The Naperville District 203 School Board Monday approved a new three-year contract with the Naperville Education Support Professionals Association, which had been working on an expired contract since summer.
Known as NESPA, the union represents 626 education support professionals districtwide, including secretarial and clerical employees, health technicians, receptionists, registrars, document services support, paraprofessionals, auditorium managers, campus supervisors, technology support associates and media specialists.
The new contract is retroactive to July 1 and will run through June 30, 2027.
“We’re grateful for the work that our NESPA folks do for us,” board President Kristine Gericke said at Monday’s board meeting. “Without you, we wouldn’t have the high-achieving district that we have. And we just hope that you feel valued and you feel appreciated with this new agreement.”
According to the terms, nearly all positions will receive a $1.35 per hour increase for fiscal year 2025.
However, special education paraprofessionals and behavior support paraprofessionals will see a $2.25 per hour increase and behavior support paraprofessionals who work at Connections Transition Services, which helps young adults with special needs learn independent living and vocational skills, will receive a wage increase of $3.25 per hour.
According to a joint statement from the board and NESPA, the compensation adjustments for the district’s special education paraprofessionals aligns their wages with market rates. In year one of the contract, special education paraprofessionals will see an average increase of 12.5%, the statement said.
For fiscal year 2026, all employees in the union will receive a $1.10 per hour increase, according to the agreement.
In the contract’s final year, hourly wages will be tied to the consumer price index with a minimum increase of 1% and a maximum of 4% plus 25 cents.
“After more than eight months of negotiations, we are hopeful that this contract sets NESPA on a path towards equity and fair wages for all our members, who continue to serve our community with dedication and excellence,” Amanda Wood, union first vice president and lead negotiator, said in a statement.
The union’s last three-year contract was ratified in 2021 and expired June 30. For several months, its members and other supporters had been speaking out at school board meetings to draw attention to the ongoing negotiations. Last month, the union held a rally and march in downtown Naperville.
The new contract ensures compensation remains highly competitive and fair and supports recruiting and retaining talent, the joint statement said. By raising wages beyond the rate of inflation over the past two contracts, these adjustments position the district among the highest-paying in the market for similar roles, the statement said.
“From 2021 to 2024, this group received a cumulative raise of 20% over the course of the contract,” the statement said. “The current agreement builds upon this foundation, with an average estimated wage increase of 18.9% through the duration of the 2024-2027 contract.”
Employees will be rewarded for their longevity as another benefit in the new agreement. Those who have completed a minimum of three full years with the district by Oct. 15, 2025, will receive a one-time $500 bonus, the agreement states.
Employees who are assigned bus or lunch duty also will see a bump in pay.
Bus duty pay will rise from $19 to $21 an hour and lunch supervision will go from $20 to $23 an hour, said Lisa Xagas, assistant superintendent for strategy and engagement.
A new provision in the contract is extra duty pay, which is $21 an hour or the employees’ current hourly wage, whichever is higher, Xagas said. The extra duty compensation is for employees authorized to provide support to students with specialized needs outside of regular student attendance hours.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
