FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- December 12, 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 negotiations continue; teams hope to settle next week

On Oct. 22, the School Board accepted the Education for the 21st Century citizens' committee recommendation to have an economic agreement with the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) in place prior to filing for a March referendum. The current contract does not expire until August 2002. Negotiation talks continued this week between the two teams representing Naperville School District 203's Board of Education and the NUEA.

"We continue to make progress; a subcommittee meeting will be held tomorrow," said Board spokseman and Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education Russ Bryan on behalf of both negotiation teams. "A meeting of the full committee is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 18, with the goal to complete discussions."

Both teams are scheduling ratification meetings in anticipation of a settlement next week. Details of the agreement will be made available after both groups ratify. Ratification requires passage by the Board of Education and a majority vote of the 1243 members of the Naperville Unit Education Association.

Representing the Naperville Unit Education 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; and Ed Rosenthal, a teacher at Naperville North, who is serving as head negotiator and 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.

Members of the District 203 Board of Education team are: Debbie Shipley and Bill Steinke, board members; Allen Albus, Assistant Superintendent for Finance; Gayle Wahlin, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources; Ron Gibson, Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education; Don Weber, Superintendent; and Russ Bryan, Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education, who is serving as head negotiator and spokesman for the Board team.

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