The Paw Print

By Isabella Sun, Associate News & Features Editor

After nearly a year of bargaining, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) reached a tentative contract agreement on Mar. 31, 2025. The deal was approved by CTU’s 65-member executive board and big bargaining group. It marks a significant turning point in the long negotiation process. The deal also secures significant wins that the union was not able to finalize during the eleven day strike in 2019. However, the deal is a much more scaled-back version of the union’s initial proposals.

The contract agreement would reduce class sizes in select grades, expand student access to recess and increase preparation time for elementary school teachers. It also adds hundreds of new positions, including librarians, social workers, teaching assistants and school clinicians. CTU argues that these roles are essential to fully support students, particularly in underserved communities.

In terms of compensation, the deal would also grant teachers a 4% raise to cover the first year of the current school year, and 4-5% for each of the next three years. This is less than the initial proposals, which included adding thousands of new staff members and a 9% annual increase.

“And, we’ve recommended that that tentative agreement be put forward to our House of Delegates and to our membership for further review,” said CTU big bargaining team member Dave Stieber.

The labor dispute emerged when Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer and longtime union ally, was elected in 2023 with strong support from the union. The CTU pushed for negotiations to proceed, but tensions soon emerged between CTU and CPS leadership over what was feasible under the city’s tight financial constraints, including what to include in the contract and how to pay for it.

This conflict culminated in late 2024 with the October resignation of the Chicago Board of Education. In December, Johnson appointed a new board, which promptly dismissed CPS CEO Pedro Martinez without cause. Martinez is set to depart in June.

Both CPS and CTU leadership praised the tentative agreement, which offers teachers the highest annual raises in more than 13 years. The union says the deal is “the next step toward transforming our schools.”

CTU president Stacy Davis Gates hailed the agreement as a victory for teachers and students. She said “I have never seen a document before that has win, win, win, win, win, win for every stakeholder. Our young people win, the people who provide their education win, the families that send them to the Chicago Public Schools win, principals win, the Board of Education wins, the CEO wins, the mayor of Chicago wins.”

In a statement, Martinez said, “We made sure that this agreement respects the hard work of our talented educators and reflects what’s best for students.”

The agreement has received the approval of CTU’s House of Delegates. The contract will be in effect through the 2028-29 school year. It also cements CPS teachers’ position among the best paid in the country, with an average salary of over $110,000 by the contract’s end. 

The estimated cost of the four-year deal would exceed $1.5 billion. District leaders said they can cover the cost of the first year but are unsure whether the district can afford future years while holding to a structural deficit. Martinez said it will be important to advocate for more state funding and shifting certain pension obligations.

The agreement would avert the possibility of a teacher strike and could relieve pressure of Davis Gates and CTU Vice President Jackson Potter, who are being accused by colleagues who question their leadership’s transparency and approach to politics.

The CTU House of Delegates voted on the agreement on April 2, and the full membership vote took place on April 10 and 11. The contract now heads to the Chicago Board of Education and is expected to approve the CTU contract next week.