Chicago Schools Reopening News: Teachers Back A Deal To Begin Reopening Chicago's Schools

Chicago IL

11 February, 2021

1:45 PM

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By Chalkbeat Staff, Chalkbeat Chicago: Welcome to our blog about Chicago's school reopening. We're tracking developments as the nation's third largest school district reopens campuses after nearly a year of closures. Here's the latest. Teachers union members back deal Wednesday, Feb. 10, 9:00 a.m. — More than two-thirds of Chicago Teachers Union members backed a tentative school reopening agreement, clearing the way for students to begin returning to classrooms Thursday. Students in most elementary grades will return to school buildings March 1. The union, which continued to criticize the document sharply, said 20,275 of more than 25,000 eligible teachers cast ballots. Some experts believe the deal might be the most detailed, comprehensive framework for school reopening nationally, likely to serve as a template as other districts negotiate with their teachers unions. Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson and the city's public health commissioner, Allison Arwady, are hosting are online event for families with questions about reopening schools at 6 p.m. Wednesday at chicago.gov/live. Clearing a key hurdle Monday, Feb. 8, 8:00 p.m. — A city on pins and needles as a tentative deal winds its way through union membership. The death of a beloved icon in education organizing. Monday was an emotional day capped by a vote taken by the union's House of Delegates on a tentative agreement to reopen Chicago schools. The tentative agreement passed the union's House of Delegates with 85% approval; 13% of delegates voted against and 2% of delegates abstained. The final step is the broader membership vote. Teachers have 24 hours to weigh in. The House of Delegates is generally considered a proxy for wider membership, so Chicago is likely one step closer to reopening school buildings after nearly 11 months of closures. Still, it could be a bumpy re-entry. In a sign of potentially more challenges ahead for the district, delegates also issued a vote of no confidence in Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools' leaders. That measure passed by 90%. Read more here. A deal is in the works Sunday, Feb. 7, 1:45 p.m. — First there was word late morning that there was a tentative agreement. Then the union said not so fast — the city had made a late Saturday offer that "merits review." Call it progress. What we can say for sure: Chicago Teachers Union leaders are weighing a tentative agreement with Chicago Public Schools that could end the reopening impasse in the nation's third largest school district. Now starts two days of member meetings to make the final call. The offer would push the city's reopening timeline beyond what was on the table last week, among several concessions to the union. Under the tentative agreement language, prekindergarten and some special education teachers and students would return Feb. 11. Kindergarten through fifth grade teachers would return Feb. 22, with students returning March 1, and sixth through eighth grade teachers would return March 1, with students following on March 8. Here's more on the concessions that appear to have ended the stalemate — and what needs to happen next. A plan, a warning, and an unknown Friday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. — Mayor Lori Lightfoot said earlier in the week that she would not be making last-minute plans over the weekend. And Friday evening, Chicago released a proposal that said it will delay reopening schools for most elementary students until later this month and more gradually phase in students by grade. Under the proposal, educators who teach prekindergarten and special education students with moderate and complex disabilities would be expected to return Monday, with students returning Tuesday. Other grades would report to classrooms later in the month. About 1 in 3 Chicago elementary students has said they plan to return. The district said it will take disciplinary action against teachers Monday if they do not report to classrooms, an action that the union has previously said would provoke it to strike. The union has not agreed to the delay. Here's where things stand. Union gives thumbs down to city's 'final offer' Friday, Feb. 5, 1:20 p.m. — The Chicago Teachers Union said it will reject the city's latest offer, described by officials earlier in the day as the "last, best and final." In a message to members, union president Jesse Sharkey says the union wants more concessions on a health metric for reopening, work-from-home accommodations, and vaccines for teachers. He wrote that the mayor's proposal would only close schools for in-person learning districtwide if there are COVID-19 outbreaks on half of Chicago Public Schools campuses at the same time — an offer that does not cut it for the union. That proposal still offers work-from-home accommodation for 25% of union members who live with somebody at an elevated risk of coronavirus complications, an issue that has been an ongoing sticking point in negotiations as the district seeks to ensure adequate staffing in reopened elementary schools. According to union documents, the two sides have largely agreed on a weekly vaccine set-aside for teachers, but Friday's email says the two sides are still in dispute over whether the city would guarantee increases as more supply comes through. Other stumbling blocks include the city's refusal to restore digital classroom access for 31 teachers who refused to work in-person, to negotiate about high school reopening and to decrease live instruction time for students, Sharkey wrote. He struck a defiant tone, noting, "Three times in the past week, the mayor has drawn a line in the sand, and three times, our solidarity and our commitment has forced her and CPS leadership to