ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -
Chicago teachers agreed to return to the classroom Wednesday, after more than a week on the picket lines.
Union delegates voted to end a spiteful stalemate with Mayor Rahm Emanuel Tuesday evening. Contract negotiations between the CTU and Chicago's Board of Education put teacher evaluations and job security at the center of a national debate about the future of public education.
Union delegates said a proposed contract settlement wasn't perfect, but it included enough concessions on proposed new teacher evaluations, recall rights for laid-off teachers and classroom conditions.
Tuesday night, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the tentative agreement "an honest compromise."
Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher released a statement on behalf of the state's teachers union Wednesday, calling the Chicago strike unfortunate, but necessary.
EDUCATION MINNESOTA STATEMENT
"We're happy to see Chicago educators are back where they want to be – in the classroom. The tentative agreement means that Chicago educators return to their schools knowing that their voices and experience will be respected – which benefits their schools and their communities."
"The strike caused a few days of inconvenience for the people of Chicago, but we hope it will mean years of better schools for the children there. Strikes are always a last resort, but there was clearly a need to bring a national spotlight to chronic underfunding that eliminated art, music, gym and other critical subjects from so many Chicago schools."
