Chicago teachers union president says strike will continue

CHICAGO (AP) - The president of the Chicago Teachers Union says teachers and the school district are still far apart in their contract dispute and that the walkout will almost certainly extend into a third day on Wednesday...

Adam Howard

Sep 11, 2012

CHICAGO (AP) — The president of the Chicago Teachers Union says teachers and the school district are still far apart in their contract dispute and that the walkout will almost certainly extend into a third day on Wednesday.

Representatives from the union and the district returned to the bargaining table Tuesday, but union President Karen Lewis says only six of 48 articles in the contract have been resolved.

She says it’s “lunacy” to think a settlement could be reached Tuesday. School board officials insisted the two sides should be able to make an agreement.

More than 25,000 teachers walked out of the classroom Monday over issues that include performance evaluations and recall rights for laid-off teachers.

The strike has idled more than 350,000 students in the nation’s third-largest district.