CTU members vote to ratify contract

Tentative voting results indicate that the 25,000 active members of the Chicago Teachers Union have ratified an agreement reached with Chicago's school board, officials said Tuesday night.

About 72 percent of members counted as of Tuesday night voted "yes," with about 28 percent opposed, according to a CTU statement.

Fewer than 60 schools still were waiting to be counted as of 9:30 p.m., but "the number of votes outstanding will not significantly alter the result," officials said, with a final count expected in "a day or two."

"This has taken nearly two years to reach a fair contract settlement," CTU President Karen Lewis said in the statement. "Now educators can focus their full energies on their classrooms as we continue to fight for equity throughout the district."

The new contract means Chicago Public Schools will have to re-release its budget and get new approval next month from the board of education. CPS officials haven't said how much the deal will cost.

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