Three Naperville schools named as 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools
Three Naperville schools have been named among the 356 schools in the country chosen as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2024.
Naperville School District 203’s Naperville Central High School and Scott Elementary School, along with Indian Prairie School District 204’s Neuqua Valley High School, were all selected for the honor.
Learn more about what this distinction means.
Reward offered for help finding burglary suspect
The Naperville Police Department is looking for help in apprehending the person responsible for the burglary of a Naperville business on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Naperville Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for any information that helps lead to an arrest in the case.
Take a look at surveillance photos of the suspect and learn how to report a tip in the case.
New Islamic Center of Naperville mosque to open in October
The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) is preparing for the grand opening of its newest mosque, Masjid An-Noor, located at 3540 248th Avenue.
ICN president Anees Rahman said the doors are expected to open next month.
Get a sneak peek inside the mosque, and hear about some of its features.
Continued calls for higher support staff pay at D203 board meeting
Multiple speakers continued to weigh in on the new contract being worked on for employees represented through the Naperville Education Support Professionals Association (NESPA) at Monday’s Naperville School District 203 Board of Education meeting.
Earlier this month, staff, parents, and students used the board’s public comment portion of the meeting agenda to share concerns about pay rates for the various NESPA positions across the district. NESPA’s last contract ended in June .
At Monday’s meeting, more than a half-dozen speakers shared concerns about the current starting pay rate for NESPA positions, which is $16.91 per hour, arguing it has been difficult to recruit and retain staff for the support roles.
Recruiting successes net 139 new teachers in IPSD 204
Indian Prairie School District 204 welcomed 139 new educators to its ranks this year, and among those new hires are a few noteworthy success stories, administrators told school board members during Monday’s meeting.
The new teachers include 27 educators of color and 24 who are District 204 alums. Carey Beth Harry, chief human resources officer, said these stats are good news as the district works to hire “the best and most qualified staff to achieve our mission,” while also increasing diversity to match student demographics and working to keep local talent local.
The district, serving 26,000 students from parts of Aurora, Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Plainfield, has roughly 2,130 licensed educators. Carey said 72% of this year’s new teachers were hired before July, giving plenty of time for onboarding and preparation.
