the district's contributions to teacher health insurance premiums at $4,400. That's something the teachers' union has opposed.
Union co-president Sue Shelton says the contract didn't offer teachers enough. The union has 26 teachers the strike affects about 400 students.