Monthly Archives: August 2025

Naperville 203 Board of Education and NUEA reach tentative agreement

Agreement ends months of negotiation, puts students first


NAPERVILLE, IL – The Naperville 203 Board of Education and the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. This avoids a strike and classes will not be disrupted.

“Our priority has always been to provide students with the high-quality education they deserve, and this agreement helps us continue that work,” said Charles Cush, President of the Board of Education. “This reflects our dedication to ensuring Naperville 203 remains an exemplary school district for students and educators.”

“We are so incredibly grateful to our students, families and the entire community for all their support during this difficult time. We could not have done this without you,” NUEA President Ross Berkley said. “We are proud to say we’ve reached a tentative agreement that values our students and our educators. One that will continue to meet the high standard for excellence that we have here in District 203.”

Details of the agreement will be presented to the respective parties for consideration and a vote.

The terms of the agreement will not be made public until after both sides have had an opportunity to review the full document and it has been ratified by NUEA and approved by the Board of Education.
MEDIA CONTACTS:

Bridget Shanahan
Media Relations Director, Illinois Education Association
708-341-4361
bridget.shanahan@ieanea.org

LeeAnn Betz
Director of Communications, Naperville 203
630-420-6412
lbetz@naperville203.org

ABOUT NAPERVILLE 203: The mission of Naperville Community Unit School District 203 is to empower students to develop a learner’s mindset, demonstrate adaptability, communicate effectively, think critically, and become global citizens.

ABOUT NUEA: The NUEA represents more than 1500 teachers and licensed staff serving the nearly 16,000 students who attend school in District 203.

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Naperville teachers set official strike date

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 Aug. 21, 2025

Contact:
 Bridget Shanahan
Media Relations Director
708-341-4361
bridget.shanahan@ieanea.org

Naperville teacher contract negotiations stall, teachers set official strike date

NAPERVILLE — The Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) set its official strike date for Tues., Aug. 26. This comes after NUEA and the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education (BOE) met for a third time this week to bargain with a federal mediator in the hopes of reaching a fair contract.

Despite the dedication of educators, the support of parents and community members, and countless hours at the bargaining table, the BOE’s most recent proposal represents a major step backward.

The following statement is attributable to NUEA President Ross Berkley:

“We have always said a strike is our last resort. However, after months of bargaining, overwhelming community support and the board’s refusal to make meaningful progress, we have reached a point where we may have no other choice. As a result, we have set our official strike date. 

We are announcing our date now because we want to make sure our community has as much time as possible to make arrangements for their children. We are preparing to begin a strike on Tuesday unless the board reverses course and offers a fair agreement that values educators, supports our students and provides the stability our community deserves.

Instead of maintaining fair compensation for the important work educators have always done, the board is now disregarding the voices of educators, parents and students who have repeatedly called for a fair compensation and stability in our schools. The board’s latest proposals are significantly lower than its previous base salary proposals, reducing the value of the work historically performed by our teachers and the worth of our profession.”

NUEA and the BOE have been engaged in contract negotiations since February with the goal of securing a fair and reasonable contract for more than 1,500 educators who serve nearly 16,000 students in District 203. NUEA members overwhelmingly authorized a strike on Aug. 13. The contract between NUEA and the District expired June 30.

Please be advised negotiations are ongoing in an effort to reach an agreement and avert a strike. The next federally mediated negotiating session is set for Friday, August 22.

Tuesday Evening Bargaining Update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 19, 2025

Contact:

Bridget Shanahan
Media Relations Director
708-341-4361
bridget.shanahan@ieanea.org

Statement from Naperville Unit Education Association President regarding tonight’s contract negotiations

NAPERVILLE — The Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) and Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education (BOE) met with a mediator tonight to continue contract negotiations. The following statement is attributable to NUEA President Ross Berkley: 

“We had meaningful discussions tonight and saw positive steps forward,” NUEA President Ross Berkley said. “While we are not finished, we are hopeful we can reach an agreement that puts our students first and is equitable for all educators. This community deserves stability in our schools. We are cautiously optimistic that with continued collaboration we can finalize a fair contract that values our educators and supports our students.”

NUEA represents more than 1,500 teachers and licensed staff serving nearly 16,000 students in District 203. The association’s contract expired June 30, leaving teachers without an agreement as the school year begins.

The BOE and NUEA have been bargaining since February. NUEA’s contract expired on June 30, which means teachers are currently working without a contract.

On Aug. 13, NUEA voted to authorize a strike, the earliest the teachers could possibly go on strike is Mon., Aug. 25. 

The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for Aug. 20 and Aug. 21. More information about negotiations can be found here.

Update: Wear RED Wednesday AND Attend a Pop-Up Rally Wednesday or Thursday

Students, families, and educators, and supporters please wear red on Wednesday!

Our negotiators will walk into bargaining sessions with the board at 3:30. Teachers and supporters…as soon as you are contractually able to leave your building, please head to PSAC. We will gather on the sidewalks and parking lot to show our support. We will have copies of the handouts, signs, and stickers from Monday’s rained out rally.

