Naperville CUSD 203 previews redesigned school day; district to present final plan to board in February
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Summary
District leaders presented proposals to redraw elementary, middle and high school schedules — including a high school block model and a 15‑minute longer elementary day — and solicited public feedback. The board will hear rationale Jan. 21 and final recommendations Feb. 3; a board vote and collective bargaining remain next steps.
Dan Bridges, superintendent of Naperville Community Unit School District 203, outlined a districtwide proposal to change school schedules at a Focus 203 community session, saying the plan would “create flexible, student‑centered learning environments” and asking for community input before the Board of Education considers a formal vote.
The proposals would add 15 minutes to elementary school days, revise middle‑school schedules to increase math instructional time and add a weekly anchor day, and move high schools to a block schedule with four 85‑minute block days and one anchor day. Bridges said the district aims to implement changes in August 2025 but noted several required steps remain, including two board presentations and collective bargaining with staff.
The district framed the effort as an attempt to address chronic absenteeism, uneven instructional minutes and large amounts of unstructured time. “Our true vision is for our school district to help build a passion for lifelong learning,” Bridges said, adding that the district’s strategic blueprint and its profile of a learner guided the work.
Katie Matthews, assistant superintendent for elementary education, described specific elementary proposals. She said the district’s typical elementary day is now 6 hours 15 minutes and that design teams recommended adding 15 minutes so plans can include a daily homeroom for social‑emotional learning, a regular intervention/extension block, and time for noninstructional routines. Under an early childhood change Matthews described, three‑year‑olds would attend only mornings with slightly shorter sessions while planning time for early childhood teachers would increase to 55 minutes per day.
Lisonbee Boutte, assistant superintendent for middle school, laid out the middle‑school recommendations: move from a nine‑period day with many short transitions to a schedule that increases math instructional minutes (presenters cited 41 minutes currently and proposed 53–60 minutes), adds a weekly anchor day with advisory for social‑emotional learning, and preserves exploratory options so students do not have to forfeit electives to receive interventions.
Dr. Mark Cohen, deputy superintendent for high schools, recommended a high school block schedule that the district says would reduce passing time, double time available for interventions and shorten the student day from 7 hours 25 minutes to about 6 hours 50 minutes while keeping total instructional minutes consistent. “Longer periods of time are essential for engaging in these types of complex and impactful learning activities,” Dr. Cohen said. The proposal would keep existing off‑campus lunch privileges for upperclassmen and embed band and orchestra so students will not miss core classes.
Lisa Zegas, assistant superintendent for strategy and engagement, closed the presentation and introduced small‑group work for attendees, noting the district is working with a transportation consultant to design start and end times and bus routes that minimize student travel time. She said no school day under the proposals would start before 7:30 a.m. or end after 4 p.m.
District data cited by Bridges included a chronic absenteeism rate of about 15 percent, graduation rates above 95 percent and postsecondary enrollment of about 85 percent; presenters also noted that only about half of graduates complete a degree within four years and that middle schools currently allocate about 82 minutes daily to literacy but only 41 minutes to math. Bridges said those gaps and the district’s ongoing commitments under its strategic blueprint (including “Commitment 1.3,” an analysis of innovative school day models) informed the designs.
During facilitated table reports, community members expressed consistent themes: clear, early and simple communication; concern about childcare and before/after‑school impacts if start times shift; the need for supports to build students’ executive functioning and stamina for longer class blocks; and additional teacher professional development and curriculum planning time. “Communication is key for to roll this out by August,” a table facilitator summarized. Another facilitator urged the district to “explain it to me like I’m 5” when communicating changes to families.
District next steps presented during the session include a Jan. 21 Board of Education presentation of the rationale, a Feb. 3 presentation of final recommendations (including proposed start and end times), collective bargaining to align changes with staff contracts, and a board vote at an upcoming meeting. The district plans to post the session recording and collect verbatim table worksheet responses for review.
What happened at the meeting: the district presented a multi‑level schedule redesign, answered clarifying questions during small‑group work, collected community feedback and outlined a process that still requires board review and labor negotiations. No formal board vote or policy change occurred at the session.
