CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, issued the following statement:

“As a strong advocate for education, I stand in solidarity with our hardworking teachers and staff, as they fight for better schools and educational opportunities for Chicago students.

“The status quo is not acceptable, children in Chicago deserve better. They deserve a nurse and counselor in each and every school; they deserve libraries and librarians in every school; they deserve smaller class sizes; they deserve more special education teachers; and they deserve more bilingual teachers and classrooms.

“Our teachers and staff deserve a fair contract, with guarantees to improve our neighborhood schools clearly written out. We owe it to the children of this city to come together and reach a solution that creates better educational opportunities for each and every student at CPS.”