Overview

• Teachers rallied outside Naperville Central High School and packed a school board meeting Monday in a show of solidarity over a new contract.
• Negotiators for District 203 and the teachers union will meet with a federal mediator Tuesday through Thursday.
• Pay and the district’s proposed “innovative school experience” — with new start and end times and block scheduling — remain the main sticking points.
• The district cites fiscal limits, warns the union’s proposal could require a tax increase or service cuts, and offers raises of 4.9% and 4.94% in the first two years with later increases tied to PTELL‑CPI, plus step pay and health benefits.
• The union seeks 3.9% and 3.75% base pay increases followed by CPI‑linked raises with a 3% floor and 5% cap, argues reserves can fund a fair deal, and says a strike is not inevitable.