The Chicago Teachers Union escalated pressure with the school district Monday night in ongoing contract talks, ahead of a vote on a budget amendment that has been in the works for months.
Stacy Davis Gates, CTU president, sent a letter to two top Chicago Public Schools officials saying the district had refused the union’s final compromises, “precipitating more disruption and chaos for all district stakeholders.”
The union president doesn’t threaten a strike, but the possibility of one hangs over the letter. Both sides say they are at an impasse. The teachers union is allowed to call for a strike following a 30-day “cooling-off” period after a third-party fact-finding report is released.
CTU has been negotiating a new contract for almost a year. Two weeks ago, the union submitted its last, best and final offer to CPS with five sticking points. Of those five, sources close to negotiations say the biggest point of conflict Monday was a debate over preparatory time for elementary school teachers.
It’s an issue that might not seem to necessitate a teachers strike, but has proven contentious.
“The union is attempting to provide stability and investment for classes. CPS needs to join us in that effort instead of choosing a path to protracted confrontation,” Davis Gates wrote in the letter sent Monday night.
The district, meanwhile, acknowledges the progress that has been made at the bargaining table but is not budging on its proposals, particularly for class time.
“There are significant differences that remain,” said Ben Felton, the district’s chief talent officer in an interview with the Tribune. “We’re continuing to work to find a deal … given the financial difficulty on the horizon.”
In the letter, Davis Gates says the final deal-breakers “fit comfortably within the district’s available funds.” However, a lack of adequate funds for the 2025-26 school year has led to tumult and uncertainty since fall. The previous school board resigned amid conflict between Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPS chief Pedro Martinez over whether to take out a loan to balance CPS’ books.
CPS settled its budget for the school year last summer without accounting for the costs of the unsettled teachers’ contract or a $175 million municipal pension reimbursement to the city. There is $139 million available in extra money from the city’s taxing districts, according to district officials, which is not enough to account for both costs.
A new, partially-elected, partially-appointed hybrid school board will confront that challenge at a board meeting Thursday, when members will vote on a budget amendment — part of the process to add unaccounted for costs into a school’s financial plan. The amendment vote has been a source of contention for weeks.
Davis Gates said in her letter that the district has “an opportunity to reach a tentative agreement this week” before the board meeting.
The union offered a compromise on its elementary day planning proposal Monday. CPS had offered 10 minutes of additional prep time, and the union asked for 20 — down from its original ask for 30 minutes.
The other major sticking points are the amount of time between teacher evaluations and pay increases for veteran teachers.
