WILMETTE, IL — Wilmette Public Schools District 39 support staff could strike as early as Nov. 10 after their union filed a 10-day strike notice Thursday with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.
The Wilmette Support Staff Union represents 183 employees in the district, and the union said 93% of members approved a strike if necessary.
The union and district have been bargaining since April, and the contract expired in August. The parties have met 11 times, including three sessions with a federal mediator.
According to the union, key issues still include increased wages, no changes to health insurance premium contributions, and paid holidays for 10-month employees.
The filing does not guarantee a strike, but it allows the union to call one after the required 10-day period if no agreement is reached.
"We hope to avoid any disruption to learning and the school schedule, but we'll do what we must to ensure that the District invests in attracting and retaining support staff by reaching a fair agreement that brings our pay into alignment with surrounding districts," said Michelle McGregor, transportation coordinator and WSSU president.
In an update, the Board of Education said its bargaining team and the union met with the mediator for a seven-hour session Wednesday night.
The board said it increased its wage proposal at the meeting and agreed to the union's requests on health insurance and paid holidays. For the 2026-27 school year, the district said it proposed 7.25% raises for paraprofessionals and custodians, 5.25% for other support staff, and additional pay increases for some positions including nurses and head custodians.
The board also said it withdrew a proposed future health insurance cost-sharing provision and agreed to provide three paid holidays to 10-month employees.
Union representatives argued the district's current wage proposal would leave some workers with an inflation-adjusted increase of only 15 cents per hour, while also increasing employees' health insurance costs and eliminating paid holidays.
"I'm a longtime resident of Wilmette and both of my children attended District 39 schools," said Elizabeth Candido, a classroom paraprofessional and WSSU vice president. "After five years with the district, I earn just $29,000. Like all taxpayers in our community, I expect the Board of Education to invest in what our students need, including the staff who serve them. The low wages this board is perpetuating do not reflect my neighbors' values and do a disservice to our students."
"We hope a strike can be avoided," Candido said. "But the district must do the right thing by valuing our work and investing in the support staff who make our schools work every day."
The next mediation session is scheduled for Nov. 12, according to the board.
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