North Shore School District 112 Teachers Strike: Classes Canceled In Highland Park, Highwood

Teachers in yet another Chicago suburb hit the picket line Tuesday after failing to arrive at a settlement agreement during the latest negotiation session with its school district's board of education.

North Shore School District 112 teachers went on strike Tuesday, leading to the cancelation of classes for more than 4,300 students at a dozen elementary and junior high schools in Highland Park, Highwood and Fort Sheridan Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Both the district's teachers union and its board blamed the impasse on the other side.

"The current offer by the board would cause the NSSD112 teachers’ highest salary to fall behind 18 other Lake County districts," the union said in a statement issued early Tuesday by the union, according to the Chicago Tribune.

But the district painted their offer as "an improved proposal that showed substantial movement" in a separate statement, CBS Chicago reports. The union, according to the district's school board president Bruce Hyman, did not offer "any meaningful movement" in the ongoing talks, the Daily Herald reports.

At issue for the striking teachers are, largely, compensation and retirement benefits.

Amid the strike, the district is offering free programming at Green Bay Early Childhood Center, Oak Terrace Elementary and Northwood Junior High for pre-registered students, the Herald reports. Five area Park District facilities are also offering activities for students.

The North Shore teacher walkout arrives on the heels of strikes in Evergreen Park, Chicago, Lake Forest and Crystal Lake districts.

Negotiations are expected to continue later Tuesday.