Aspira Teachers Set Strike Date; Would Be 1st Walkout For U.S. Charter School

CHICAGO, IL — Union officials say Aspira charter school teachers will go on strike next week if a contract agreement with the charter operator isn't reached, making it the first teacher walkout at a private U.S. charter school, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Teachers set March 17 as the potential strike date, but that was scheduled before they reviewed and weighed in on this week's counteroffer from Aspira, the report stated. The Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff represents the about 100 teachers at the charter network, the report added.

Contract negotiations are centered on salaries and the length of charter school's day and year, the report stated. Both sides will be back at the bargaining table Thursday, the report added.

Aspira, which was founded in 1968, enrolls around 1,400 students across four Chicago schools and, like all city charter schools, operates independently while being funded by Chicago Public Schools, the report stated.

Although Aspira officials are waiting for the union to respond with a counteroffer, the charter operator's board chairman told parents in a letter Monday that further demands would "hurt the overall education" of students and "jeopardize teaching positions," the report added.

"The future of our ASPIRA children's education is facing a critical point." Aspira board Chairman Fernando Grillo wrote in the letter, according to the Tribune.

This is the third time Chicago school teachers have threatened to strike this academic year, and the second time for teachers at a charter network. Separate 11th-hour deals in October averted strikes by teachers at Chicago Public Schools and the UNO Charter School Network.

More via the Chicago Tribune

image via Aspira Inc. of Illinois

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