Stacy Davis Gates (Photo: Facebook).
For the first time in over a decade, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have reached a contract agreement without a strike.
In a historic move, 97% of CTU members voted to approve the four-year contract, with an 85% turnout. It’s a moment CTU President Stacy Davis Gates sees as a reflection of the union’s alignment with its members and the communities they serve.
“I think it is a demonstration of our continued engagement with our members on what Chicago students deserve and their school communities,” Davis Gates said in a phone interview with The Chicago Defender.
Pay Raises, Recess, and New Staff
The new agreement includes retroactive and annual teacher raises, more preparation time for elementary educators, and expanded student recess. It also commits to hiring new librarians, teaching assistants, nurses and social workers—guaranteeing at least one of each in every school.
While CTU’s initial proposal included 9% annual raises, the final agreement calls for a 4% raise retroactive to the 2023–24 school year and 4–5% increases each of the next three years.
Still, Davis Gates said the contract delivers a decisive shift toward equity, especially for Black students in historically underfunded schools on the South and West Sides.
“It gives new direction to the school district,” she said. “If you look at this contract and see that we are rebuilding school libraries,” she said, adding that the agreement aims to restore what initiatives like Renaissance 2010 took away when it mandated the closure of 50 schools in those neighborhoods.
Davis Gates added that the new contract reverses what former CPS CEOs Arnie Duncan and Paul Vallas and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushed through their school choice advocacy.
“So, we are rebuilding the safety net that they shredded, Rahm, Duncan and Vallas,” she said.
A Win for Every Stakeholder
Davis Gates described the deal as a win for everyone involved—from students to staff to families.
“What it means exactly is that we’re going to lower class sizes. So if you are a parent of a kindergartner this upcoming school year, your child will be in a classroom with 23 other students, plus a teacher, plus a teacher’s assistant. That is a benefit,” she said.
“If you are a parent of a student-athlete, we have more money in the sports program as a result of this contract to fund transportation, equipment and uniforms. Also, if you are a softball player or a cheerleader, your sport will receive the same amount of resources that sports like boys’ football receive. So we worked on some equity there.”
“Think that 30 minutes for recess. Students and elementary schools will now have a mandatory 30-minute recess. These are things that are benefits, discernible, immediate benefits to our young people and our school community.”
She added: “It is difficult to teach young people without resources, without support, and this contract does both things.”
Prep Time Gains—With Room to Grow
One of the more contentious issues during negotiations was teacher prep time. While the union didn’t get all it initially demanded, Davis Gates noted progress was made.
“We were able to win our teachers three days’ worth of minutes of preparation time so that they’ll be able to create the type of school day that their school community can implement. And so that’s a benefit to them, and they see that as a benefit,” she said.
“Is it the benefit that we started out with? No, and it is something that we believe is a step in the right direction, and we’ll build on that the next time we are going back to the negotiating table.”
More Resources for Underserved Schools
The contract calls for 900 additional staff hires over the next three years, including librarians, nurses and case managers—critical roles for under-resourced schools.
To show what that kind of investment can do, Davis Gates pointed to Walter H. Dyett High School For The Arts on the South Side.
“Back in 2015 Rahm Emanuel closed Dyett High School, and there were people like school board member Jitu Brown, Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, Mayor Brandon Johnson, those people were on a hunger strike to keep that school open,” she said.
“So they were able to keep it open. In 2016, we took that school and 19 others to the negotiating table. We were able to win them more resources and more staff and support.”
“In 2025, we’ve more than tripled the number of sustainable community schools we’ll have in a district.”
“It means that Dyett High School now has an artist-in-residence at their school. The murals around that building are absolutely gorgeous. It means that there are children from all over the city who want to go to Dyett High School. And it also means that Dyett High School has a boy’s state basketball championship team this year.”
“So the point of all of this is to negotiate opportunity, to negotiate for what our young people deserve.”
“That’s what we codified and worked for in this contract so we can have more Dyett High Schools, places that have been forgotten about, and places that have benefited from a coalition fight,” she said.
A Wage Floor for Paraprofessionals
The contract also establishes a new wage floor of $40,000 for paraprofessionals—many of whom are Black women. Some will see pay increases of up to 30%.
“Our paraprofessionals are almost 85% women of color, the overwhelming majority of them being Black women. Those women are heads of their households. They live in the neighborhoods in which they teach. So you want them there, they’re anchors,” Davis Gates said.
“As you may or may not know, many of our paraprofessionals also enter into a residency program in order to become teachers. So, we’ve been able to negotiate that they receive a decent portion of pay and their health care as they go through the residency program and that they maintain their seniority when they start teaching.”
“Rich People Get to Pay More”
Asked about how the contract would be funded in the long term, Davis Gates responded bluntly.
“Yeah, I don’t know why that’s my job. I never understood that question because I never heard any other no one ask Shawn Fain how the Big Three were going to pay for the contract that he negotiated with them, but somehow, somebody who’s always asking me how I’m going to go kill it, skin it, clean it, cook it and serve it,” she said.
“So here’s my answer. Rich people get to pay more. We need progressive taxation in the state of Illinois so the Governor and the General Assembly can fund all of the schools in Illinois, not just Chicago.”
What’s Next for CTU
Now that the contract is secured, the union is shifting its focus to implementation, community organizing, and solidarity with other labor unions.
“We are going to work with our union siblings over at the firefighters to make sure that they get a contract. So we’re going to be working with them and organizing to make sure that that happens,” said Davis Gates.
“We are going to implement this contract. It’s a lot, and so we’re gonna host a lot of professional development for our teachers and work with the district to make sure that we can see the impact of this contract in our school communities.”
“And we’re also gonna organize. You’ll see us on doors all summer. When you say, rich people need to pay more. You gotta say that in chorus with your neighbors. So, we’re going to be on doors this summer, talking to people about how we maintain our democracy, but how we also pay for it.”
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