The Chicago Teachers Union has formally rejected a 2 percent pay raise for elementary school teachers in exchange for working longer school days, putting pressure on Chicago Public Schools to improve the offer or risk a standoff.þþÿWe fully support a better, smarter school day for our children, but teachers are now being asked to work 29 percent longer for only a 2 percent pay increase,ÿ union President Karen Lewis said. ÿTo that we say, 'Thanks but no thanks.'ÿþþCPS chief Jean-Claude Brizard floated the idea of 2 percent raises for elementary school teachers as a compromise after weeks of contentious rhetoric over longer school days, which Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel support.þþBrizard said he was ÿdisappointedÿ by the union's response but believed the two sides could still work together.þþÿMy hope is (Lewis) counters and isn't just turning this down,ÿ he said.þþOn Wednesday, CPS' governing board approved a $5.9 billion budget for next school year that included rescinding a 4 percent pay raise for teachers agreed to in the current contract.þþOver the last several weeks, talk has moved beyond just teacher pay as district officials have pushed a plan to lengthen the school day by 90 minutes and the school year by two weeks. They initially sought to do this without a pay raise for teachers, but Brizard abruptly offered the 2 percent increase earlier in the week in an attempt to win teachers over.þþIt didn't work, Lewis said.þþÿOur members are not happy at all,ÿ Lewis said. ÿWe have declined this offer and we expect that the board will honor our contract.ÿþþLewis said the union has been receiving emails and calls and visiting with teachers on school visits to gauge the mood of its members. She said teachers are already working hours — grading papers, creating lesson plans, and conferring with parents or students — that they are not compensated for.þþBoth CPS and the union have accused one another of failing to work out a deal face-to-face.þþÿOur offer remains on the table to discuss a longer school day,ÿ CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll said. ÿWe'll be pushing for a longer school day every day.ÿþþChicago's school day ranks among the shortest in the country, and Emanuel made lengthening it a central part of his campaign for mayor. At the time CPS received a letter from the union rejecting the proposal, Brizard was meeting with nearly 200 church leaders at a rally in support of a longer school day.
Source: Chicago Tribune
