Still No VVSD Contract: Union Cites Proposed Longer School Day, 'Attempt To Divide Our Membership'

BOLINGBROOK, IL — With teachers and staff working without a contract since the start of the school year on Aug. 14, Valley View CUSD 365U and the Valley View Council Local 604 still had not agreed on a contract as of Tuesday.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board has shared the employer offer and the union offer in its 2025 public posting. While the two sides have agreed on several items, there are still multiple items remaining, according to the union offer.

Items remaining include the daily schedule, compensation, insurance, sick day multiplier, economic contingency reopener, stipends and longevity pay for paraprofessionals and security.

In a statement to Patch, Valley View Council said it "believes in our dedicated staff, maintaining fiscal responsibility, and expanding opportunities for students, without negatively impacting the communities we serve."

One of the sticking points in negotiations is expanding the high school day. The District is proposing to add 20 minutes to the high school day, adding an eighth period at the high school.

The District has stated that the expanded school day would provide increase credit opportunities, reduce the need for zero-hour courses, add time for student support and add opportunity for make-up classes. According to the district, the schedule can't be changed without adding to teacher contract time due to safety concerns and conflict with bus schedules.

The district compared its school day length to several other districts in the area. Valley View's day is 6 hours and 45 minutes, while Oswego District 308's is seven hours and six minutes. Plainfield District 202's school day is seven hours and five minutes, and Naperville District 203's is seven hours and 25 minutes.

In a statement to Patch, Valley View Council said that most staff members already arrive before their contract time and leave after their current contract time due to safety concerns.

"We already have safety issues, and staff have simply chosen to arrive early and leave late to make for the smoothest day for themselves and their students," the statement reads. "These are the aspects we wish those we are negotiating with would see."

Valley View Council said that the district also maintains that an added eighth period would not be added work for staff.

"This is inaccurate. The planning time for a high school teacher will be decreased by this schedule change, and the student support period is an added responsibility," the union said. "We have also been given zero details on this student support period, so we have no idea what responsibilities will go along with this change."

The union's statement continues, "The district did a comparison to local unit districts and cited that our district has one of the shortest school days. One of the comparisons was Naperville District 203. To start, 203 is actually proposing to shorten their high school day and move it back to a later start. 203 teachers also make significantly more money, so their longer school day is financially appropriate."

The Valley View Council shared that a Valley View teacher at the level of Master's degree + 40 (credit hours) in year 14 of teaching makes $85,802, while a Naperville 203 teacher at the level of master's degree + 36 (credit hours) in year 14 of teaching makes $100,718.

While the two sides haven't agreed on compensation, the union said that the District's latest financial offer of a 13.25 percent increase over three years is not the "main source of contention for the union's side," but the expanded school day is.

The union also said that its final and "probably most distressing" point is that it feels "the district has continually attempted to divide our membership with proposals that only affect some categories, or some categories being wholly ignored."

The District's most recent offer did include increased wages for paraprofessionals, security and maintenance staff.

"You can see the division the District is sponsoring as they continue to attempt to do exactly what they said they would not do, negotiate in public," Valley View Council said. "This is merely causing more damage to morale and the overall feeling that many staff have about the District they serve."