The Valley View Community Unit School District 365-U Board of Education has adopted a new contract with the local teachers’ union.

The Valley View Council Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers had been in negotiations with the district since January to negotiate a new contract.

The old contract expired in August as the school year started, and union members had voted to authorize a strike, though staff did not ever walk out.

The 1,800-member union, which represents teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, security and maintenance employees, voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative agreement earlier this month, but approved the second agreement reached a few days later on Oct. 22, according to an announcement from the district.

The new contract takes effect immediately and is valid through the 2028-2029 school year.

“I want to thank everyone involved in this negotiation process for their thoughtful contributions, dedication, and patience,” Board President Steve Quigley said in the statement. “In particular, a big thank you to my fellow board members and the VVSD administration leadership team for their collective commitment to getting an agreement that respects the needs of the Valley View students, staff, and the community as a whole. The collective bargaining process can be difficult and contentious at times; however, the process is ultimately designed to bring people together, to communicate face-to-face on a path to finding common ground and working solutions.”

Valley View Superintendent Dr. Keith Wood said he was “incredibly impressed” throughout the negotiations “by the high level of professionalism demonstrated by our educators, who never wavered from providing world-class learning environments for all our learners. We look forward to renewing our focus on helping our students learn and grow while also supporting VVSD families.”

Valley View Council President Jared Ploger said the contract “benefits students and shows that the district values the people who teach, assist, support, prepare for and safeguard those students every day.”

“This process is a testament to how much our members care about their students and their outcomes,” Ploger said. “Our students and their families deserve a District that invests thoughtfully and responsibly in them while ensuring a strong future. Through this contract, our District commits to ensuring compensation is better aligned with the essential work staff do every day.”

The contract terms will make “Valley View will be more competitive as an employer and stronger when it comes to retaining the great staff who work in our schools already,” Ploger said. “We look forward to continued collaboration with the Board and District, with the shared goal of always delivering high-quality, well-resourced education to our students.”

One of the big issues of contention during the negotiations was a proposal to extend the school day at the district’s two high schools, Romeoville High School and Bolingbrook High School, by 20 minutes, which was expected to result in a 7:10 a.m. start for students and an earlier start for teachers.

The proposal did not include thorough details and received pushback from teachers, students and parents.

It is not clear from the district announcement what resolution was reached on the start time issue, and Ploger did not respond to a request for more information from The Herald-News.