[h=3]By STEPHANIE BANCHERO And JASON DEAN[/h]
ReutersUnion members on Thursday listened to an update about negotiations as they picketed for a fourth day in Chicago.
CHICAGO—Chicago teachers and city officials emerged from their latest round of contract negotiations reporting significant progress, offering the first hope for a possible resolution since the strike in the nation's third-largest district began on Monday.
Teachers continued to picket Thursday, but leaders from both sides of the talks raised the possibility that it could be resolved in time for some 350,000 students to return to classes Friday.
"We made a lot of progress today," Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said late Wednesday after the latest round of talks. "It's a lot better than it was this morning," she said, while noting that "we still have a lot of work to do."
"I really think we shared a lot of back and forth [on] what really needs to get done to solve those most difficult issues," said David Vitale, president of Chicago's school board, after the negotiations ended.
The statements, which marked the first time both sides have sounded a positive tone since the strike began, followed what seemed to be increasing bickering on Wednesday. City officials accused picketing teachers of going out of their way to target the 147 locations the district has operated this week to provide students with meals and basic activities. The district called on the union to stop. The union didn't respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The progress came after the district altered its proposed teacher-evaluation system. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed to base those evaluations heavily on student test scores and to use them to determine which teachers should be dismissed. The union has said that is unfair.
The district's latest proposal, among other concessions, agreed that evaluations can't be used to fire tenured teachers who receive an "unsatisfactory" rating the first year of implementation of the system, which would be the current school year. The district also agreed to allow teachers who fall in the category immediately above that, called "developing," to stay on. Initially, the district proposed firing teachers who remain in the "developing" category for more than two years.
The two sides also have been at loggerheads over the union's demand that teachers who have been laid off get the first opportunities when the city hires new teachers. Mr. Emanuel wants principals to be able to choose who they hire.
Negotiations were scheduled to resume Thursday. Both Ms. Lewis and Mr. Vitale indicated a resolution could come that would put teachers and kids back in classrooms before the week is out, with both of them telling reporters there was "hope for Friday."
Write to Stephanie Banchero at [email protected] and Jason Dean at [email protected]
CHICAGO—Chicago teachers and city officials emerged from their latest round of contract negotiations reporting significant progress, offering the first hope for a possible resolution since the strike in the nation's third-largest district began on Monday.
Teachers continued to picket Thursday, but leaders from both sides of the talks raised the possibility that it could be resolved in time for some 350,000 students to return to classes Friday.
"We made a lot of progress today," Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said late Wednesday after the latest round of talks. "It's a lot better than it was this morning," she said, while noting that "we still have a lot of work to do."
"I really think we shared a lot of back and forth [on] what really needs to get done to solve those most difficult issues," said David Vitale, president of Chicago's school board, after the negotiations ended.
The statements, which marked the first time both sides have sounded a positive tone since the strike began, followed what seemed to be increasing bickering on Wednesday. City officials accused picketing teachers of going out of their way to target the 147 locations the district has operated this week to provide students with meals and basic activities. The district called on the union to stop. The union didn't respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The progress came after the district altered its proposed teacher-evaluation system. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed to base those evaluations heavily on student test scores and to use them to determine which teachers should be dismissed. The union has said that is unfair.
The district's latest proposal, among other concessions, agreed that evaluations can't be used to fire tenured teachers who receive an "unsatisfactory" rating the first year of implementation of the system, which would be the current school year. The district also agreed to allow teachers who fall in the category immediately above that, called "developing," to stay on. Initially, the district proposed firing teachers who remain in the "developing" category for more than two years.
The two sides also have been at loggerheads over the union's demand that teachers who have been laid off get the first opportunities when the city hires new teachers. Mr. Emanuel wants principals to be able to choose who they hire.
Negotiations were scheduled to resume Thursday. Both Ms. Lewis and Mr. Vitale indicated a resolution could come that would put teachers and kids back in classrooms before the week is out, with both of them telling reporters there was "hope for Friday."
Write to Stephanie Banchero at [email protected] and Jason Dean at [email protected]