Tensions continue between the Naperville School District 203 Board of Education and the Naperville Unit Education Association as teacher contract negotiations between the two groups remain unsuccessful.
On Friday, in a letter to the District 203 community, school board president Charles Cush said the teachers’ union “filed notice of their intent to strike with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board” on Wednesday, following their vote Tuesday to authorize a strike.
“While union representatives have publicly stated they do not want a strike, this action suggests otherwise. The earliest a work stoppage could interrupt learning is Monday, Aug. 25,” Cush said in his letter.
NUEA president says filing is protocol
NUEA President Ross Berkley said the union’s action is a procedural one, done to protect educators.
“We are following a statute, and that’s it, but for the district to expect a union not to ensure that we’re representing our educators…that is sowing division in the community,” said Berkley.
He reiterated that the union has no desire to strike if contract negotiations begin to move favorably.
“While we could go [on strike] on the 25th, right now, there is no intention to…No one wants that,” said Berkley.
Teacher salary at the center of negotiation disagreements
Among other disagreements, a continued sticking point in negotiations between the school board and the teachers’ union is salary proposals.
In his letter, Cush outlined the financial burden that would be created by the union’s current proposal, describing it as unsustainable.
“We simply cannot afford the union’s proposal without a significant impact on the community (tax increases) or the students we serve (program and staff reductions). To maintain a balanced budget, recurring expenses must not exceed revenue,” said Cush in the statement. “This reality, acknowledged by the NUEA’s own suggestion to use savings to cover recurring salary costs, demonstrates that the proposal is neither affordable nor sustainable in the long term.”
However, Berkley said the board is equipped to meet the union’s proposal, stating that the district consistently spends less than budgeted for, resulting in a surplus that could go toward educators’ salaries, as opposed to non-educational projects.
“The district’s tax collection should be focused on our students and our students alone, and the number one thing that impacts our student success is the quality of their educators above all else,” he said.
Berkley says the union plans to hold another rally ahead of the next District 203 board meeting on Monday, Aug. 18.
Contract negotiations with a mediator are set to resume on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The previous contract expired on June 30.
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