After three months and six sessions of negotiations, Community High School District 94 officials said they’ve reached a tentative contract agreement with the teachers union.

Board President Tony Reyes said board members have made a good offer.

“Both sides bargained very hard and did a good job for both teams,” Reyes said.

Neither side can illuminate the details of the contract until the teachers union votes to ratify the agreement. That meeting is scheduled for July 12, union President Barb Laimins said. The union needs a simple majority to pass the agreement and must have about three-fourths of the union’s members voting, which would be roughly 80 members, Laimins said.

“I think the teachers are going to be pleased with the settlement,” Laimins said.

“There’s good and bad in any settlement but you look at it as the total package.”

The district had previously been operating under a one-year agreement when teachers agreed to take multiple cuts in pay and benefits to help the district balance the budget.

That contract expires in August, just before the start of the school year.

“Historically, West Chicago high school has had contracts that are generally three years,” Reyes said. “Last year was an anomaly due to the fact that it was the first time in over a decade that the board had attempted to balance its budget and stop deficit spending.”

Laimins and Reyes said both sides agreed at the time to compromise and the board successfully balanced the budget.

Although neither side can say how long the tentative contract will last, each said one-year contracts are far from ideal.

“The district would like to have a longer contract so they have more flexibility in planning,” Laimins said. “Teachers would like to have a longer contract because it gives them more security. There’s an unease that develops when you go from year to year.”

The contract will go before the school board sometime after it is ratified by the union, probably sometime in mid-July, Reyes said. The district and the union will then issue a joint statement when both sides officially agree.

Neither side predicted any difficulty in getting the contract passed.

“We are looking for a positive outcome so we can start school without this hanging over us,” Laimins said.