CHICAGO – Chicago Public Schools officials’ decision to implement three furlough days to save the cash-strapped district $30 million is reigniting threats of a teachers union strike.

District officials announced teachers and other school based workers will stay home on Good Friday, as well as June 22 and 23, which were previously scheduled professional development days for teachers, the Chicago Tribune reports.

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It’s the latest development in the seemingly never-ending saga between school and union officials over teacher pay and benefits in the Windy City. The most recent teachers union contract ended last summer, and CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union are negotiating a new contract amid a chronic budget crisis that stems largely from teacher pensions.

CTU officials have already gained the necessary authorization from members to call a teachers strike, and have repeatedly threatened to follow through if they don’t get what they want. When CPS officials recently announced about $120 million in budget cuts to keep the district afloat, including requiring teachers to pay more toward their own retirement.

District officials have maintained the only solution to the school system’s massive billion-dollar budget problem is a bailout from state Democrat controlled General Assembly, which remain gridlocked over the state budget with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

CPS has struggled all year to balance its budget and recently borrowed $725 million in bonds at high interest rates to keep school doors open for the remainder of the year. It has laid off 200 administrative employees and earlier this week, another 62 union workers including 17 teachers after cutting per pupil funding almost 5 percent.

“We know we cannot cut our way to a solution,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said. “However, the governor’s inaction means we must continue to cut costs and ease our cash flow, so we can do what’s necessary to ensure our classrooms are protected and our students’ progress is uninterrupted.”

CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey, meanwhile, said the furlough days equate to a 1.6 percent pay cut that’s “outrageous, unilateral and unfair,” and “all but assures” a teacher’s strike in the district’s future.

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“This is just a hardship on employees. and to make matters worse, it’s on top of a 7 percent unilateral pay cut coming April 1,” Sharkey said. “The level of anger is getting to a point where people are going to start taking action. Right now there’s an action planned on April 1, and I think this all but assures there’s a walkout coming.”

Claypool said the decision to implement furlough days was about what’s best for students, the Tribune reports.

“”After hearing from many principals that they were concerned about staff capacity on Good Friday, which normally falls during Spring Break, we determined the best course of action was a furlough day, combined with non-instructional year-end days,” he said in a statement. “It’s never easy to furlough employees, but our priority was to preserve instructional time for our students while preserving year-end cash and continuing to chip away at our budget gap.”

Sharkey wouldn’t discuss a specific date teachers might walk out on their students, but stressed it’s a threat that can be avoided if the school district simply reverses course and opts against forcing teachers to contribute toward their pensions.

“Are they going to back off these cuts? They’re being threatened, but I’m not going to promise we’re going to walk out on a certain day when it’s not certain what the board’s going to do,” Sharkey said, according to the Tribune. “If they back off, then we’re going to have to reassess what the next step is. But right now, if they’re looking to try and pick a fight, they’re doing a pretty good job.”