Union rep hopeful as Chicago teachers’ strike enters 9th day

CHICAGO (AP) — A representative for striking Chicago teachers expressed hope following late-night bargaining talks and says the Chicago Teachers Union “has laid out a path for a settlement” that could reopen classrooms in the nation’s third-largest school district.

Full Coverage: Chicago teachers strike

General Counsel Robert Bloch said early Tuesday that the union representing 25,000 teachers is awaiting the city ’s response. Bloch says the parties have narrowed their differences, “but we’re not there yet.”

Both sides remain divided over demands for smaller classes and more staff.

Classes remained canceled Tuesday for more than 300,000 students as the strike that began Oct. 17 entered its ninth school day. The walkout has surpassed the length of a 2012 teachers’ strike.

The district has reached a tentative agreement with a separate union representing thousands of school support staff.