CHICAGO (AP/WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The nation's third-largest school district is canceling classes Tuesday, marking the ninth school day of a strike by Chicago teachers.Chicago Public Schools officials announced the decision on Monday afternoon.The district and the Chicago Teachers Union reported some progress late last week, but talks stalled over the weekend, keeping classrooms closed for more than 300,000 students.
Contact talks resumed Monday and broke down at 2 a.m. Tuesday, after 16 hours.
Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade expressed disappointment over the inability to reach a deal, but said the sides are getting closer on issues like class size.
“We are pretty frustrated,” McDade said. “Issues like class size and staffing we have gotten the closest that we’ve ever been; however, we still have some big issues on the table where we are fundamentally far apart.”
One sticking point though includes paid teacher prep time.
CTU’s attorney Robert Bloch addressed reporters at about 2 a..m. Tuesday
"This is still an opportunity for the Mayor to enter into a historic agreement, to restore Chicago Public Schools to be the best that they can be," Bloch said.
With no deal reached Monday, teachers planned marches from three locations Tuesday morning to the site of the proposed Lincoln Yards development. The Union said Lincoln Yards will be getting millions of dollars in help from the city and that schools should too.
"If the mayor can’t find the $38 million—less than half of one percent of the CPS budget—to settle our contract by tonight, we will be marching on Lincoln Yards Tuesday morning instead of picketing in front of our schools," the Union said in their plan. "We are targeting Lincoln Yards because it’s being funded in part by TIF money that should be going to our schools. If Lightfoot wanted to settle the contract today, she would only need to declare an additional TIF surplus to do so. Lincoln Yards got everything it wanted in writing. Why can’t we get everything our students deserve? Mayor Lightfoot, get on the right foot."
More than 25,000 teachers walked out of schools starting on Oct. 17. The walkout has surpassed the length of a 2012 teachers' strike during Rahm Emanuel’s first term as mayor.