CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday that the city's public schools would stay closed for at least one more day, but the union president said she was hopeful the two sides were close to completing a settlement to end the nearly weeklong strike.
"We are optimistic, but we are still hammering things out," Karen Lewis said.
The union called a special delegates meeting for Friday, when the bargaining team is scheduled to give an update on contract talks.
"We've made progress in some areas, but still we have a way to go," Lewis said. "Teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians remain hopeful but energized."
Negotiations resumed Thursday with an air of optimism. Lewis said students could be back in class by Monday, a week after teachers walked out.
Roughly 25,000 teachers have been on the picket line in the nation's third-largest school district. The most contentious issues on the table have included teacher evaluations that incorporate students' standardized test scores and job security.
After contract talks went late into the night Wednesday, Lewis said the sides had definitely come closer together.
