Parents of Valley View School District 365U students are planning a picket Friday to support teachers and staff in the midst of contract negotiations with the district.

The teacher’s previous contract with the district expired on Aug. 15, one day after the start of the 2025-26 school year.

According to Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents the Valley View teachers, paraprofessionals, maintenance crews, nurses, security, and other staff members, negotiations have been ongoing since January, but have come to an impasse.

The union voted Thursday whether to authorize a strike, with the results expected Friday.

No matter the outcome of the vote, parents plan to march outside the district administration building, located at 800 W. Normantown Road in Romeoville, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

Extended schedule core issue

According to Ruth Michalsen, a Valley View parent who is organizing the support picket, one of the biggest issues of contention in the contract negotiation is the district’s proposal to add an extra 20 minutes to the school days at Valley View’s two high schools, Bolingbrook High School and Romeoville High School.

“The teachers and students are concerned about when it will be added,” Michalsen told the Herald-News. “The plan has not been fleshed out fully, and I can see why teachers don’t want to agree without that information.”

The proposed schedule change was discussed at recent school board meetings, where multiple teachers and students have come forward to object to the proposal, Michalsen said.

The Herald-News was not able to get comment from a teacher representative.

The district issued a statement about the proposed school day extension on its website, which does not go into detail about when or how the extra time would be utilized.

Currently, the schools operate on a seven-period day with an optional zero hour before the start of school. Designated lunch periods are split into A and B segments, and students attended a homeroom during one half and their lunch during the other.

Students also have the option to take an extra class instead of a homeroom/lunch period if they take a grab-and-go lunch.

According to the district website, the proposed change would move the school to an eight-period day, though it is unclear how those periods would be divided.

It is also not stated if the extra time would be added to the end of the school day or if it would make the day start sooner, either eliminating zero hour or pushing it’s start back even earlier.

The high schools currently start first period at 7:30 a.m. and are dismissed at 2:15 p.m.

While the proposal originally included an extra 20 minutes at all the district’s schools, it was later amended to include just the high schools, something Michalsen said she feels “is trying to divide the union membership.”

“I decided I had to get involved because the way the district was negotiating didn’t seem right,” said Michalsen. “There has been a lot of one-sided communication to make it seem like the teacher’s can’t be placated, but I think the district should come back to the table instead of just putting out a lot of statements.”

The district website says the extra time would be used to create a “student support period” meant to provide extra study time, though there are not details given about how it would be implemented.

“Our proposed high school schedule is grounded in student outcomes and a commitment to giving every student the time and support they need to succeed,” the latest district statement said, noting that ACT and SAT scores at the high schools have fallen, despite both schools performing in the top 18% of Illinois high schools.

“We need to acknowledge that [the high rating] is due in large part to the additional support that many of our educators are providing during their current instructional periods, before and after school, and during students’ homeroom time, which is outside of their contractual requirements,” the statement said. “Providing a dedicated time for this support to take place would benefit all students in need. It would also serve to positively impact ACT scores.”

Parent Heidi Yadao, whose son attends Romeoville High School, questions this, and says she is not alone in her concerns.

“They’re saying it would give more time so teachers don’t have to come in or stay late or give up their lunch, but if they have classes in that time and rooms are assigned, how are students going to get the extra help? And how are the teachers going to help everyone in their class with just 20 minutes?” asked Yadao. “It doesn’t add up, and it doesn’t seem to solve the problem.”

It is possible the student support period referenced in the district plan would resemble the ‘future ready’ period students at the district’s elementary schools receive twice per week. Yadao said that class amounted largely to a study hall period.

Yadao argued that adding the time to the end of the day could complicate schedules for students like her son who have daily after school activities off campus.

Making it earlier and eliminating zero hour could be detrimental to students who use the zero hour for extra classes and athletic training, she said,

If the plan is implemented in a new contract, it would go into effect next school year, though those plans could be complicated if the Illinois state legislature passes a proposed bill which would mandate high schools start later to allow students more sleep.

“As parents we’re upset that the folks who are there to help our kids are now working without a contract because of it. We don’t want a strike, but we want them to get a fair contracts,” said Michalsen

“I’d hate for them to have to go on strike, because that adds days to the year in summer, but I hope they stand their ground,” Yadao said.