UPDATED 9:52 a.m. 8/5/25

Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The red0shirted members of the Springfield Education Association again made a show of force at a District 186 school board meeting Monday, as negotiations are set to resume Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Our school district is suffering from a condition I like to call ‘supervisor-itis,'” teacher Stacey Ericson said during Monday night’s public comment period. “An overgrowth of supervisors multiplying faster than middle-school rumors.”

“We appreciate you. We appreciate what you do,” said superintendent Jennifer Gill. “But we are also trying to manage a fiscal dilemma. Thank you for being here. We never think it’s negative that you’re here.

“My daughter is a fourth-generation teacher,” Glil continued. “It runs through our blood. I was a teacher first. We know.”

Gill, Tuesday morning on the WTAX Morning Newswatch, responded more directly to Ericson’s comments, saying there are less district administrators now than last year.

“Some of the positions we were discussing are union positions,” said Gill, noting that “Teacher Instructional Leaders” are under the auspices of the Springfield Education Association, and some positions are ones that were cut previously but requested to be reinstated by the union.  “We actually, with our changes that we made this year in administration — some retiring, bringing in new younger that are always a little bit less expensive.  On top of that, I cut five positions this year.  That has a savings of $848,000.  So, I’m doing the work.  We’re looking at how we can do this through attrition and different things, so individuals don’t lose their jobs.”

The crowd of union members spilled into the second-floor lobby outside the meeting room Monday night.

The first day of school for District 186 is Monday, Aug. 18.

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