Dive Brief:

• A reported 88% of Chicago Teacher’s Union members voted to authorize a strike, giving leverage to teachers in negotiation with the city over their contract — though a walkout isn't likely to occur until March.

• At the same time, a ongoing budget issues in the city's public schools may mean that Mayor Rahm Emanuel will “be forced to lay off hundreds of teachers," the city's Fox affiliate reports.

• The current teacher’s contract expired last summer, and no walkout can happen until further negotiations occur, which will likely take months.

Dive Insight:

The budget crisis in Chicago isn’t unique, as cities including Philadelphia and Los Angeles are also facing severe shortages that threaten teachers, students, and schools.

In Chicago, however, a slow lead-up to the teachers strike included a projection of 479 teacher layoffs this summer, with an overall budget that had been reduced by 1%, and the “phasing out [of] district pension fund contributions for non-Chicago Teachers Union employees.” Chicago Public Schools were expected to “run out of money” this past summer.  

At the same time, the city reportedly spent $18 million dollars on “legal and financial fees for the debt-refinancing and loan programs” run by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, some of which involved companies that may have conflicts-of-interest due to campaign financing issues.

In Seattle, a budget crisis and accompanying teacher’s strike has led to $100,000 in daily fines mandated by court order against the city, on the grounds that it’s made "lackluster progress" on attempts to reform how schools are funded.