This week, the Cleveland Teachers Union and district representatives reached a tentative contract just days before teachers planned to strike. CTU representatives say one highlight of the agreement is a plan for less student testing.
A major sticking point that stalled negotiations was how student performance would affect teacher evaluations.
David Quolke—CTU president—says he’s confident that union members will be satisfied with the not-yet-public tentative contract, in particular, with the agreement to test students less often.
“This will allow teachers to focus more on those kids learning and less on the test. And give them the ability to really work within their classrooms without being constrained by a lot of outside pressures,” Quolke said.
In a statement early this week, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon called the contract ‘good for kids and fair for adults.’
Union officials say teachers will decide later this month whether to ratify the agreement. Details of the contract will be kept private until after the vote is counted on September 22nd.
