Striking Chicago teachers reach tentative deal to head back to class

Chicago school kids are probably bummed to hear this news: The teachers union and the Chicago Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement to end the weeklong teachers strike and resume classes as soon as Monday for 350,000 students. Details of the agreement between the two sides have not been revealed, but school board president David Vitale said that "the heavy lifting is over" as far as resolving the major issues. The teachers had been criticized for pushing for a pay increase despite salaries of $69,500 to $76,000 before benefits, the second-highest in the nation behind New York City, but supporters of the strike pointed out that large class sizes and teacher layoffs have been serious issues in past years. [Source]

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