Teachers, parents, and community members in Naperville are planning to rally and attend the upcoming Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education meeting on Monday night. The group is urging the board to reach a contract agreement with educators before the new school year begins on August 14.
Ross Berkley, president of the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA), said, “We want to start this school year off on the right foot: in our classrooms with our students. The board has a history of dragging out negotiations and letting them linger up to and even into the school year. We think that’s unfair to our students. They deserve their teachers to be solely focused on their education, not distracted by contract discussions.”
The NUEA represents over 1,500 teachers and licensed staff who serve nearly 16,000 students in District 203. Negotiations between the Board of Education and NUEA began in February, but the previous contract expired June 30. As a result, there is currently no contract for teachers as classes are set to resume soon.
In July, NUEA started the public posting process with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB), which could lead toward a strike if an agreement is not reached. Berkley explained, “We initiated the public posting process not because we want to go on strike, but because we want to be transparent with our community. We believe strongly that all stakeholders need to work together, so we can provide the best education for all our students.”
Key issues include proposed changes by the district that would alter student school day schedules and potentially reduce learning time or disrupt after-school activities. Salary concerns have also been raised; according to NUEA representatives, District 203 offers less competitive salaries compared with nearby districts such as Indian Prairie School District 204 and Wheaton 200.
Berkley commented further: “The long bargain is due in part to the board arriving at the table with proposals that are not well thought out or fully developed because of the proposed changes to the school day. The school district is not prepared to implement these changes,” he said. “And honestly, our parents need to be a part of this conversation. There needs to be more discussion with the community about the proposed changes.”
The union has conducted research showing that District 203 holds over 300 days’ worth of cash reserves—almost double what is recommended by state guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education.
“Listen, we’re teachers, we’ve done the math. We know the district can afford to meet our requests,” Berkley said. “We are in the middle of a national educator shortage and without competitive wages we are going to lose the experienced, dedicated educators we have. Plus, we won’t be able to recruit talented, new teachers either. Our students deserve better.”
The rally will begin at Naperville Central High School at 5:30 p.m., followed by a march to District headquarters where supporters plan to attend and speak at Monday night’s board meeting at 7 p.m. Additional bargaining sessions between NUEA and district officials are scheduled for August 7 and August 8.
