No Changes To School Day As Contract Ratified Between District 203, Teachers' Union

NAPERVILLE, IL — After months of negotiations, the District 203 Board of Education and Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) ratified a contract that will be in effect for the next four years.

The contract was ratified unanimously by NUEA and also ratified by the board of education on Wednesday.

Per the terms of the new contract, the structure of the school day in district 203 will not change. Teachers will receive a base salary increase of 3.85 percent in the contract's first year, 2.5 percent in the second year, and a minimum of 2 percent in the third and fourth years, depending on the consumer price index.

Protections are also included in the contract for extended illnesses and long-term injuries, a news release said.

Contract negotiations had begun in February, with the last contract set to expire on June 30. In mid-August, the NUEA voted unanimously to allow their collective bargaining team to authorize a strike if necessary.

“We are glad our new contract is ratified, so we can put this behind us and focus on moving forward together with our students, our community and all of our stakeholders," NUEA President Ross Berkley said in a statement.

The new contract is effective retroactively to July 1.