FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- October 31, 2001
NAPERVILLE COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 203
203 W. Hillside Road, Naperville, Illinois 60540-6589 FAX 630-420-1066
Contact: Melea Smith, Communications Coordinator / Phone 630-420-6412

District 203 School Board, Association begin negotiations process

The Education for the 21^st Century Committee has spoken and both the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) and Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board are listening. Members of both teams met Oct. 30 to establish protocols, the procedural guide by which contract negotiations will proceed. Interest-based bargaining, a collaborative process which allows both teams to gain a full understanding of each others' interests and concerns, has been agreed upon.

Representing the Association are: Joyce Speer and Sandy Hill, elementary teachers; Wayne Anderson and Sonja Cappelleri, junior high teachers; John Cotton and Bo Vossel, high school teachers. Naperville North teacher and veteran negotiator Ed Rosenthal is serving as spokesman for the Association team. NUEA president Dave Griffith is serving as an ex officio member of the team and spokesman for the Association. Bob Ray is the Illinois Education Association/UniServ Director assigned to the Naperville Unit Education Association. A highly experienced field staffer, Ray has been working with IEA Locals since 1985.

Members of the District 203 Board of Education team are board members Debbie Shipley and Bill Steinke, along with administrators Allen Albus, Assistant Superintendent for Finance; Gayle Wahlin, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources; Associate Superintendent (for K-5) Ron Gibson and Don Weber, Superintendent. Associate Superintendent (for 6-12) Russ Bryan is serving as spokesman for the Board's team.

A trained third-party facilitator will guide the process toward a successful conclusion. Bi-weekly sessions have been tentatively agreed upon, pending the resolution of scheduling challenges. According to spokesmen Rosenthal and Bryan, "It is the commitment of both teams to seek an agreement that allows for the continuation of the quality education which the Naperville community has come to expect."

Both teams acknowledge the Education for the 21^st Century Committee's recommendation for early conclusion of the negotiation process as vitally important to the success of a March referendum campaign. The goal is, therefore, to complete the process by the Jan. 11 filing deadline. The teams have further agreed to issue joint communiqués on a regular basis in order to keep the community informed of the process.

# # #