step over that line." Hearing from the elected Friday, Feb. 5, 11:00 a.m. — About a dozen elected officials from the county, city, and state joined a virtual press conference organized by the union to call on the mayor to stay the course on negotiations and not move to discipline teachers should a deal not be reached Friday. I'd also point out that several officials on this call received donations from CTU- or IFT-affiliated PACs in the last 6-8 months. https://t.co/ROSICcVHjs — Cassie Walker Burke (@cassiechicago) February 5, 2021 CPS gives union 'final offer' as city holds breath Friday, Feb. 5, 9 a.m. —In a joint statement this morning, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Janice Jackson said they shared their "last, best, and final offer" to the district's teachers union Thursday evening as the two sides try to reach an agreement about reopening elementary schools. City leaders said they expect a response from the union Friday and they'd announce later today whether classrooms could reopen Monday. At a press conference with Black educators this morning, Stacy Davis Gates, the union's vice president, criticized the "best and final" language for apparently closing the door to further back-and-forth. But she did say the union's bargaining team has been meeting since early this morning to review the proposal. The union said Thursday evening that outstanding issues included a public health metric for reopening schools, accommodations for union members to work from home and changes to virtual instruction the union has proposed, such as reducing live instruction time and increasing preparation time for teachers. Lightfoot has said that reducing instruction time is a non-starter. At the virtual panel the union hosted, Black educators spoke about long-standing racial disparities in the city and the ways in which those disparities have fueled public mistrust in the district's reopening push. They referenced the closures of schools in predominantly Black communities over the past decade, historic under-investment in Black and Latino neighborhoods and what they described as a district failure to support and retain Black teachers. (According to a Chalkbeat analysis, by 2019, Chicago had lost a quarter of its Black teaching force over a six-year period.) "It's very unfortunate for this institution to think we will trust them with Black lives," said teacher Whitney Jean. Signs again point to another no-deal day Thursday, Feb. 4, 9:30 p.m. — The Chicago Teachers Union just sent a schedule for Friday and at the top it reads "As Black and Latinx communities continue to lag in vaccinations and core equity needs, CPS continues to reject sensible safety proposals in bargaining." We're taking it as a sign there's no deal coalescing tonight. There's no official word yet from City Hall, which earlier in the day sent two brief statements — one midday saying the city hadn't "heard from CTU leadership since yesterday" and an early evening one-liner that said it had received a counterproposal and was working on a response. Of course, there still could be a midnight deal. But the union indicated late Thursday that multiple issues of dispute remained: a districtwide metric for closing schools in case of a COVID-19 surge, the number of accommodations for educators with medically vulnerable household members, and remote learning improvements. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said she's willing to negotiate, but when it comes to remote learning, she is not willing to shorten instructional time. Earlier today, Lightfoot said she was losing patience with the constant delays and she wanted a deal done by tonight. Since Friday is a day off for students (teachers' grades are due), there's a little wiggle room, though not much, if the district wants to reopen schools next week. 'We've slid backward' Thursday, Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m. — Mayor Lori Lightfoot said negotiations with the union haven't just stalled — they've "slid backward." Within the same hour the union shared an open letter to parents that said it was prepared to "sacrifice even more" to get concessions on its safety demands, City Hall called a press conference in which the mayor said she was losing her patience with the delays. Lightfoot said the ongoing turmoil was causing "catastrophic disruption to the school system." "Enough is enough. Time's up, the runway is done, we need a deal today," she said. City Hall said on Wednesday night that it would extend a "cooling off" period in which no disciplinary action would be taken against teachers who continued to defy district orders and teach remotely. But, the mayor stressed Thursday morning, that grace period would be off the table if negotiations failed to net a deal by this evening. Officials offered a few new insights into what they had offered the union in the past 24 hours to help bridge the divide. On teacher vaccinations and accommodations for teachers who want to continue working remotely, the mayor described a weekly vaccine set-aside for teachers and a dedicated 2,000-vaccine supply for educators who live with high-risk individuals and have sought work-from-home accommodations. The expectation would be that educators who receive vaccines would return to work after the first dose. "We've offered a very specific plan — a dedicated vaccination plan for them. That proposal has been on the table for days. We're waiting for an answer," Lightfoot said. This morning our union shared this open letter with parents as negotiations with the mayor and CPS leadership continue. We continue to work towards an agreement that supports the safety, equity and trust every public school community needs and deserves. https://t.co/MlgZ9MRaew — ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) February 4, 2021 Parents of locked-out teachers join union event Thursday, Feb. 4, 7:00 a.m. — The day started with a