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Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board tables plan to adjust student schedules to get more feedback
The Naperville District 203 School Board Monday tabled a vote on the Innovative School Experience after board members could not agree on making the major changes to students' day without additional community input. Some board members said they were not comfortable with endorsing the shifts to the school day unless they had a firm commitment from the community. While stressing they weren't asking to abandon the concept or start over, the concensus was they should pause and allow time for more data to be collected. The Innovative School Experience proposed by district administration calls for several changes that proved unpopular with some parents, teachers and students. Among them were the recommendations that 15 minutes be added to the elementary school day, more math instruction minutes be added to middle school day and a flexible block format with an anchor day be implemented for middle and high school students. The block format allows for longer classes during the day so students can delve deeper into topics or receive more intervention and teachers can use differentiated instruction strategies, district officials said. The anchor day is a chance for students to attend all of their classes once a week, but for a shorter period of time. As part of the schedule changes, the start and end times would be adjusted across the board, with elementary-aged students starting their school day first and middle school students starting and ending their day last among the different grade levels. On Monday, administrators asked the board to approve three facets of the plan that would affirm the new learning structures, create a committee to review school start and end times, and launch the changes in the 2026-27 school year. The committee would make its recommendation to the board in June. After a lengthy discussion, the board was divided over they could support the recommendations, especially the new learning structures, without first exhausting all avenues of feedback. Attempting to modify the wording in the recommendation failed to move forward. 'If we push this to a vote, we are going to be very divided, and I think it creates the wrong image on where the board is in response to the Innovative School Experience,' said board member Donna Wandke, who had tried to clarify the language in the recommendation to assuage all concerned board members. Superintendent Dan Bridges said the district needs clarity to move forward and asked to work with district staff on its recommendation for the board to consider in the future. As a result, the board voted unanimously to table the recommendation. Board member Charles Cush said the ideas behind the Innovative School Experience will benefit the students, but 'you cannot have benefits without understanding costs.' 'There is not a question in my mind that the intent behind (the Innovative School Experience) in terms of what we are trying to do, what we are trying to accomplish, is noble and good and makes a lot of sense,' Cush said. 'But it has to be at the right cost. 'It just feels to me like we are dragging the community kicking and screaming into this without actually getting support and feedback,' he said. There are too many unanswered questions, Cush said. 'We have never done anything in this community as an island,' he said. 'It has always taken the support of the community and the support of the fantastic teaching staff that we have implementing these plans in our schools. Anything short of that, to me, doesn't make any sense.' The original plan was to have the proposal approved by the board in February for implementation in August. After pushback from parents, staff and students, the district delayed the start to the 2026-27 school year. Cush said because of this timeline, he believed there was extra time to gather more feedback from parents and staff. 'Honestly, if we put out a survey and we get two responses, we tried,' Wandke said. 'I don't feel like we tried.' Bridges noted that the changes will be subject to the collective bargaining agreements with the various unions in the district. Board members acknowledged the research that went into coming up with ways to improve the school experience, reducing achievement gaps and addressing the schedule so students aren't arriving to school long before their day starts. And officials mentioned there have been several avenues of feedback already sought, including focus groups, staff meetings, video messages, written and verbal comments, and discussions between principals and parent groups at the building levels. Board President Kristine Gericke said the bumps in the rollout have to be separated from the ideas that will be implemented. 'In order for the thoughts to stop swirling in my head, I had to ask myself what is my why?' Gericke said. 'It continues, for me, to be to focus on what is best for our kids. What do they need to succeed in this world? What do they need to succeed in whatever career path they choose? 'The kids are at the center of this,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Applications due May 21 for Naperville Police Youth Academy; Naper Settlement opening new ‘Farm Forward' exhibit
D203 board voting on new sked, but actual hours decision delayed The Naperville District 203 School Board is to vote Monday on a plan to move its Innovative School Experience forward, but a decision on school day hours and block scheduling won't be made till June. In a video message this week, Superintendent Dan Bridges said the board and administrators have been listening to the feedback from the staff, families and community. There has been a lot of negativity publicly about the proposal, he said, but others have expressed their support privately. The Innovative School Experience is the formal name for a proposal to switch to a block schedule format for middle and high schools and adjust the start and end times for all students in elementary, middle and high school. Since the plan was unveiled in January, the board has heard from parents, teachers and students who have opposed the proposal. The administration will ask the board Monday to consider approving the plan's implementation goal of the 2026-27 school year while continuing to seek feedback from the community. This would include hosting staff meetings to increase understanding and address concerns, Bridges said. Design teams would look at topics within the proposal such as advisory design, band, chorus and orchestra, a developmental play focus group for kindergarten, middle school zero hour and