CHICAGO (AP) _ The head of the Chicago Teachers Union says negotiations have broken down days ahead of the teachers’ contract expiring. CTU President Karen Lewis’ comments at a Thursday news conference were in stark contrast to earlier in the week when she said both sides were close to a deal.
The contract for teachers in the nation’s third-largest school district expires on Tuesday.
Lewis said Chicago Public Schools’ “bargaining rhetoric is as empty as their bank account.” She claims that CPS has threatened to cut 3,000 jobs and sides didn’t agree on teacher evaluations and standardized tests.
In a statement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged the union to return to the bargaining table. He says both sides acknowledge the district is in a fiscal crisis and doesn’t have resources to offer additional compensation.