Chicago Teachers Union press conference with several parents of students whose prekindergarten or special education teachers were blocked from their digital classrooms because they refused to report to work in person. The district said 31 teachers and 17 paraprofessional remain absent without leave and locked out. The union has said restoring virtual access for these members and granting them back pay is a condition for reaching a reopening agreement with the district. A virtual fundraiser for locked-out employees has raised about $80,000. The parents called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign a bill that state lawmakers passed in January that would expand the union's bargaining powers or to press the district to reinstate the teachers. Ana Avila, the mother of a kindergarten student in a special education "cluster" classroom at Corkery Elementary, said her son's class has not had a teacher for two weeks, with special education classroom assistants overseeing virtual learning. She said remote learning has been hard work for teachers and parents, but her son has made a lot of progress. "This is punishing the children the most because they are regressing," she said. Most of the parents said they want the district to stick with all-virtual learning for the remainder of the school year. "What's the point of sending them back?" Cindy Meza ,a parent at Sandoval Elementary, where she said there are no locked-out teachers. "It's not going to be the same as before COVID." More time to 'cool off' Wednesday, Feb. 3. 9:40 p.m. — In a statement on social media, Chicago Public Schools said it planned to extend a "cooling off" period another 24 hours in hopes of reaching a deal with teachers. Again, the return to in-person schooling for an estimated 67,000 is delayed. The district told families Wednesday evening that it would delay reopening until at least Monday. Negotiations will continue, making Thursday a remote school day. Friday was already slated to be a non-attendance day. There were some signs of progress, according to a bargaining chart shared earlier in the evening by the Chicago Teachers Union. Chalkbeat Chicago's Yana Kunichoff reports here on what issues appear resolved — and what areas of disagreement still dog negotiations. We are disappointed to report that at this time, no deal has been reached between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union leadership. We will extend the cooling off period for the final time through the end of the day on Thursday to allow for further negotiations tonight. — Chicago Public Schools (@ChiPubSchools) February 4, 2021 Thursday is a question mark Wednesday, Feb. 3. 7:00 p.m. — Negotiations over Chicago's school reopening will move into Wednesday evening, according to a brief statement from city and district officials. "Discussions continue between CPS and CTU. We will provide an update as quickly as possible later this evening," said the uncharacteristically brief statement shared at 7 p.m. by Chicago Public Schools. That update comes after a 48-hour "cooling off period" called by the district in the hopes of netting a deal. While Chicago has not yet released an update about in-person learning for students on Thursday, it is increasingly unlikely that school buildings will reopen this week. The union's representative House of Delegates met on Wednesday night but did not make any major movement toward setting a strike date. The union is expected to hold a meeting to give an update on bargaining for members on Friday. News on the vaccination front Wednesday, Feb. 3. 5:00 p.m. — One crucial issue at the heart of the talks is providing coronavirus vaccinations to teachers and support staff headed back to the classroom. The Chicago Teachers Union said on Twitter Wednesday that the city's public health department and an urgent care clinic in Lincoln Park had partnered to offer vaccines to the district's school clerks. The district required its clerks to begin reporting to work in-person last August, setting off a legal standoff with the union, which argued that they should be allowed to continue working from home. "If the mayor can do this for clerks, she can do it for everyone," the union tweeted. Meanwhile, the district shared on Twitter a Bloomberg News article that quoted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky saying that educators can return to schools safely without vaccines if districts take other safety measures. The district has said it plans to open four vaccination sites in mid-February where school nurses will administer COVID-19 shots. The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that 3,700 district employees have been vaccinated so far. Lingering questions about high school Wednesday, Feb. 3. 2:30 p.m. — As Chicago waits to see if a 48-hour cooling-off period between the school district and union will pay peaceful dividends, Chalkbeat Chicago's Mila Koumpilova writes about a missing piece in the conversation: high schools. Chicago has made improving its high school experience a central goal, but for now, it has no high school reopening plan or target date. Officials have not broadly sought input from high school students and parents on how to make the most of what remains of this school year — and some families feel left out of the loop amid a contentious debate over reopening the district's elementary schools. Here's what they said. Questions for Cardona Tuesday, Feb. 2. 