Appeal of Alton School District

Each of these three appeals presents the issue of a school board’s financial obligations following expiration of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) during negotiations for a successor contract. The primary questions raised involve the doctrine of status quo, the definition of a cost item, and voter approval of cost items. In the two consolidated Alton cases, the public employee labor relations board (PELRB) ruled that the school board must pay teachers salary increases for additional levels of experience and education achieved during the status quo period. The PELRB relied in part on the…