The pop-up rallies will start at 3:30pm and end at 4:30pm.

Sign-up if you can come!

Tuesday’s Pop Up Rally: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BSUP1Bi7B/

Wear Red EVERY Monday

NUEA is encouraging everyone who supports District 203 teachers to please wear RED every Monday!

This includes students, staff, families, and everyone who believes that our teachers deserve a fair contract!

NUEA in the News

Check out the following news coverage links of the NUEA strike vote. NUEA is making waves looking for a fair contract!

August 15

August 14

August 13

August 12

Naperville teachers vote overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike

Students are set to return to school Thursday

NAPERVILLE — The Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike. The vote gives the bargaining team the authority to declare a strike, however, there are no plans to go on strike at this time.

“Listen, no one wants to go on strike. In fact, it’s the last thing we want to do. We’d much rather be in our classrooms with our students than out on the picket line. But we’re also willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure our students have the best education possible,” NUEA President Ross Berkley said. “If we do go on strike, we also want to reassure parents and our community that we will give plenty of notice before, so
arrangements for childcare can be made.”

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education (BOE) and NUEA have been bargaining since February. NUEA’s current contract expired on June 30, which means there is no contract in place for the start of the school year. Students return to school on Aug. 14.

In July, NUEA initiated the public posting process with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB), which is the first step toward a possible strike.

“We know the district can afford to meet our requests. We would never do anything that would hurt the financial health of the district because ultimately that would hurt our students and our educators. When the district has been in a difficult financial position, we have not taken raises, but we are on solid financial footing now,” Berkley said.

NUEA represents more than 1500 teachers and licensed staff serving the nearly 16,000 students who attend school in District 203.

At issue are:

• Drastic changes to the structure of the students’ school days: The changes to the school day being proposed by the district could move some school day start and end times, causing major shifts in the timing of after school activities and in some cases leave less learning time for students throughout the school day.
• Salary: District 203 is falling behind in offering competitive salary packages. Teacher workload has significantly increased with the expectation of differentiated learning combined with increased student academic, behavior and social-emotional needs. Surrounding school districts have a higher base salary. These districts include Indian Prairie School District 204, Elmhurst 204, Barrington 202, St. Charles 303, Wheaton 200 and Plainfield 202 among others.

NUEA has done extensive research to support its proposals, including a cost analysis that shows the district has more than 300 days of cash on hand, which is nearly twice the amount recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education.

“This is about our students. It’s always about our students. We are only asking for the board to make our salaries competitive with our surrounding districts, so we can continue to attract and retain the best staff for our students. Without good teachers, their education will suffer,” Berkley said.

NUEA will bargain with the BOE on Tues., Aug. 19.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty and staff, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

NUEA Marches on PSAC

by Christel Mauloff

Yesterday’s rally was one the district will not soon forget. Thank you to all who came out to support NUEA, and to raise your voice to demand a fair contract. There was a sea of red yesterday evening—about 650 people came to the rally, and demanded something better for Naperville educators and certified staff members.

David Griffith, former NUEA president, kicked things off with an introduction. David talked about how he was not tenured when the district went on strike, but he recognized the importance of the movement, and for standing up for what was necessary. He was followed by Diane McGuire, who was the NUEA president when they went on strike in 1991. She was dressed in the same t-shirt she wore during that strike to remind us all of the importance of the moment. She also mentioned that in that time, the night before the strike, the principals crafted a letter to send to the staff behind their backs.

Next, Tina Dohm, former recording secretary for the NUEA, brought the house down with her stirring speech where she recounted the historical context of previous negotiations, and highlighted the cumulative effect each contract has over the course of an educator’s career through retirement. She brought to light how we have been taken advantage of—not just in this negotiation, but for decades, and it stops now. Following Tina came Amy Vogelsang, an EL teacher out of Naperville North, and a regular speaker at Board of Education meetings. She pointed out the double-standard between the district conduct in negotiations versus our conduct.

Next up was Kathy Griffin, former IEA president, who fired up the crowd and told us to stay united. She also reminded educators that they are the backbone of the school district. Finally, Ross Berkley wrapped up the speeches. He shared the significance of public education in his own life and why he is so passionate about public educators. Ross brought up the email and explained, “Informing is not the same as dividing!” He also refuted the district’s claim that they do not have the money to pay us by citing the increases in local property taxes because of the rise in property values.

From there, over 600 of us began our march through downtown Naperville waving signs and chanting. The community was very supportive and many cars slowed to honk for us. When the board finally allowed us into PSAC, the rally outside continued to go strong and chanting and honking could still be heard through the first part of the meeting. Thanks to those members who spoke at the board meeting—the comments were impactful. If you were not at the meeting, make sure to watch it.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate this success and show of unity, as we also prepare for the road ahead. Keep an eye out for communication about next steps. Remember we are stronger united.