others, Bridges said. Board members also will be asked to create a start-and-end time committee to review the proposed recommendations and consider additional options that will be brought forward to the board for approval in June, he said. The start and end times that are currently on the table shift elementary hours which now run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Middle school hours, which are now 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., are proposed to be 8:50 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. High school would start at 8:20 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m., and still end at 3:10 p.m., under the current proposal. Naper Settlement opening new 'Farm Forward' exhibit Naper Settlement's newest exhibit, 'Farm Forward,' explores the Illinois agriculture industry through the lens of local photographer Jeffrey Ross. Ross serves on the board of the Chicago chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association and travels all over the country for various farm and agriculture marketing assignments. The exhibit is located inside the Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center on the settlement's campus, 523 S. Webster St., and is included in the museum's general admission. Illinois had 72,000 farms that span 27 million acres or about three-quarters of the state as of 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service. About 89% of the state's cropland is considered prime farmland, according to exhibit information on the settlement's website. The exhibit captures some of the industry's innovative practices and includes rarely seen images to the everyday consumer, the website said. For more information, go to Naperville Woman's Club sets dates for fine art fair in June This year's 65th annual Fine Art and Artisan Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28-29 by the Naperville Woman's Club at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Featuring the work of more than 100 artists from around the country, the free event will feature a variety of mediums, including ceramics, glass, metal, photography, painting, sculpture and more, an event news release said. Local musicians will perform, and food and adult beverages available for purchase. The event also includes several art-oriented interactive experiences geared for families, the release said. As in past years, the club will select an exhibitor's painting to be reproduced into an 8-by-12-foot mural. Visitors who duplicate a small portion of the mural will have their work stapled to a wood frame to create the larger work of art, the release said. A children's area will include face painting, yard games and sculpting clay
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board may vote this month on school hours, block schedule
The Naperville District 203 School Board is likely to vote April 21 on an administration request to adjust school day hours and move towards a block schedule format for middle and high schools, despite opposition from some parents, teachers and students. Originally, the Innovative School Experience was to start this fall but officials pushed back the timeline to the start of the 2026-27 school year in the wake of pushback, especially from parents who said they needed time to adjust their home and work schedules and from teachers who say they will need to create different lesson plans. At Monday's school board meeting, Superintendent Dan Bridges said he would like the board to take action on the proposal later this month and direct the administration on the next steps to be taken. Board member Melissa Kelley Black countered that the board is still receiving complaints about the proposals and she's concerned the district doesn't have support from those the plan would affect. She'd prefer to give it more time, she said. 'It doesn't sound like the community or staff are ready for this so I guess the question is what is the hurry,' she said. 'Our trust with the community, with the staff, with morale, we've taken a hit with this.' One of the major shifts is the start and end times of the school day for elementary, middle and high school students. Elementary hours, which now run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., would switch to 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. under the proposal. Middle school would change from an 8 a.m. start to an 8:50 start time. It would also end 50 minutes later at 3:40 p.m. The high school day would start later and be shorter. Instead of 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., the day would run from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. under the proposal. District officials want to alter the times so students arrive at school as close as possible to their start times. Currently bus logistics have forced students to arrive at high school as much as an hour before classes start and at middle school a half hour before classes start. Research also supports later start times for the well-being of adolescents, officials said. As for the new block schedule for middle and high schools, officials say it will allow students to delve deeper into topics and get more intervention if needed. More time will be devoted to math at the middle school level. Critics of the plan said changing start and end times to the school days affects all families and their work schedules. Some parents have to leave for work before middle school students would leave for school, prompting the district to explore before-school child care options. Parents also asked if the later release time would allow their children to participate in extracurricular activities, sports or allow time for evening activities. Questions have been raised about the block schedule as well, with some wondering whether students could stay engaged during longer class periods or if they would have trouble concentrating. Parent Dan Alamillo said he was concerned the district was addressing the issues raised by finding quick fixes that don't deal with the larger problems. 'Since the proposal was rolled out, we've heard parents, teachers, staffers and students raise concerns about its designs and impacts,' he said. 'The administration has reacted by trying to put Band-Aids on some of the issues that have been raised.' The district needs to collaborate with the community on the proposal, he said. 'Instead of playing catch-up and trying to piecemeal solutions as you go, the administration should get more minds in the room to work these kinds of problems,' Alamillo said. 'No one is going to be upset if you bring in stakeholders and take the necessary time to ensure whatever changes are needed get done right.'
