Statement from Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson on Status of CPS/CTU Negotiations (10/19)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Monday, October 21, 2019

“While we continue to bargain in good faith and have made progress, we still have not received full, written counteroffers on class size or staffing – the two core issues that CTU has identified as being essential to resolve in order to reach an agreement. It is crucial that CTU provide such counteroffers if we are to move this negotiation to a resolution. Today, we received a partial counteroffer on class size, after having updated our offer on Thursday. And we have yet to receive a counter to our updated offer on staffing, which we put forward yesterday."

"These negotiations must move more swiftly so that we can get students back into school as fast as possible. Our team has been turning around thoughtful counteroffers at a rapid pace. We are hopeful that CTU will meet that pace tomorrow so we can bring this process to a fair and responsible end.

"We will continue to work hard at the bargaining table, but given that critical issues have yet to be resolved, we do not at this time anticipate classes will resume on Monday. We will update families tomorrow once we have certainty about the potential for school on Monday.

"A full list of resources and supports for students and families is available at www.cps.edu/contingencyplan."

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