at the Chicago High School for the Arts has called off its strike at the last minute after "major breakthroughs" in negotiations late Tuesday night.had planned to walk out Wednesday after negotiations with the school’s board of directors had dragged on for more than a year without much progress.
"We are hopeful about the new progress being made, but should ChiArts management not be able to compromise and reach a full collective bargaining agreement with us, our strike action could be resumed on the following day," the CTU said in a statement around 11:30 p.m. "We will continue to burn the midnight oil to get the last remaining pieces in place for the schools and classrooms our students and their families deserve.
With or without a deal, Duffie Adelson, the interim board chair at ChiArts, said the school "will be open to students and plans are in place for student learning throughout the school day." Last week, the board said it had made compensation offers "that would significantly raise all teachers’ pay immediately and in future years," and said it "soundly rejects recent charges made by the Chicago Teachers Union regarding the status of ongoing contract negotiations."