Will it end? Chicago teachers to vote on strike

CHICAGO (AP) ? Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district headed into a crucial vote Sunday that could end its weeklong strike with mixed emotions about a proposed contract that gave teachers annual raises over three years and offered some laid-off teachers a first shot at jobs at other schools.

Many teachers are still unhappy with the wording of some of the contract provisions contained in a rough outline provided by the Chicago Teachers Union late Saturday, said second grade teacher Julie McDevitt. The contract gives teachers annual raises, but doesn't restore a 4 percent raise that was rescinded last year. Teachers had also expressed concern about easing overcrowding, scarce office supplies and an evaluation procedure they said was too heavily based on student test scores.

"Some teachers are saying no and some are saying this is pretty good, let's do this," said McDevitt. "I think it comes down now to how the contract affects your individual school."

"I'd be OK with staying out ... if our delegates aren't happy with it," she said. "I don't see the spirit of our unity dying out."

Parents and striking teachers should have their answer late Sunday afternoon, when the union's 800-member House of Delegates meets to consider the contract proposal and whether to suspend the walkout that began Monday. Chicago teachers hadn't gone on strike in 25 years.

The proposal provided by the union includes a 3 percent raise in the first year and 2 percent raises in the second and third years, along with additional pay based on seniority and advanced education. The district and union would have the option of extending the contract into a fourth year, with a 3 percent raise.

The deal also would create a hiring pool aiming to give half of open jobs to laid-off teachers. It includes a new evaluation procedure based in part on student test scores, but teachers can appeal their ratings, the union said.

"We believe this is a good contract; however, no contract will solve all of the inequities in our district," said Karen Lewis, president of the 25,500-member union, in a statement Saturday. But she cautioned that the group would review the details carefully and that no decision had been made. If delegates suspend the strike, all teachers would vote on the contract at a later date.

School board spokeswoman Becky Carroll declined to comment on the specifics, saying the district would release its own version of what was in the contract.

"We feel very good about the framework and the agreement that's in place. We have every confidence that school will be back in school on Monday," she said. "Ultimately, it will rest with the outcome of the House of Delegates meeting."

The walkout forced more than 350,000 students out of class just after the start of the year. The last major teacher's strike in a U.S. city was in Detroit six years ago.

The strike erupted after months of bitter contract negotiations amid disagreement over a new teacher evaluation process the union felt was too heavily based on student test scores. Teachers also hoped to preserve pay increases based on their seniority and level of education, and wanted to ensure recall rights for laid-off teachers who want to work in other schools.

"I'm pretty confident that something will come together that both sides will agree on, whether that's tomorrow" or another day, said Ramses James, a sixth-grade math teacher who joined thousands of teachers and their allies for a rally Saturday in a city park.

McDevitt said that some schools would fare better than others, depending on their individual needs. The contract proposed hiring 600 additional teachers to teach physical education, art, music and languages, but didn't specify where the jobs would be filled.

The strike "put into perspective the daily life of a teacher and our basic needs to make a classroom work," she said.

"We're not office workers. We're not lucky enough to walk into a classroom and (have) everything be equipped for us," she said. "We don't open our desk drawers and see pencils ... or Post-its. We have to supply everything for those classrooms."

The contract calls for reimbursing teachers for up to $250 of what they spend out of their own pockets, but McDevitt said she's already spent $477 for classroom supplies and kids have only been in school for a week.

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Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/end-chicago-teachers-vote-strike-080217178.html

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