District 128 OKs Later Start Times For 2018-19 School Year

LIBERTYVILLE, IL – District 128 will implement later start times starting this fall at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools. Students will now begin classes at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m. The one-year tentative agreement between the Community High School District 128 Board of Education a and District 128 Teachers’ Union was announced by schools officials Tuesday.

Under the new schedule, some voluntary programs could start as early as 7:50 a.m. under the new schedule and classes will be 45 minutes long, trimming three minutes off the current class period, the Daily Herald reports. Other local schools that have pushed back start times include Stevenson High School and Barrington High School.

The Daily Herald reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have advocated for classes for middle school and high school students to start no earlier than 8:30 to make sure children get enough sleep.

Here is a look at what the daily school schedule will look like:

Also on Tuesday, school officials announced the school board and teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a one-year teachers’ contract. The contract will be voted on by union membership in August. If ratified by the union, the school board will then vote on the contract.

The proposed contract will run through the 2018-19 school year. All language from the previous agreement will remain essentially unchanged, with a few exceptions. Under the new agreement, teachers will take a soft freeze on salaries for the 2018-19 school year, which means teachers will receive a step increase and no additional salary increase.

The average increase is 3.3 percent, according to information posted on District 128's Facebook page. Contract negotiations will resume in the fall.

“The Board and Union worked diligently and collaboratively throughout negotiations to reach a tenable agreement which was fair to teachers and taxpayers, and in addition, served the needs of students via the new student start time schedule," District 128 Board of Education President Pat Groody said. "In the end, this one-year tentative agreement serves the teachers, taxpayers, and most importantly, students, in the 2018-2019 school year. The Board thanks the Union for its role in reaching this agreement.”

Specifics of the school day, student class schedules and other specifics related to the new school schedule are being finalized and will be made available to District 128 employees over the summer.

"This agreement for a soft freeze and a later start time provides certitude for students, teachers, and the community in preparation for the next school year," District 128 Union President Brian Voss said. "I am hopeful this good faith effort by the Union allows for continued support by the Board of Education and community in our collective goal to achieve a long-term agreement supporting and attracting highly qualified teachers in the district."

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