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Chicago Teacher Union members are gearing up for what they say is their next big fight: possible school closures. According to reports, an estimated 100 low-performing and under-enrolled public schools could face closure in an effort to save money. CPS has said 250 schools were on probation for poor performance during the 2011-12 school year. Jesse Sharkey, CTU vice president, said CPS officials must release a list of proposed schools to close by Dec. 1.

The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday approved new guidelines and requirements for students in nutrition, nutrition education and physical activity along with updates to the District’s Local School Wellness policy. The new Local School Wellness policy will introduce or raise the bar in the convening school Wellness Teams and regular reporting of school wellness activities, implementing minimum grade level requirements for nutrition education, requiring recess for elementary schools, prohibiting the use of food or physical activity as a reward or punishment and ensuring that students regularly participate in physical activity. (Press release)

IN THE STATE
Administrators from Geneva School District 304 will begin working on strike plans, after they received formal notice from the teachers that they intend to strike, officials said late Friday. A nearly 12-hour session ended without a deal Friday night. (Tribune)

IN THE NATION
The leaders of the local teachers union in Newark have agreed to a compromise with city management that includes merit pay with peer evaluations, although many teachers oppose the measure. (The New York Times)

In Newark, N.J., the teachers union and the school board have reached a three-year tentative contract for its 3,100 members, which implements a Pay for Performance plan and makes it much easier for school officials to fire veteran teachers. The agreement comes on the heels of a sellout contract for Chicago teachers that contained similar provisions, according to the World Socialist Web Site.

Public schools around Indiana will learn their final grades this week under a ranking system using new rules that critics say are too complex for schools and parents to understand. (AP/San Francisco Chronicle)