Naperville District 203 proposes revised school day plan allowing further discussion

Naperville Unit District 203 school board members are expected to vote Monday on a plan that includes block scheduling at the high schools and modified block at the middle schools but allows for further discussion on implementation and school start and end times.

District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges spoke about the modified recommendation in a video message released this week. The revised version comes after much public debate focused on the district’s proposed changes to start and end times for all grade levels and questions from staff about how the changes would play out in the classroom.

“It has become clear that in addition to focusing on our students, we must also ensure that our staff and community have opportunities to engage, share their thoughts and better understand the impacts of these changes,” Bridges said in his message.

District staff made their first presentation on the proposed school day changes in January.

Initially, the district requested the changes to take effect at the start of the 2025-26 school year but pushed the start date to the 2026-27 school year after teachers and community members said the early start date did not allow enough time to work out implementation plans.

This week, Bridges laid out additional revisions to address community concerns.

While school board members are still being asked to approve the school day schedule that includes block and modified block schedules, the latest version allows for start and end times to be reviewed separately.

The district is recommending a committee, made up of staff, guardians and students, to review the proposed start and end times. The group would meet three times between May 1 and June 12 and make a final recommendation solely on school start and end times to the school board in June, Assistant Superintendent for Strategy and Engagement Lisa Xagas said.

The modified recommendation also allows for the creation of implementation teams to work out how specific details of the plan — like the expansion of exploratory options at the middle school level or the switch to block scheduling at the high school level — would play out.

Bridges also acknowledged that the district is in contract negotiations with the teacher’s union and that some of the changes will need to be negotiated during those talks.