Stormy weather cut a planned NUEA rally short Monday, but that didn’t stop hundreds of teachers from gathering. The union last week filed an intent-to-strike notice indicating that the earliest teachers could strike is Aug. 25.
Alicia Fabbre for the Daily Herald
For the second time in two weeks, hundreds of Naperville Unit District 203 teachers rallied Monday in a show of solidarity as they near a potential strike day.
District and union negotiators are expected to meet with a federal mediator in a series of bargaining sessions starting Tuesday and ending Thursday.
On Wednesday, union officials filed an intent-to-strike notice — the last step needed before union members can go on strike. The earliest members of the Naperville Unit Education Association could strike is Aug. 25.
In a memo to the community Friday, District 203 school board President Charles Cush said the union’s recent actions raise concerns.
“This is a challenging development, and we recognize that it raises many questions as we begin a new school year,” Cush wrote. “While union representatives have publicly stated they do not want a strike, this action suggests otherwise.”
NEUA President Ross Berkley, however, said going on strike is not a foregone conclusion. The last time the union took similar action, in 2021, a strike was averted when both sides reached an agreement, Berkley said.
“I am tired of the disingenuous gaslighting,” Berkley said during Monday’s short rally.
The union represents more than 1,500 certified staff members, including teachers, counselors, psychologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists.
Contract negotiations began in February and recently have included a federal mediator. The district’s contract with the NUEA expired June 30.
Key sticking points in contract talks include pay and the district’s proposed innovative school experience, which would affect start and end times. School board members delayed a vote on the latter proposal, which also included block scheduling at the high school level, but are expected to take up the issue again this school year.
An Aug. 12 update from the district indicates they are offering increases of 4.9% and 4.94% in the first and second year of a new contract. Raises in the third and fourth year would be determined by the PTELL CPI, an index used by the state to cap tax levies at 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
In a video message released Monday, Cush said the district’s proposal is “strong and competitive.”
Union officials note the district’s pay raises include step increases, which are already included in the salary schedule. Step increases are awarded each year a teacher is with the district.
Berkley also notes the district is offering a flat dollar amount — not a flat percentage — for base pay increases. As a result, teachers lower on the pay scale would receive a higher percentage increase, but teachers higher on the pay scale would receive a lower percentage increase.
The union says it’s asking for a 3.9% increase in base pay for all members in the first year and a 3.75% base pay increase in the second year. The union is proposing base pay increases equal to the CPI, the national index for inflation, in the third and fourth years, with a 3% minimum and a 5% cap on raises in those years.
In his memo, Cush said the district could not afford the union’s proposal without a potential tax increase or cuts to educational services.
“The numbers are clear,” Cush said in Monday’s video message. “The union’s current proposal is simply not sustainable.
“We cannot in good conscience ask the taxpayers to bear the cost for a proposal that is not fiscally sound or affordable in the long term,” Cush added.
Berkley, however, noted the district has a reserve fund in excess of $25 million and that the board has limited itself on how those funds can be used. The district’s policy only allows use of those funds for one-time expenses, such as building projects or tax abatements.
He added that the schools’ and the district’s reputation for a quality education is one of the key reasons people buy homes in the district.
“There is not a unit district that performs like we do with a lower tax rate,” he said. “Naperville 203 is a destination school district … because of the quality of the schools it insulates property values.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
