Chicago Teachers Union members have ratified a new contract by a vote of about 79 percent, which the union is touting as the highest approval rate ever for a CTU contract.
About 25,000 teachers took to the picket lines for seven days last month. The strike affected some 350,000 students and pushed tension over education improvement issues, including teacher-evaluation changes, “mutual consent” hiring, and school closings, into the national spotlight.
The union successfully pushed for a three-year agreement with the option of a fourth year, rather than the four-year pact the Chicago school district had wanted. That could put the next round of contract negotiations in the middle of the mayoral-campaign season.
Teachers will receive an initial 3 percent salary increase and 2 percent in years two and three.
No specific provisions for merit pay or career ladders are included, though a joint union-district committee is to be established to explore differentiated-pay options.
How the $295 million agreement will be financed is still unclear.
