Statement from Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson on Status of CPS/CTU Negotiations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 18, 2019

“From the start, our team has focused on building equity and targeting greater supports and investments to the areas of greatest need. We believe this is a vision we share with the Chicago Teachers Union, and so we are encouraged that today’s negotiations were productive and yielded real movement on a number of key issues, including staffing for clinical groups, special education, and supports for Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS). Today, we also presented an updated offer on staffing that would go above and beyond the unprecedented public commitments we made over the summer to hire hundreds of additional social workers, nurses and case managers while prioritizing resources for the schools that need them most. With this new offer on staffing in addition to our updated offer on class size, we are working to address the core issues that CTU has said are central to reaching an agreement – in writing. A strong sense of urgency and willingness to compromise on both sides will be essential to reaching a deal, and we are committed to bargaining in good faith so that we can create the fair agreement our students, families and teachers deserve.”