4:45 p.m. — On Wednesday, Miguel Cardona, a former teacher and principal who is President Joe Biden's pick for U.S. Education Secretary, faces a Senate education committee confirmation hearing. As our national desk colleague Matt Barnum reports, Cardona likely will face questions about reopening schools. As Connecticut's education commissioner, Cardona advocated for in-person instruction but managed to maintain strong relationships with unions. "We have to maintain the social and emotional well-being of our learners," he said last year. But with reopening progress stalled in cities like Chicago, expect questions about what specific actions the federal government can take to get schools open. What could possibly come next? Tuesday, Feb. 2, 3:54 p.m. — Officials have paused Chicago's acrimonious reopening debate to take a 48-hour "cooling off" period and try to come to an agreement with the city's teachers union. An official from Chicago Public Schools said negotiations would continue Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday will bring a planned House of Delegates meeting on the union side. That's just a coincidence — the union's representative body meets the first Wednesday of every month — but what happens at the meeting could be a sign of where the ongoing labor dispute over school reopening in Chicago goes next. If there's a tentative agreement, it would likely go to delegates to review. If there's no deal in sight, the delegates would be the ones to vote on a strike date. And if the delegates just discuss other procedural matters — well, then we're looking at more negotiations ahead. Time for a "cooling off" Monday, Feb. 1, 5:45 p.m. — Chicago school officials said Monday evening they will hit pause on their hotly debated reopening plan and take a 48 hour "cooling off period." No additional disciplinary action will be taken against teachers — but students who chose in-person learning will face delays. Remote learning will continue Tuesday and Wednesday. Read more here. An emotional call with community group leaders Monday, Feb. 1, noon — Mayor Lori Lightfoot told a group of community leaders Monday morning that City Hall has floated a proposal that would prioritize vaccinating teachers at schools in the 15 neighborhoods hit hardest by COVID-19. The areas would be determined by caseloads, hospitalizations, and other data points. "If you (live or teach) at a school in one of those neighborhoods, you will be prioritized," she said in the virtual meeting. Previously, Chicago Public Schools said that it was working on a plan that would include distribution sites, but vaccine shortages mean it wouldn't be put into place until later in February. Teachers are part of the state's 1B, or second, priority group and began qualifying for vaccines Jan. 25, but the city has said it could take months; the teachers union is pressuring the school district to allow educators to work remotely until they've had an opportunity to be vaccinated. Lightfoot said today that if all teachers moved to the front of the line, everyone else — including seniors aged 65 and over — "would have to stand down six to eight weeks. That's not doable." In the sometimes emotional call, the mayor said the city is still negotiating with teachers on several issues, including staff and student testing, teacher accommodations for working at home, data thresholds that would dictate when schools open or close, and vaccination schedules. She said the city isn't willing to negotiate on three additional issues brought by the union: a reduction of instruction time, defunding the school police program, and an affordable housing plan. (The union did not have an immediate response.) At the end of the call, community leaders spoke on behalf of confused and distressed parents. "This is too much for us," said one father of five, who suggested the idea of microgrants for families that have to suspend returning to their own jobs to supervise remote learning. "Parents have to have a real voice at the table." An anxious morning in Chicago Monday, Feb. 1, 10:30 a.m. — It's a Monday steeped in uncertainty and high anxiety in Chicago Public Schools: Reopening negotiations between the district and its teacher union still have not yielded an agreement. Unless the two sides strike a deal today, city leaders could make good on their pledge to lock elementary teachers who do not report to campuses out of their virtual classrooms and stop paying them. The Chicago Teachers Union has directed those educators to work from home; its members backed a resolution to go on strike if teachers are locked out for working remotely. At least a couple of parent petitions circulated Monday morning urging the district not to cut off digital access for teachers. One of them, started by parents opposed to the district's reopening plan, had amassed more than 1,800 signatures by mid-morning. Some families also took part in a Monday "sick-out" to, as one parent put it, "demonstrate that parents are important stakeholders and deserve a voice in this conversation." It's not clear how widespread this protest was. Meanwhile, some high school students wondered how the stalemate between the district and union might disrupt their finals this week. If a strike goes into effect, classes will halt for students at all grade levels. A day without progress Sunday, Jan. 31, 9:00 p.m. — Chicago's second reopening wave will be pushed at least a day as the school district and the city's teachers' union failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. On Sunday evening, each side accused the other of not show up for virtual bargaining and exchanged back-and-forths over social media. With no deal, there's no in-person schooling Monday. The school district said it planned to reopen classrooms Tuesday for prekindergarten through eighth graders and special education students, and it issued an ultimatum: Teachers must report to work Monday to get ready or be locked out of critical technology platforms — a statement that inches the city closer to a strike. More here. Fact check: Our bargaining team was told by CTU leadership that they were unavailable to meet until they could develop a response to our most recent offer. Our team has been standing by all day. https://t.co/h1NzrW3Fkl — Chicago Public Schools (@ChiPubSchools) January 31, 2021 This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here.