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Questions raised over District 203 plan for block schedule

Naperville Unit District 203 school board members say they want more information before taking a vote on a proposal to move to block scheduling for the 2025-26 school year.

More than 100 parents and teachers attended Monday's school board meeting to express concerns that the district was moving too quickly with plans to implement scheduling changes. Teachers and parents added the proposed change in school times — with an hour between the start for elementary and middle school students — could cause issues with child care, extracurricular activities and family schedules.

Naperville Unit Education Association, the union representing the district’s teachers, also presented its own survey indicating the majority of teachers have concerns over the proposal, with many saying they needed more information and more time to prepare for a switch to block scheduling.

Teachers also said longer middle and high school class periods would be difficult for students.

Under the proposed changes, core middle school classes like math, science, social studies and language arts would be 76 to 79 minutes long on block days. At the high school, courses would be 85 minutes long on block days. The middle and high school levels include an “anchor day” with shorter class periods.

“We just sat through a block, and it was really hard,” Madison Junior High PE and health teacher AnneMarie Tomek said, referring to the discussion board members had about the proposal before public comment.

She and other teachers said they aren’t against change. However, they argued several questions remain about how a switch to block schedules would be implemented.

“Change isn’t the issue …. Change that isn’t well thought out is,” Tomek said.

District officials had hoped for a board vote on the proposed changes at the Feb. 18 meeting, but board members said they would like more time for review following Monday's meeting and a number of emails from parents and teachers voicing concern. They also asked district staff to prepare proposals for phasing in a block schedule over two years.

“I think our staff has expressed questions that I would prefer to have answers to first,” board member Donna Wandke said. “I don't think I'll be ready to vote on this at the next meeting. I need a lot more information and answers to the questions that were posed during public comment.”

Union officials Monday also noted contract negotiations are scheduled to start this week and many questions posed — such as time for teachers to rewrite lesson plans to adjust to the new longer class periods — would be bargaining issues.

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