For the second week in a row, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is using students to gain leverage the bargaining table. CTU has decided to extend its strike until at least Wednesday.
Rather than focusing on securing a deal and allowing students to return to class on Monday, CTU made it a priority to hold a major demonstration downtown on Saturday in an attempt to flex its muscle.
Mayor Emanuel has finally had enough.
He indicated today that he will use the courts to force teachers back into the classroom. As the Institute informed ABC-7's Chuck Goudie last week, the strike is illegal and Rahm has finally decided to enforce state law in an attempt to show CTU boss Karen Lewis who's really in charge in Chicago.
Based on the details released by CTU, increased accountability and job security for under-performing teachers remain sticking points:
Longer school day and longer school year were listed in the "negatives" column on the union's summary sheet. It is shocking that more time in the classroom is regarded as a negative by the Chicago Teachers Union.
The CTU also listed as negative the fact that the lowest-performing teachers should be penalized.
Chicago students deserve a world-class education that will propel them to success.
The 1987 strike failed to produce real reform, subjecting an entire generation to a failing system that leaves 40 percent of kids without a high school diploma and sends only 33 percent to college.
We cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes.
It appears Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS have backed away from pursuing any serious school reform and the union is fighting to preserve the status quo. Most disappointing is that the Mayor has backed away from one of President Obama's own initiatives: merit pay to reward excellent teachers. This is a tragedy for students and parents.
When it comes to finances, all Illinois taxpayers should be concerned about the details that emerged Sunday night regarding the possible contract from the CPS. In this proposal, Mayor Emanuel joined the ranks of other Illinois Democrats who spend money they simply do not have, ratchet up a pile of unpaid bills and then ultimately hand the bill over to maxed-out taxpayers.
The deal rejected by the CTU includes 16 percent raises – which Chicago Public Schools cannot afford. Beyond the fact that Chicago teachers are overpaid when compared to teachers in other cities, by even maintaining current pay levels CPS would drain its reserves during the current school year and run $1 billion deficit the following year.
To pay for these raises, taxpayers outside the city should not be surprised when a tax hike comes their way as CPS seeks more money from the state. Already, more than one-third of CPS money comes from state coffers.
The CPS' refusal to cope with its fiscal reality is a failure to taxpayers. But worse, a marginal settlement that does not empower CPS to hold teachers accountable is a failure to today's students and the hundreds of thousands who will pass through the system in coming years.
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