(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It appears the Chicago Public Schools will end the year without a new teachers contract, while the CTU accuses the district of stonewalling during negotiations.
CTU says despite progress on healthcare and bilingual education, bargaining sessions with Chicago Public Schools have slowed.
The teachers union claims CPS negotiators have been told not to move on issues such as enforcing caps on class size, pay raises for veteran teachers and has pushed back against cutting the number of standardized tests students take.
The district estimates the union’s proposal to hire 5,000 new employees over four years will cost more than $1 billion.
CPS says it’s working to protect the 7,000 staffers it has hired since before the pandemic as teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, social workers and restorative justice coordinators.
The union says progress will come to a halt if CPS and CEO Pedro Martinez continue to “insist on mass layoffs and furloughs.”
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