Photo credit: Chicago Tribune
On Tuesday, the Chicago Teachers’ Union agreed to call off the strike that lasted seven school days, and yesterday classes resumed for hundreds of thousands of Chicago public school students. Last week on Technapex we featured a post on the reasons Chicago teachers went on strike, including demands for better job security and fair teacher evaluations.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the settlement the union reached will give teachers a double-digit salary increase over the next three years, although the union did not achieve the 30 percent base raise it initially sought. The union rejected Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s initiatives to institute merit-based pay and also secured a recall policy for high-performing teachers who were laid off during school closings. However, the evaluations system has been revamped according to Emanuel’s proposal, and students’ test scores will still be included in teacher evaluations.
Mayor Emanuel achieved his objectives of lengthening the district’s school day, securing a deal that gives teachers smaller raises, maintaining principals’ rights to hire teachers, and revamping the evaluations system. Yesterday Mayor Emanuel released a statement on the settlement, saying:
This settlement is an honest compromise. It means returning our schools to their primary purpose: the education of our children…In past negotiations, our taxpayers paid more, but our kids got less. This time, our taxpayers are paying less, and our kids are getting more.
We’ve also included an infographic by Best Colleges Online, embedded below, entitled “Chicago Teachers’ Strike By the Numbers.” The infographic reveals some interesting data, including:
- 350,000 students and 40,678 faculty and staff have been impacted by the strike.
- 87 percent of Chicago public school students come from low income families.
- The last Chicago teachers’ strike occurred 25 years ago and lasted 19 days.
- The student-teacher ratio in Chicago elementary schools is 20-1, while the ratio in high schools is 24.6-1.
Presented By: BestCollegesOnline.com
