The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates will meet Sunday at 3 p.m. to determine whether or not to end the teachers' strike. The CTU bargaining team will present the House of Delegates with additional information on the proposed agreement, which, according to CTU "includes a number of victories for teachers, paraprofessionals, clinicians, and students."

“This Union has proven the Chicago labor movement is neither dormant nor dead,” said CTU President Karen Lewis. “Our members are on the line because we all believe there is an assault on our profession and public education in general. We will always do what is in the best interest of our students and our own children, many of whom attend these schools. We showed our solidarity and our strength, and with this new contract we have solidified our political power and captured the imagination of the nation. No one will ever look upon a teacher and think of him or her as a passive, person to be bullied and walked on ever again.”

Teachers and students could be back in school as soon as Monday, but the House of Delegates, which are elected representatives of their schools, could ask for an additional 24 hours to speak to the teachers at their respective schools before deciding on whether to end the strike.

“We are a democratic body and therefore we want to ensure all of our members have had the chance to weigh-in on what we were able to win,” Lewis explains. “We believe this is a good contract, however, no contract will solve all of the inequities in our District. Our fair contract fight has always been about returning dignity and respect to our members and ensuring resources and a quality school day for our students and their families.”

Here are some details on the proposed agreement, according to CTU:

·        Secure Raises & Ensure Fair Compensation:  The CTU wants a three-year contract.  It will secure a 3% raise  in the first year, 2% raise in the second and 2% raise in the third, with the option to extend to a 4^thyear by mutual agreement at another 3% raise.

·        Defeat Merit Pay: The CTU successfully fought the star of national misguided school reform policies. The Board agreed to move away from “Differentiated Compensation,” which would have allowed them to pay one set of teachers (based on unknown criteria) one set of pay versus another set of pay for others.

·        Preserve Steps & Lanes:  The new contract will preserve the full value of teachers and paraprofessionals career ladder (steps); and, it will increased the value of the highest steps (14,15 and 16)

·        Provide A Better School Day: The Board will hire 512 additional ‘special’ teachers in art, music, physical education, world languages and other classes to ensure students receive a better school day, a demand thousands of parents have called for since last year

·        Ensures Job Security: Creates a “CPS Hiring Pool,” which demands that one-half of all of CPS hires must be displaced (laid-off) members.

·        Adds An Anti-Bullying Provision: No more bullying by principals and managerial personnel.  The new language will curtail some of the abusive practices that have run rampant in many neighborhood schools.

·        Paraprofessional & Clinicians Prep Time: The new contract will guarantee preps for clinicians.

·        Racial Diversity: The CTU continues to fight the District on its lay-off policies that has led to a record number of African American educators being laid off and eventually terminated by the District.  The new contract will ensure that CPS recruits a racially diverse teaching force.

·        New Recall Rights & Tackling  School Closings:  Acknowledging, the CTU will continue its ongoing legal and legislative fight for a moratorium on all school closings, turnarounds and phase-outs, the new contract requires teachers to “follow their students” in all school actions. This will reduce instability among students and educators.  The contract will also have 10 months of “true recall” to the same school if a position opens.

·        Fairer Evaluation Procedures:  The new contract will limit CPS to 70% “teacher practice,” 30% “student growth” (or test scores)—which is the minimum by state law.  It also secures in the first year of implementation of the new evaluation procedures there will be “no harmful consequences” for tenured teachers. It also secures a new right—the right to appeal a Neutral rating.

·        Reimbursement for School Supplies: The contract will require the District to reimburse educators for the purchase of school supplies up to $250.

·        Additional Wrap-Around Services:  The Board agrees to commit to hire nurses, social workers and school counselors if it gets new revenue. Over the past several months, the CTU has identified several sources of new revenue, including the Tax Increment Financing program.

·        Books on Day One: For the first time, the new contract will guarantee all CPS students and educators have textbooks on day one and will not have to wait up to six weeks for learning materials.

·        Unified School Calendar:  The new contract will improve language on a unified calendar. The District will have one calendar for the entire school district and get rid of Track E and Track R schools.  All students and teaching personnel will begin on the same schedule.

·        Reduced Paperwork: The new contract ensures the new paperwork requirements are balanced against reduction of previous requirements.