The Valley View School District 365U teacher’s union successfully negotiated to eliminate the proposed school day extension for the district’s high schools.

After 10 months of negotiation and a threatened strike, the Valley View Council Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers signed a deal with District 365U’s board in October following the previous contract’s expiration in August.

While representatives of both the district and the 1,800-member union praised the new contract deal, details of the agreement were not publicized on Oct. 22 when it was signed.

“There is no increase in the schedule in the new contract,” Union President Jared Ploger told the Herald-News this week. “That was the main change from the first tentative agreement to what was approved by the membership.”

The signed deal was the second version of the contract to be presented to the union membership after a tentative deal was reached in September the night before the union threatened to go on strike.

That first version was voted down by 70% of the teachers and staff earlier in October, Ploger said.

The first tentative deal failed for the same reason negotiations stalled in August, unwillingness of the union members to agree to a proposal by the district to extend the school day at Bolingbrook and Romeoville High Schools by 20 minutes starting next year, he said.

The district administration had wanted to increase mandatory attendance time for students, a proposal which would have likely resulted in a start time of 7:10 a.m., and required teachers to arrive on campus before 7 a.m.

Staff, students, and parents opposed that plan for several reasons including loss of sleep, inability to arrange childcare, and conflicts with extracurricular schedules.

In addition to the logistical objections to the earlier start, union members also protested that the plan was lacking in detail and did not properly compensate staff for the added time.

Ploger said that instead of the school day extension, the district will move to an eight-period schedule “within the timeframe that the students are currently in school” in fall 2027.

Currently, the schools operate on a seven-period day, and a committee will begin working on a plan to restructure the day in January, Ploger said.

District Director of Community Relations Jim Blaney confirmed the change. While specifics of the plan are still to be worked out, Blaney noted that the new schedule will see see all periods shortened by six to eight minutes and the optional Zero Period, which currently allows students to start school early to take an extra class, will be eliminated.

Blaney said the benefits of the new schedule will include:

• reducing the need for students to come to school prior to the start of the regular day to access a class,

• providing increased credit opportunities and more equitable access to electives,

• allowing students to better balance classes and extracurriculars,

• and creating time for students to access more academic supports and ACT preparation during school time.

The change will also ensure all students receive a full lunch break, something some students had opted to partially forgo in the current schedule configuration.

A similar plan is being implemented at Lockport Township High School’s East Campus in 2026 in order to allow student the ability to take more diverse classes.

“I was so proud of this membership being so united along the way,“ Ploger said. ”Over 90% voted for an authorization to strike, over 75% voted in favor of the contract. We are unified.”

In addition to resolving the schedule debate, the contract guarantees yearly raises for all union members, which includes teachers, paraprofessionals, maintenance crews, nurses, security, and other staff.

The union membership received an additional half-percent raise over the first tentative agreement in the final contract, Ploger said.

Over the course of the four-year agreement, which took effect immediately in October, members will see a pay increase each year.

• A 4.5% increase will be implemented for 2025-26
• Year two of the contract includes a 4.25% raise
• Year three includes a 5% raise
• Year four’s raise, implemented in 2028-29 does not have a set number as it will be set at half of CPI plus 1.5%, and will be set between 3.5% and 4%.

Ploger also said that, in addition to the structured raises, Education Support Professionals will receive an additional $3 per hour raise across the board next year.

“Throughout the entirety of this lengthy negotiation process, I was incredibly impressed by the high level of professionalism demonstrated by our educators, who never wavered from providing world class learning environments for all our learners,” Valley View Superintendent Dr. Keith Wood said upon the approval of the contract. “We look forward to renewing our focus on helping our students learn and grow while also supporting VVSD families.”