Chicago leaders praise CPS-CTU tentative contract as funding questions linger

CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union and the School Board have a tentative work agreement.

The decision follows nearly a year of intense negotiations, attempted firings, and school board resignations, ultimately resulting in a deal that closely resembles an earlier proposal from CPS.

Tentative contract agreement

By the numbers:

The proposed contract includes teacher raises between 4% and 5% over the next four years—far less than the 9% initially sought by CTU. It also provides an additional 10 minutes of classroom preparation time per day, caps class sizes at around 30 students depending on the grade level, and allocates funding for 800 to 900 new hires, including librarians and sports coaches. The total estimated cost of the contract is approximately $1.5 billion over four years.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates emphasized that the agreement prioritizes students’ needs.

"This contract does a bit of addressing all of the needs that they have," Davis Gates said. "There are large investments in sports and fine arts in this contract. What that does is that it tells you that the school experience has to be a complete and well-funded experience. It isn’t just math and reading—it is also art. It is also band and orchestra. It is also flag football."

The CTU House of Delegates is set to meet and debate the deal before it proceeds to a full union vote. However, a major question remains: how CPS and taxpayers will afford it? The district’s current budget does not account for the cost of the new contract, and officials have not yet agreed on new borrowing to cover the expenses.

"A complete transformation"

What they're saying:

After attempted firings, an entire school board resignation, and boatloads of acrimony — the two sides were all smiles on Tuesday, calling the contract a win-win-win.

"This agreement honors our teachers while keeping our students front and center," said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez – withstanding an initial request from Mayor Brandon Johnson that he resign, and then a vote from the previous Chicago Board of Education to terminate him after six months.

Martinez said CTU's initial demands would have cost $10 billion, adding his team held the line for city taxpayers.

"…recognizing that overextending the district not only puts a burden on our children today, but for the future as well," Martinez said.

Martinez says the district will be able to pay for this year's portion of the pay hikes through expanded TIF surprlus funds, and won't have to take on new debt. But the picture looks murkier for years two through four, where the costs are backloaded.

Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson – a former CTU organizer – praised the deal as one that stayed true to his priorities of fully funding neighborhood schools after years of disinvestment.

"This is a complete transformation and a move away from school privatization, layoffs, closures, [and] the so-called turnaround model," Johnson said. "Yes, this contract does reflect the values that I ran on and what the people of Chicago expected from my administration."

The agreement marks a significant moment in labor relations between the union and CPS. It is the first time in 15 years that CTU leadership has reached a contract agreement without first taking a strike vote. In previous years, the union went on strike under former mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel.

As negotiations dragged on, many believed neither CTU nor Johnson wanted a strike under his administration, which likely helped expedite the process. Both sides have described the agreement as favorable for teachers, students and taxpayers.