The Chicago Teachers Union summoned hundreds of its leaders for a Tuesday evening update on a nine-day-old strike but said negotiators had not yet reached a tentative deal to end the walkout in the third-largest school district in the United States.
The union said the 825 members of its House of Delegates would meet behind closed doors at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT) for the first time since walking off the job on Oct. 17, canceling classes for some 300,000 students.
Chicago’s 25,000 public school teachers want a pay increase along with smaller class sizes and more support staff. They have also put a litany of issues on the table, including the length of the school year and preparation time for teachers.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she and Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Janice Jackson met with union leadership for more than three hours on Tuesday, but both sides did not come to a resolution.
Principle of Amundsen HS, Anna Pavichevich, shares her thoughts on the teachers strike with Dan & Amy