>> CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL

STUDENTS WILL HAVE A SHORTER

THANKSGIVING AND WINTER BREAKS

AND A TWO-DAY LONGER SCHOOL YEAR

TO MAKEUP FIVE OF THE 11 DAYS

LOST TO THE TEACHERS STRIKE.

THE CHICAGO TEACHERS' UNION

NEEDS TO RATIFY THE CONTRACT

THAT VOTE HAPPENS NEXT WEEK.

IF UNION MEMBERS RATIFY THE

AGREEMENT IT THEN GOES BEFORE

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR A

VOTE.

HOW HARD WAS THE FIGHT?

HERE WITH INSIGHT INTO

NEGOTIATIONS AND WHAT IS IN THE

CONTRACT IS CHICAGO PUBLIC

SCHOOLS CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER

LATAYNA MCDADE ALSO AT THE TABLE

THROUGHOUT BARGAINING

NEGOTIATIONS.

WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT".

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING

ME.

>> THE DISTRICT TODAY ANNOUNCED

THAT THE NEW CALENDAR YEAR FOR

THE SCHOOL YEAR HOW DID YOU ALL

CHOOSE THE DATES THAT YOU ARE

CHOOSING TO MAKEUP FIVE OF THE

11 DAYS?

>> FIRST I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE

THE BURDEN THAT THIS ENTIRE

PROCESS HAS HAD ON OUR FAMILIES,

ON OUR STUDENTS AND I THANKS OUR

FAMILIES FOR THEIR PATIENCE.

WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE

EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO MAKEUP

THE DAYS.

BUT WE KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT

COMPROMISE TO GET TO A DEAL AND

GET OUR STUDENTS BACK INTO THE

CLASSROOM.

WITH THAT BEING SAID THERE'S TWO

THINGS THAT WE HAD TO CONSIDER

IN TERMS OF MAKING UP THE DAYS:

ONE WE HAD TO LOOK AT THE

CALENDAR TO FIND DAYS

NONATTENDANCE DAYS FOR STUDENTS

AND NON-PAYDAYS FOR STAFF.

SO THAT SEVERELY LIMITED THE

AMOUNT OF DAYS THAT WE HAD TO BE

ABLE TO MAKEUP THE FIVE-DAYS.

IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT WE

WANTED TO FRONT LOAD MORE OF THE

DAYS EARLIER IN THE SCHOOL YEAR

AS OPPOSED TO TACKING ON DAYS AT

THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WHICH

BECOME MEANINGLESS AND WE WANTED

TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF

INSTRUCTIONAL TIME MADE UP

THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR.

WE KNEW THERE WOULD BE NO IDEAL

SITUATION BUT FELT THIS WAS A

GOOD COMPROMISE WHERE WE LANDED

IN TERMS OF THE DAYS WE ARE

MAKING UP.

>> WHAT IF WE GET LATER ON AND

REALIZE THERE ARE SNOW DAYS THAT

HAVE TO BE MADE UP?

>> WE HAVE DAYS AT THE BACK END

OF THE CALENDAR FOR SNOW DAYS

WHICH WAS ANOTHER REASON IT WAS

IMPORTANT TO INSURE THAT WE HAD

DAYS EARLIER ON IN THE CALENDAR

MADE UP FOR THE FIVE-DAYS OF THE

STRIKE.

>> LAST WEEK TOWARDS THE END OF

NEGOTIATIONS WE HEARD CTU

PRESSING THE MAYOR FOR

LEGISLATION IN SPRINGFIELD

ASKING TO MAKEUP ALL OF THE 11

DAYS.

UNION LEADERS CHOSE NOT TO DO A

JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE

MAYOR ANNOUNCING AN END TO THE

STRIKE AND IT IS ALLEGED THAT

VICE-PRESIDENT STACY DAVIS GATES

WAS LEFT OUT OF THE LAST

NEGOTIATION OR THE MEETING.

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE

NEGOTIATIONS AT THE END?

CONTENTIOUS?

BITTER?

>> THIS WAS A CHALLENGING TIME

FOR OUR DISTRICT.

