Video: CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade talks about the strike and the new teachers contract.
Chicago Public Schools students won’t have to worry about their school year extending too far into the summer to make up for lost time during the recent teachers strike. But they will see less time off around Thanksgiving and over winter break.
The school district on Tuesday announced it will spread five make-up days across the rest of the 2019-20 school year rather than tacking them all on at the end. Those days will be made up on: Nov. 27, Jan. 2-3, 2020, and June 17-18, 2020.
“Schools throughout Chicago have picked up where they left off prior to the strike and are working to build on the progress that has made CPS one of the top big city school districts in the country,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said in a statement. “Today, we are proposing an updated calendar and budget that will ensure we make the most of this school year and prepare all of our students for success.”
As part of the agreement to end the CTU strike, CPS committed to making up 5 of the 11 instructional days that were missed during the strike. The make-up days must be scheduled on days on which teachers would not otherwise be paid, which severely limited the district’s options. pic.twitter.com/KF1cvq06hl
— ChicagoPublicSchools (@ChiPubSchools) November 5, 2019
The last day of the school year had previously been set for June 16, 2020, meaning only two extra days will be tacked on beyond that date.
The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike last month for 11 days. But after a tentative agreement was in place, the teachers refused to return to class until CPS and Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised to make up all 11 of those lost days.
Lightfoot had said from the outset that was a non-starter, and after an additional day of negotiations, the CTU and Lightfoot agreed to make up five of the days. CPS said Tuesday those days had to be added on days in which teachers would not otherwise be paid, which “severely limited the district’s options.”
“We understand that modifications to the school calendar can create real challenges for our families, and we have worked to add make-up days in a manner that prioritizes student learning and minimizes disruption to the fullest extent possible,” CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade said in a statement.
CPS classes resumed Friday after the strike was resolved. The CTU’s full membership will vote to approve their new five-year contract with the city next week.
The amended calendar, as well as the district's tentative agreements with both the CTU and SEIU Local 73, will be voted on by the Board of Education at its meeting on Nov. 20, 2019. Prior to that vote, the board is planning to hold public hearings on Nov. 12 from 4-6 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. to collect feedback from members of the community.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
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The Week in Review: 11-Day Teachers Strike Comes to an End
Strike-Ending Deal Will Shape Chicago Schools for Years
Chicago Teachers Strike Comes to an End, Classes Resume Friday
CTU Reaches Tentative Deal But Won’t Return to Work Thursday