Chicago Tribune
27-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville District 203 School Board opts not to abate debt service levy this year
The Naperville District 203 School Board voted this week to reject a proposal to abate all or part of the debt service levy, citing financial uncertainty, especially with federal education funds, as one of the main reasons. Each year, the district has the option to abate the debt service levy if it has adequate resources to make the required bond payments without the tax levy. This year, the district was considering abating about $98,150, which would have been a savings of about $2 to $3 per household, Superintendent Dan Bridges said. 'Every dollar is an important dollar, but this is one of the least impactful,' he said. The district has numerous uncertainties and is monitoring cuts or the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, board member Kristen Fitzgerald said, noting the district receives about $10 million in federal funding. Fitzgerald added the district has not yet completed negotiations with its teachers union. She said she understands the tax burden on the community, but the district's primary responsibility is to educate its students. The relief to taxpayers was very limited, she said. Board members also said the district may also incur potential expenses if it approves the Innovative School Experience, a proposal still under discussion that shifts the start and end times for students at all grade levels and moves to a block schedule for middle and high school. Some of the ideas the district is studying that may incur expenses is offering a before care service to middle school students whose parents have to leave early for work or a 'zero hour' where students can come to school early for an extra class. Board member Donna Wandke, the only one of six who voted in favor of abating the levy, said the board should do everything possible to reduce property taxes, especially for senior citizens on fixed incomes. 'The most important thing that I hear from our community is a concern about our property taxes,' she said. 'I think every piece that we can do to hear that voice is important.' Wandke said the abatement is less than 1% of the district's budget, so it will not have an impact one way or another. Originally Published:
Chicago Tribune
19-02-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board faces more pushback over proposed school start time changes, block scheduling
Parents, students and teachers Tuesday continued to question Naperville District 203's proposal to alter school start times and switch middle and high schools to a block scheduling format. Superintendent Dan Bridges said the district is listening to the feedback it has received since the tentative changes were announced last month, and no final decision has been made. Board discussions on the subject will resume March 10. The district also is updating its frequently asked questions section on the Innovative School Experience plan on its website, Under the proposal, the district would change the start and end times for elementary, middle and high school, add 15 minutes to the elementary day, increase math instruction time at the middle school level and change to a block schedule with longer class periods for middle and high school students. If approved, the district would implement the changes in the fall. Elementary school hours would shift from an 8:15 a.m. start to a 7:45 a.m. start, while middle school would start 50 minutes later, moving from an 8 a.m. start to 8:50 a.m. The high school day would be shorter and start later. It currently runs from 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. If the plan is adopted, school would start at 8:20 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. Administrators said the changes will make better use of time and resources, ensure students arrive to school as close as possible to the start time and provide more opportunities for students to delve deeper into subjects and receive more instructional support. Parents, students and teachers, however, have said the district is moving too fast to implement such sweeping changes. Madison Junior High School teacher Joe Nikkel said it's not the fear of change driving the pushback from the teachers and community. 'Trust me, if you are ever in need of someone to build a plane while it is flying and sub because a stewardess has gotten sick, go ahead and ask a teacher; they'll be ready,' he said. 'And that's why we have so many questions. We have lived change. We have seen its great successes. We have also seen change that can been detrimental to our students' education and lives. We want to be innovative, but we also want to purposeful in its approach. We are not afraid of innovation or change, but innovation for innovation's sake is not the best approach.' Madison Junior High School teacher Catie O'Boyle, a parent of a high school student, said the new schedule should include clear research on how it could impact students. Topics she'd like to see district research on, she said, include how the changes would affect students with different needs, such as those enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, students who have an Individualized Education Program, those with attention deficit disorders or individuals coming from low-income families. 'If you are going to do a radical change, I want to see the numbers,' O'Boyle said. 'There has to be solid evidence to back up what we are asking. Not opinion. Not change just for change.' The district shouldn't experiment on the students, she said. 'We all know they went through COVID,' she said. 'But they also went through junior high with the change in grading systems, and it was hard and anxiety-producing. We don't need them to go through another experiment.' Some students said the plan has been overwhelmingly opposed by their classmates. Naperville Central High School junior Ben Berkoff said the district could fix some of its issues at the high school level by making small adjustments as opposed to changing the start time and shifting to a block schedule. 'Forcing teachers to redesign their entire class structure, one that is working already very well, just isn't necessary,' he said. Block schedule would be hard for students in Advanced Placement courses, honors courses or fast-paced courses that have a strict curriculum, Berkoff said. Extending class time to 85 minutes would hurt students because studies show they can lose focus within 15 minutes. The district also shouldn't reduce the amount physical education classes because daily physical activity can improve focus, reduce stress and improve academic performance, he said. Student ambassador Caleb Lewis, who represents Naperville North High School, said the student body wants to know how it will impact their classes, their lunches and their lives. 'The one overarching theme that students at Naperville North are concerned about is uncertainty or the fear of the unknown,' he said. 'If the board were able to put together some type of immersive presentation that clearly demonstrated to the students what their lives would look like on a day-to-day basis, Monday through Friday, and even with special schedules, it would really be a great help.' Naperville Central High School junior Gavin George said while there is clear opposition from the students, the district administration did not include that dissenting feedback in any of their presentations to the board and community. 'If you were to ask students at Naperville Central High School what the primary problems with the district are, the answer would not be the buses or the schedule or the time school starts,' he said. 'I encourage you to take everyone's feedback and if you decide to implement a new schedule, then you implement something that both students and teachers can agree on.' Earlier this month, representatives from the teacher's union said a survey of their members showed a majority had concerns about the plan. Bridges said that since the survey results were announced, the administration has met with the union's executive board to analyze the feedback. He stressed that stories going around about teachers being called in for meetings or facing disciplinary action after speaking out against the proposal have been investigated and found to be unfounded. If there are staff members who believe they have experienced some sort of retaliation, they should contact human resources or their union representatives, Bridges said. Since Jan. 24, more than 300 people have submitted comments through the district's 'Let's Talk' website feature, with about 65% expressing concern over or disagreement with the new schedule, board documents said.
