District 203 reaches tentative deal with teachers, averting a strike

Naperville Unit District 203 and its teachers union have reached a tentative deal on a multi-year contract, averting a possible strike.

Details of the agreement weren't released Monday afternoon. The contract must be approved by members of the Naperville Unit Education Association and the school board. No timeline was provided for when approval might occur.

"We are pleased to announce that at (Monday's) mediation session the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education and the Naperville Unit Education Association reached a tentative agreement on a multi-year contract," NUEA and district officials said in a joint statement. "We thank everyone for their hard work and dedication during this process."

The union filed an intent-to-strike notice two weeks ago with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. As a result, the members of the union could have walked off the job as early as Wednesday.

The two sides had been negotiating since January. A mediator began working with the negotiating teams in June to resolve issues related to compensation and parental and family leave.

Without providing details, union officials announced last week that an agreement had been reached on parental and family leave during negotiations last Thursday - the first day of classes for the district's 16,000 students - providing optimism that a settlement soon would be reached.

The union also sought additional compensation for the extra work that it claims is being created by the district's "Multi-Tiered System of Support" program. While district officials said the program does not add time to teachers' workdays, union leaders believe the additional professional responsibilities merit additional compensation.