Chicago teachers union presses board to land a “transformative” contract, cites class size and evaluation bias

Chicago Teachers Union negotiators and rank-and-file members used the March 5 agenda review committee public-comment period to press the Chicago Board of Education and CEO Pedro Martinez to finalize what CTU leaders called a “transformative” contract.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said the union had collected petitions and brought negotiators to the meeting to explain “the 5 things that our members believe need to be shifted at the table in order to land a contract, a transformative contract.” She thanked board members for halting a set of school closings and said the union expects the district to budget for contract costs.

Union speakers outlined the outstanding priorities. Thaddeus Goodchild, CTU deputy general counsel, said negotiators had reached tentative agreements on many items but five key issues remained: enforceable class-size limits, increased staffing, changes to the teacher-evaluation system, investments to retain veteran educators, and a better elementary school day. Goodchild said the remaining salary differences “represent the difference between educators’ decisions about whether they can make a career of teaching in CPS.”

Multiple CTU speakers described research and experience they said show bias in CPS’s REACH evaluation system. Kurt Hilgendorf, CTU legislative and political director, cited a 2021 Illinois law on evaluation cycles and a state report that found disparate impact against Black and Latine teachers and urged the district to renegotiate evaluation practices to address bias.

Special-education staff highlighted workload concerns. Dr. Quintella Bounds, a special-education case manager, said she manages 188 students with disabilities across two schools, more than the district’s full-time case manager standard of 105, and said the arrangement is “not sustainable.” Jim Cavallaro, longtime special-education teacher and CTU organizer, said the bargaining team had reached agreements on reduced caseloads, dedicated case managers, and protections so special educators are not pulled as substitutes.

Many speakers tied contractual issues to student outcomes and equity. The union submitted a “last, best and final” offer to the district during bargaining, CTU lawyers said; CTU leaders urged the board to direct CPS leadership to accept that offer and land a contract. CTU also called for a campaign for new revenue in Springfield and described broader funding concerns affecting staffing and services.

CEO Martinez did not settle contract terms during the March 5 agenda review; CTU and district negotiators continue bargaining ahead of the March 20 regular board meeting.