School to Resume in Mahomet, but Strike Animosity May Linger

Teachers and students in the Mahomet Seymour district will put the start of their school year back in order.

A two-day strike that ended Friday postponed the first shortened day of the year. Now, students will return to class on Monday, which is the first shortened day of class. The school board and the teachers' union rank-and-file will vote Monday night on the one year tentative contract that put a short but bitter work stoppage to an end.

Mahomet Seymour Superintendent Keith Oates said it will not take much to get back on schedule - in fact, the district is using two allotted emergency days in the school calendar to account for the strike. But Oates said fixing the animosity in the community after the strike will be tougher.

"Obviously human nature is going to demand that it's a little bit different for a little while," Oates said. "And I think we all know that when an organization goes through something such as a strike it's going to take a period of time, depending on different folks, to work its way back to normal, I'm sure."

Oates said he plans to keep a regular schedule of visiting schools in the district and checking in on teachers. Joan Jordan head, of the Mahomet Seymour Education Association, said negotiations were contentious but -- for her - that is over, and she expects the strike to be a distant memory once kids return to school.