FAQ: Chicago Teachers End Their Strike
After 8 days, Chicago teachers to return to the classroom.
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Deal Breaker - Teachers and staff members of Chicago Teacher's Union (CTU) ended their strike Tuesday evening after more than a week on the picket lines. Keep reading for a breakdown of what went wrong, their demands and how they came to an agreement with the city. —Britt Middleton (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Trouble Brewing - Union members hadn't signed a firm contract with the school district since June. After a weekend of tense negotiations, union members declared on Sept. 9 that they would picket outside of 675 schools and in front of the city's board of education until a resolution is agreed upon. (Photo: AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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CPS at a Glance - Chicago Public Schools is the third largest school district in the country behind Los Angeles and New York City. About 42 percent of CPS students are African-American, 44 percent are Latino and 9 percent are white. Eighty-seven percent of students come from low-income families. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Taking a Stand - Among their concerns, the CTU rallied for a 4 percent salary increase that they claim they were promised but never received. On average, teachers in the district make an annual salary of $74,839; while administrators make $120,659, according to the CPS's Administrative Certificate Compensation Report. (Photo: REUTERS/Jean Lachat)
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Money Woes - The union also claims that the deal the school board officials offered doesn't fully compensate for the district's new plan that lengthens the school day. CPS has said that its hands (and purse strings) are tied because it is expecting to face a $1 billion budget shortfall at the end of the school year, Chicago's WLS-TV reports. (Photo: ITAR-TASS /Landov)
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More Issues on the Table - Union members are battled over the cost of health benefits and contested teacher evaluations that are partly determined by students' standardized test scores. Additionally, the CTU wants members who were previously laid off to have first preference for new teaching jobs and a timetable for when air-conditioning units will be installed in all classrooms. (Photo: MCT /Landov)
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On the Defense - "It was a strike of choice ... it's unnecessary, it's avoidable and it's wrong," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told the Associated Press after the union first announced its strike. The school district asked community organizations to provide additional programs for students, and a number of churches, libraries and other groups plan to offer day camps and other activities, AP reports.(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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School's Out - While the strike ensued, parents could take their children to one of 144 area schools where the district provided meals and adult supervision during would-be school hours. BET.com contacted CPS to learn how students would make up missed days during the strike, but a phone call was not immediately returned. (Photo: Matt McClain/For The Washington Post)
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Uncertain Future - The strike started just one week into the new school year and just days after students had completed their first week of a new academic plan that includes a longer school day and more rigorous coursework aimed at preparing them for tougher state tests in 2014. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)