Negotiations between Chicago Public Schools, teachers union continue Saturday

Mayor says negotiations with Chicago Teachers Union continued Saturday

Chicago Public Schools wants to open on Monday. The Chicago Teachers Union says they're still not convinced that it's safe.

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that Chicago Public Schools continued negotiating with the Chicago Teachers Union on Saturday. At issue is when and how teachers and students will return to classrooms.

"The parties have been in discussions throughout the course of the day to determine if there is a pathway toward a final, comprehensive deal. Those discussions continue," Lightfoot and CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson said in a statement.

This was after the mayor's and the district's presented what they called their "final offer" on Friday.

"Our goal is, and has always been, a mutually agreed upon safe reopening plan for our schools," the Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday. "These decisions, however, cannot be made unilaterally in a vacuum. They require buy-in from all stakeholders in our school communities, and we will continue to lift democracy in soliciting feedback from educators and families in bargaining for the safe return that our students deserve."

Teachers unions in Boston, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco are also resisting returns to the classroom.

Chicago Public Schools serves 341,000 students in 638 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district. It has proposed the following timeline for reopening.

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