Teachers at 2 Chicago charter schools reach agreement to end strike

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Teachers at two Chicago charter schools reached a tentative agreement late Monday night to end a strike.

Teachers and support staff at Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy and Instituto Justice Leadership Academy began their strike last Wednesday. The schools are run by Instituto del Progresso Latino.

The teachers said they won what they wanted, including smaller classes and sanctuary protections for immigrant students.

"Educators' working conditions are students' learning conditions, and we're pushing charter operators to do better by both students and the educators who support them," said CTU President Jesse Sharkey. "Students deserve to have public education dollars invested in their classrooms, not in charter operators' board rooms or executive salaries. We're fighting to ensure that operators reverse chronically low wages and inadequate classroom resources. This agreement ensures that public education funds are invested instead where they belong-in our students' educational needs. This agreement is another victory in the effort to set new, more responsible standards across the industry."