The Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union agreed today that CPS will give additional compensation to teachers in CPS's longer school day pioneer program. These teachers will get the same salary this year as all teachers will enjoy during the 2012-13 school year, when CPS and CTU will be under a new collective bargaining deal and implementation of a longer day goes district wide.

The agreement puts the final nail in the coffin in a battle between CPS and CTU over experimenting with a 7.5 hour school day in 13 schools. Faculty at 13 schools voted for the longer day in exchange for a modest stipend and $150,000 extra in overall school funding. CTU successfully challenged the program as violating the collective bargaining agreement because CPS negotiated with individual school faculties instead of the entire CTU. CPS had earlier agreed to stop the pioneer program at these 13 schools.