catalyst-chicago.org

CPS and CTU announced a partial agreement in ongoing teacher contract negotiations on Tuesday, with the union accepting the lengthening of the school day and the district saying it will hire 477 teachers, giving preference to teachers displaced over the past two years.

With these extra teachers and some scheduling changes, such as eliminating a morning prep time and putting lunch for teachers back into the middle of the day, the workday for elementary school teachers won’t be lengthened and will be only slightly longer for high school teachers.

Now that CPS and the CTU have both rejected an outside fact-finder’s recommendations for a settlement in teacher contract negotiations, a resolution will have to come at the bargaining table. The report offers a glimpse into the issues at play--and sounds a clear warning of a looming strike. 

Both the School Board and the Chicago Teachers Union rejected an arbitrator’s proposed contract settlement Wednesday, starting the 30-day countdown to a possible teacher strike.

CPS was first, saying that the fact-finder’s report, which called for raises next year of 15 percent, would force the district to lay off 4,000 teachers in the first year alone. The total cost of the raises over four years--the recommended length of a contract--would reach $330 million, the board estimates.