Naperville School District 203 and its teachers union have reached an agreement on family leave and will meet again Monday to continue hammering out contract details that could prevent a strike.
The two sides met for about 14 hours Tuesday and Wednesday and made progress, said Iverson, who heads the 1,500- member Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA).
“We made some steps in meaningful ways,” he said. “We’re not there yet but we are meeting on Monday. I think if both sides are a little creative we can find some stability and move forward. … I feel better now than I did two or three days ago.”
The union has filed an intent to strike notice with the state that allows them to walk off their jobs on Aug. 25 or after. Were that to happen, about 16,500 students would be affected.
The two major sticking points in contract negotiations have been family leave and compensation for additional duties resulting from implementation of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
A tentative agreement on the first issue allows teachers to use up to 10 weeks of accrued vacation days for the birth or adoption of a child, two less than the union had been requesting, Iverson said. The district’s last offer had been eight weeks.
“We didn’t get everything that we wanted but we were very close,” Iverson said.
The district issued a statement on the progress of contract talks that said, “The parties exchanged a number of proposals and engaged in productive dialogue. … We appreciate NUEA’s willingness to put the needs of our students and families first by staying at the table for ongoing negotiations as we work toward resolution.”
What remains unsettled is how teachers will be compensated for the additional work they have as a result of the new Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. The system is intended to help students better meet the district’s learning standards but requires more teacher intervention and interaction.
The district’s latest offer calls for raises every year under a proposed four-year contract and a one-time $300 “appreciation payment” to be paid to all full- and part-time teachers within 30 days of the contract’s approval, according to the district.
After the Monday negotiating session, more meeting dates could be scheduled in the coming week, Iverson said.
The union has been working without a contract since the end of June. Negotiations started in January.