Lightfoot still confident teachers strike can be avoided

Denied the agreement she had hoped to reach by the first day of school, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday she remains confident of avoiding a second strike in seven years by a Chicago Teachers Union that was among Toni Preckwinkle's biggest supporters.

"Whatever it takes, we are prepared to do it ... We stand ready to get it done. If I need to get personally involved, I'm happy to do that," the mayor said.

Lightfoot had hoped to nail down a tentative agreement with the CTU in time for opening day to reassure skittish parents, bolster student attendance and reverse years of enrollment declines at Chicago Public Schools.

Last week, she sweetened the city's offer - from a 14% pay raise over five years to 16% - only to have the union say it still wasn't enough.

In rejecting the revised $351 million offer and an earlier fact-finder's report that essentially sided with the city, the union started the 30-day clock for a potential strike.

On Tuesday, Lightfoot joined CPS CEO Janice Jackson at a celebratory back-to-school rally at the new $85 million Englewood STEM High School.

She touted the "very substantial raise" the city has offered teachers and talked about the additional resources built into the CPS budget for individual schools and support personnel.

"We're making progress, despite the atmosphere outside of the bargaining table. There's no reason why we can't get a deal done - and get it done quickly," the mayor said.

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