It’s official: School is out for summer.  But Chicago Public Schools teachers and administrators have a lot to work through before the 2012/2013 school year begins in the fall.

Contract negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers union have now passed the seven-month mark. And although the current contract expires at the end of this month, CPS and CTU still seem to be far apart on many issues.

The divide between the district and its teachers was emphasized last week when news came that 90 percent of CTU members voted to authorize a strike—well above the 75 percent required by law.

So far, negotiations have focused on issues related to compensation, like wages and benefits. But the union hopes that the strike authorization vote will push CPS to negotiate on other issues related to working conditions, like class size.  Under state law, the district gets to decide whether or not such issues are “permissive subjects of bargaining.”

Monday on the Afternoon Shift, we get Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard’s insight on how to best avoid a teachers strike in the fall and improve relations between the district and its teachers.