Chicago Public Schools is offering the Chicago Teachers Union salary increases of 4-5% over the next four years, the district announced ahead of a bargaining session with the union Friday.
The district’s proposal comes four months after the 30,000-member teachers union publicly launched its bargaining efforts in April with a demand for 9% annual raises, or compensation equivalent to the consumer price index, whichever is higher. In a message to members Thursday, CTU wrote that while the proposal is welcome, it represents, “the beginning, not the end, of the negotiations process.”
Calculated by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index tracks changes in the cost of consumer goods and is the most widely used measure of inflation. The most recent Bureau of Labor figures released in July indicate an average increase of 2.9% for urban consumers over the past 12 months.
In an emailed statement, CPS said it is offering the union 4% raises next year, with adjustments of 4-5% in the subsequent three years, depending on the consumer price index at the time. “Under the proposal, the District plans to expand healthcare and dental coverage without increasing costs for employees,” CPS added.
The proposal continues a legacy of “investing in the recruitment, retainment and professional development of our teachers and principals,” CPS said. The district also touted increases in teacher staffing and diversity. Just under half of new hires identify as Black or Latinx, according to CPS, which said district teachers earn an average annual salary of $100,000.
“The District is employing more than 600 additional teachers over last year and 500 more school-based educational support personnel, including restorative justice coordinators, teacher assistants, special education classroom assistants, and counselors. Increased staff positions follow increases among specific student groups, including Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), English learners, and students with disabilities,” CPS said.
CTU did not immediately provide comment Friday on CPS’ proposal.
In a member bulletin posted on the union’s site Thursday, CTU said that, assuming the district formally extends the economic proposal as described, the “substantive” offer represents “a significant move in the right direction” – at an earlier stage in negotiations than at any point in collective bargaining over the past 15 years.
But, with 75% of its proposals yet to receive a response, the union said it has “more pressure to apply in order to make progress.”
That pressure has for the most part been directed at CEO Pedro Martinez, with CTU and CPS leadership at odds over the district’s budget and the feasibility of fulfilling the union’s collective bargaining demands.
CTU’s public criticism of CEO Pedro Martinez has been escalating since June, when the district began finalizing its $9.9 billion budget amid layoffs of teacher assistants, whom CPS has guaranteed pay this year. Throughout the summer, as the Board of Education voted to approve the budget, and with collective bargaining ongoing, CTU has condemned Martinez’s leadership, for failing to find the means to fully fund district schools as federal COVID-19 relief funding dries up in school districts across the country.
According to an Aug. 13 presentation by CPS Chief Budget Officer Mike Sitkowski at a public bargaining session with the union, CTU has submitted more than 700 contract proposals. Accepting 52 of the proposals would produce a deficit of $2.9 billion next school year, which would grow to nearly $4 billion by the 2028-29 school year, Sitkowski said. The remaining 600+ contract proposals “will drive additional costs that have not yet been quantified,” according to the district’s presentation.
