Teachers in Naperville School District 203 have set an official strike date for Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The Naperville Unit Education Association announced the news in a press release Thursday night, after the latest round of negotiations with the Naperville School District 203 Board of Education.
Third round of talks this week brought no resolution or contract
Thursday marked the third round of federally mediated talks between the two groups this week.
NUEA President Ross Berkley said that though a strike had always been the group’s “last resort,” the stalemate in negotiations pushed them to set a date.
“…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,” Berkley said.
District 203 BOE president says top priority is “our students and keeping them in classrooms”
The district said in an email sent to community members Thursday night that the board is committed to finding a “fair, fiscally responsible solution that focuses on keeping students in school.”
“Our top priority remains our students and keeping them in classrooms,” said Charles Cush, President of the Board of Education, in the email. “We are committed to moving forward together. The strength of our district has always come from the unity between our educators and our community, and we are dedicated to preserving that.”
NUEA “preparing to begin a strike on Tuesday” unless board “reverses course”
The most recent teacher contract between the two groups expired on June 30. NUEA and the D203 Board of Education had been in discussions since February to try to come to an agreement on a new contract.
The news release from NUEA noted that the group still hopes to avert a strike and will continue negotiating. There will be another federally mediated negotiation on Friday, Aug. 22.
But Berkley said they wanted to give parents time to make plans for childcare in the event that the union does follow through with the Aug. 26 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,” Berkley said.
The sticking points between the two sides in negotiations have been teacher salaries and potential changes to the school day.
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