The Chicago Academics Union is accusing college district management of rejecting compromises offered Monday that it mentioned may have landed a contract earlier than Thursday — the day that the Board of Schooling is about to vote on a contentious finances modification to put aside cash for the instructor’s contract, in addition to a controversial pension cost.
In a letter dated Monday night despatched to high school board members, the union says, “In refusing the Union’s efforts at compromise, CPS management can be precipitating extra disruption and chaos for all college district stakeholders.”
Sources say the union is now “barreling towards an escalated battle as an alternative of the soundness of a landed contract.” The CTU has accomplished the authorized course of and might take a vote at any time that may give 10 days discover of a strike.
CPS Chief Expertise Officer Ben Felton mentioned late Monday that district negotiators had been “working tirelessly” to attempt to land a deal however acknowledged there have been nonetheless variations on key points.
Sources mentioned CTU’s bargaining crew members floated a suggestion Monday to resolve the thorniest of remaining points — elementary college planning time — however the concept was shot down inside an hour by college district management. This, in line with sources, left lots of them questioning if college district management actually needs to make a deal.
The union would have preferred to land a contract deal earlier than the finances modification vote Thursday. For the time being, the college district doesn’t have the cash to pay for all the brand new expenditures included within the finances modification.
The mayor’s workplace is urging the college board to take out a mortgage or refinance debt so the district can afford the pension cost — which town desperately needs — in addition to this yr’s prices included within the lecturers contract. It’s uncommon for the board to approve a finances modification earlier than a deal is landed, however the metropolis needs CPS to reimburse it for the pension cost by March 30.
Greater than half of Metropolis Council members additionally despatched a letter to the college board urging it to maneuver ahead with paying the pension.
However the partly-appointed, partly-elected board seems cut up on whether or not to approve the modification. There’s some concern that approving the finances modification earlier than the lecturers contract is landed may depart the college district with out sufficient cash to pay for this yr’s contract prices.
The college district and the CTU have been bargaining since final April, and either side say they’re near a deal, coming to agreements on a whole lot of points. However three large points stay.
Elementary college lecturers have been emphatic that they’ve wanted extra planning time ever since former Mayor Rahm Emanuel took away half-hour as a way to make room for an extended college day. The union began out by asking for that half-hour again and suggesting that artwork lecturers and librarians might be employed to cowl that point to permit lecturers to plan.
However CPS leaders pushed again, saying they don’t have the cash for additional workers and subsequently additional planning time would lower into educational time.
CTU has already diminished the ask to twenty minutes a day. On Monday, the bargaining crew prompt that it might be phased in, beginning with faculties that have already got the workers to cowl additional planning time. The CTU additionally prompt that CTU and CPS would work collectively on a committee to section it in.
CTU sources referred to as planning time the union’s “sacred cow.”
However to date CPS has solely supplied 10 minutes of extra planning time through the day.
The opposite large unresolved points are offering extra pay for veteran lecturers and permitting proficient lecturers to have longer time between evaluations.
Sarah Karp covers schooling for WBEZ. Comply with her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.
