After hearing an outcry from parents, teachers, staff and other community members in recent months, Naperville School District 203 administrators on Monday announced they were postponing planned changes to the school day structure by one year, unveiling the modifications in the 2026-27 school year, rather than this fall, pending approval from elected officials.
At a board of education meeting Monday, March 10, Superintendent Dan Bridges and several members of his administrative cabinet provided an update on discussions surrounding the potential transformation of school schedules and classroom instruction in the coming years.
“We believe this shift will address many student, staff and community concerns related to professional learning, obtaining childcare and overall readiness for all stakeholders,” Bridges said of the delay.
A refresher on what’s driving the proposed school day change
When the planned changes were unveiled nearly two months ago, Bridges and other District 203 officials cited several drivers behind the modifications to school schedules across all grade levels.
Officials at the time cited a desire to roll out a more nimble school schedule during the instructional day with timeline alterations and some block scheduling, beginning this fall. Pushback from various groups, however, prompted hitting the “pause” button at this time.
The original modifications, which still are a part of the administrators’ proposal, include the following start and end times in the 2026-27 school year:
- Elementary—7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
- Middle school—8:50 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.
- High school—8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.
- Connections—8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
At Monday’s meeting, the administrators discussed the various considerations that went into modifying the overall instructional day, including efforts to curb chronic absenteeism and cut down on transportation barriers and unstructured time that in the current scenario sometimes requires students to arrive at school well before it starts because of bus schedules.
Support for delaying changes by a year
Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, acknowledged there is widespread support within various employee union groups to delay the changes by a year. Teachers in recent months have been critical of the original plans of rolling out the new schedule this fall, asserting it was rushed.
“Since the last board of education meeting, we discussed this possibility with leaders from each of our staff unions who agreed that later implementation would be beneficial,” Willard said. “Therefore, we are recommending full implementation in the 2026-27 school year.”
The logistical challenges of running bus service at staggered times across each grade level, coupled with cost constraints, reportedly have put limitations on scheduling and locked in the start and end time proposals.
“I think we’ve run every option that we can,” Bridges said of exploring various scenarios for bus routes.
Parents and teachers continue to have concerns
Numerous teachers, parents, students and community members continued to offer feedback during the board’s public comment portion of the agenda at Monday’s meeting. Numerous people also submitted written feedback on the proposals.
Parent Laura Tomeczko implored the board to make greater strides toward gathering feedback — particularly from parents who will be impacted from the changes.
“While I appreciate the district’s effort, I have concerns about the decision-making process that we have,” Tomeczko said. “Before moving forward, I hope more comprehensive data is collected.”
AnneMarie Tomek, a physical education and health teacher at Madison Junior High School, asked that the board and administrators to reconsider what they are proposing and examine it from all vantage points.
“Teachers are not afraid of change,” Tomek said. “Change is not the issue.”
Several administrators — including Lisa Xagas, assistant superintendent of student services — indicated the feedback that has funneled in since the proposal was announced in January is being reviewed.
“We value stakeholder input and feedback, as it plays a critical role in shaping our work,” Xagas said. “Throughout this process, we have provided multiple opportunities for engagement, ensuring that voices from staff, students, families and the community are heard.”
D203 board acknowledges lingering concerns
While administrators have unveiled their proposal for the potential 2026-27 school year implementation of the changes, board of education approval will be necessary for that timeline to go into motion.
The board took no action Monday, and further discussion and analysis of the proposal is anticipated at upcoming meetings.
With the pause in place, board member Amanda McMillen said she agreed that greater overtures should be taken to reach out to parents.
“I want to make sure that if we’re going to delay this out that we have very intentional parent communication and engagement about what this really means for them to help them also be prepared to adjust their family life around what that might mean,” McMillen said.
Before final decisions are made, the board directed administrators to gather information that is pertinent to the elementary-level grades, including daycare accommodations for childcare before and after the school day.
“Many people talked to me about daycare — or, rather, the lack of available daycare in the Naperville area, and the availability for the infrastructure that’s needed in the community to be able to support this,” board member Charles Cush said.
But a number of board members continued to openly support the core tenants of the structural changes administrators are proposing.
“No proposal is going to be perfect,” Board President Kristine Gericke said. “Not every single person is going to like any proposal in any aspect of life. Sometimes we have to push forward.”
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