Chicago Board of Education to vote on new budget on Thursday
The Chicago Board of Education will vote on a new budget on Thursday. This comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson held a meeting to hammer out a new CPS contract, with all sides saying they are close to a deal.
Johnson met with ousted Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacey Davis Gates, and Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), the chairman of the City Council Budget Committee, to call for a compromise and hope to avoid a teacher strike.
"Those issues are so narrow in terms of their ability to settle. That's why I've called on both sides to stay at the table. Get this deal done," Johnson said.
The mayor said the talks were not a negotiation session, but a conversation to keep kids at school and their parents at work.
Johnson said some main unresolved issues include how often teachers should be evaluated, how instructional days are organized for elementary teachers, and raises for veteran teachers.
At a separate news conference, Davis Gates accused Martinez of standing in the way of a deal.
"The mayor says that $9 million and ten minutes shouldn't be an issue. He's ready to land it. So Pedro's the only person that isn't ready to land it, and he was very emphatic in telling the staff the mayor is not his boss," Davis Gates said.
"This was not a negotiation setting. First of all, you have the power dynamics are just unfair," Martinez said.
Martinez said he believes CPS is on its own in this deal.
It has been 11 months of negotiations so far, which continues this afternoon when both sides meet.
The Board will meet at 3 p.m. for that vote. The Chicago Teachers Union is planning a rally for a fair contract ahead of the vote.
