The Naperville Unit Education Association voted on Wednesday to approve its tentative contract agreement with District 203, they announced in a post on their website. 

The vote moves the district and its students one step closer to avoiding a strike, pending school board approval on Sep. 7. Ballots were counted Wednesday to approve the contract, the details of which are not yet public. 

The NUEA’s contract with District 203 expired on June 30. According to the District 203 website, regular negotiation meetings were held since January, but leading up to the start of the school year, an agreement had still not been reached. On Aug. 23, an NUEA and District 203 joint press release announced that the tentative agreement was reached, narrowly avoiding a strike that the NUEA could have initiated as early as Aug. 25. 

Multiple North students expressed an appreciation for the contract, which would allow them to continue their academic, athletic and extracurricular activities without the disruption of a strike. 

“I think it’s great if we can avoid a strike. It’s important that the teachers want to be here, and that they want to teach,” senior Nikhil Sathyanathan said. 

If the District 203 Board of Education approves the contract on Sep. 7, it will take effect and its details will be made public.