AND NEGOTIATIONS ARE DIFFICULT

THEY ARE NEVER EASY.

THERE HAS TO BE COMPROMISE.

AT THE END IT ALL BOILED DOWN TO

HAVING COMPROMISE AROUND SOME OF

THE KEY ISSUES.

AND SO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT

WENT ON ARE TYPICAL WHEN IT

COMES TO NEGOTIATIONS.

AND WE ARE GLAD WE GOT TO A

PLACE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO

REACH A DEAL AND GET OUR

STUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM.

>> TEACHERS GOT 16% RAISE OUT OF

THIS.

THE MAYOR KICKED IN $5 MILLION

MORE FOR VETERAN TEACHERS ALONG

WITH OTHER EXPENSES TO MEET THE

CTU'S REQUESTS.

AND THE CONTRACT IS GOING TO

COST ABOUT $1.5 BILLION OVER

FIVE YEARS.

HOW IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT THE

CPS BUDGET?

>> WELL, IT'S NO SECRET THAT IN

PAST YEARS WE HAVE HAD FINANCIAL

YOU STRUGGLES.

AS A DISTRICT AND WITH OUR

FAMILIES WE FOUGHT FOR

EDUCATIONAL FUNDING REFORM.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT REFORM, THE

GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE ON MUCH

STRONGER FINANCIAL FOOTING AS A

DISTRICT.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE

FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT AND THE FACT

THAT THERE ARE GRADUAL INCREASES

THROUGHOUT THE CONTRACT, YOU

WILL SEE THAT THE REVENUE THAT

WE'RE TAKING IN LOCALLY AND AT

THE STATE LEVEL WE WILL BE ABLE

TO MAKE THE COMMITMENTS.

TODAY WE PRESENTED A BALANCED

AMENDED BUDGET FOR THIS CURRENT

FISCAL YEAR.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT AND ACROSS

THE FIVE YEARS IN OUR ENTIRE

OPERATING BUDGET WE WILL BE ABLE

TO MEET THE FINANCIAL

COMMITMENTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE

CONTRACT AND DO THAT IN A

RESPONSIBLE WAY.

>> CPS WON'T --

WE CAN'T PREDICT ANOTHER FISCAL

CRISIS FOR CPS IN THE COMING

YEARS?

>> WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS

YEAR-OVER-YEAR AND THE

OUTYEARSES OF THIS CONTRACT

FORECASTED REVENUE THAT WILL BE

COMING IN AT THE LOCAL AND STATE

LEVEL.

WE WILL BE ABLE TO MEET THE

FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS.

>> OF COURSE ONE OF CTU'S

DEMANDS WAS CLASS SIZE RELIEF

OVERSIZED, CROWDED CLASSROOM

RELIEF.

AND IS THERE NEW TEACHER-STUDENT

RATIO WITHIN THIS ALLOT.

>> WHAT WE DID WHAT I'M MOST

PROUD OF IN TERMS OF THE CLASS

SIZE WE LOOKED AT THE CURRENT

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

AND THE TARGETS FOR CLASS SIZE.

AND WHAT WE PRIORITIZED WAS

EQUITY WITHIN HOW WE LOOK AT

CLASS SIZE OVERALL.

AND I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THIS

IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT IS THE

LION'S SHARE OF OUR DISTRICTS.

WE ARE TAKING ABOUT A SMALLER

SUBSET OF SCHOOLSNESS CLASSROOMS

THAT ARE OVERSIZED.

WITHIN THAT THE EQUITY PIECE IS

LOOKING AT SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE

HIGHEST NEEDS, STUDENTS THAT

NEED THE MOST SUPPORTS SO IT'S

MORE THAN JUST OVERSIZED

CLASSROOMS.

IT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION

WHERE IN SOME SCHOOLS YOU MAY

NEED TO REDUCE CLASS SIZE

FURTHER TO MEET THE HIGH NEEDS

OF STUDENTS IN PARTICULAR

COMMUNITIES.

NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING TO MAKE

SURE THAT WE PROVIDE RELIEF FOR

CLASS SIZES THAT ARE OVER THE

CLASS LIMITS WITHIN THE

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

BUT WE ARE ALSO TAKING CARE TO

INSURE THAT THERE'S EQUITY HOW

WE PRIORITIZE THE HIGHEST NEED

SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS THAT ARE

THE MOST VULNERABLE IN THE

DISTRICT.

>> THERE WAS A LOT OF DEBATE

OVER PREP TIME AND CTU WANTED 30

MINUTES OF PREP TIME IN THE

MORNING AND THE DISTRICT WON ON

THAT ONE.

AND THE TEACHERS ENDED UP NOT

GETTING THAT.

IS THAT A HUGE WIN FOR YOU?

AS AN EDUCATOR IS THAT PREP TIME

IMPORTANT?

>> IT IS.

HERE IS WHERE WE LANDED WITH

THIS.

WHAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO WAS

COMPROMISE INSTRUCTIONAL TIME

FOR STUDENTS.

SO TAKING TIME AWAY FROM

STUDENTS TO ADD AT THE FRONT OF

THE DAY.

THE ONLY TIME THAT WAS AVAILABLE

WAS THE NON-INSTRUCTIONAL TIME,

TIME FOR STUDENTS FOR LUNCH AND

RECESS OR TO COMPROMISE THE

INSTRUCTIONAL TIME THAT IS

AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY OR

SHORT --

SHORTEN THE SCHOOL YEAR.

BOTH WE DID NOT WANT TO GIVE ON

BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE TREMENDOUS

ACADEMIC PROGRESS AND WE DID NOT

WANT TO TAKE AWAY THE TIME FOR

STUDENTS.

WE WERE GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE

TO NOT COMPROMISE THE SCHOOL DAY

OR THE SCHOOL YEAR AND TO

PRESERVE THAT HIGH QUALITY

INSTRUCTIONAL TIME NEEDED FOR

STUDENTS TO CONTINUE THE

PROGRESS.

>> HOMELESS STUDENTS ARE GETTING

MORE RESOURCES.

AND SOME SPECIAL EDUCATION

ADVOCATES ARE UPSET THAT SOCIAL

WORKERS AND NURSES WILL NOT BE

GUARANTEED IN THE SCHOOL UNTIL

LATER ON IN THE CONTRACT.

WERE THE SLOW ROLL OUT?

>> WE ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE

CURRENT CONTEXT WE ARE IN,

RIGHT?

SO WE PHASED IN THOSE POSITIONS

OVER THE LENGTH OF THE CONTRACT

BECAUSE WE ALSO HAVE TO BE ABLE

TO RECRUIT AND TO STAFF.

WE KNOW THE SHORTAGES THAT

EXIST.

IT IS NOT JUST GERMAINE TO

CHICAGO BUT NATIONAL SHORTAGES

THAT WE HAVE IN THE EDUCATIONAL

SECTOR.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE

WOULD BE ABLE TO STAFF THOSE

POSITIONS AND SO WE DID THAT IN

A WAY WHERE WE LOOKED AT

PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH

LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND BUILDING

OUT RECRUITMENT STRATEGY SO NOT

ONLY WILL WE BE ABLE TO FUND THE

POSITIONS AND STAFF THEM SO THAT

WE HAVE PROFESSIONALS IN THE

SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS.

THAT WAS THE RESPONSIBLE WAY TO

DO THAT SO WE DON'T OVERPROMISE

AND UNDER DELIVER.

>> NOW, BEFORE I LET YOU GO, CTU

PRESIDENT JESSE SHARKEY SAID

THAT PASSAGE RATIFICATION OF

THIS TENTATIVE AGREEMENT IS NOT

A SLAM DUNK.

WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE NOT

EVERYONE IN THE

25,000-MEMBERSHIP UNION IS

SATISFIED.

WHAT HAPPENS IF CTU DOES NOT

RATIFY?

>> HONESTLY WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT

THEY WILL RATIFY.

WE THINK WE HAVE THE STRONGEST

PROPOSAL POSSIBLE ON THE TABLE.

AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL