As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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In the News: Teacher job satisfaction at new low
By: Cassandra West / March 07, 2012
Job satisfaction among public school teachers is plumbing new lows, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. (The New York Times)
The unhappier teachers were more likely to have had increase in average class sizes, and to have experienced layoffs in their district. They also had more students coming to class hungry, and had more families needing help with basic social services. (The Atlantic)
Faced with a dearth of candidates, CPS has for the second time extended the deadline to register to run in next month’s local school council elections. Candidates now have until March 23rd to file. So far, only 2,060 candidates have been recruited for more than 6,800 open seats in the April 18th elections. (Catalyst)
A coalition of 27 organizations from across Chicago had addressed a letter on March 6 to CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard demanding an extension of filing deadline for local school council candidates, Center Square Journal reports. Donald Moore, executive director of Designs for Change and a member of the coalition, finds CPS woefully lacking when it comes to generating awareness of and interest in what he terms “the largest municipal election in the U.S.”
A letter Tuesday from 27 school reform organizations accused Chicago Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard of a “personal lack of forceful visible leadership’’ in encouraging LSC candidacy. It asked him to assume “personal responsibility” for successful LSC recruitment and demanded a deadline extension. (Sun-Times)
IN THE NATION
A growing number of "parent unions" are attempting to stake out a place in policy debates over education in states and districts, amid a crowded field of actors and advocates. As the term implies, some of these organizations see themselves as countering the political might of teachers' unions, though others see the labor groups as allies. (Education Week)
Diane Ravitch issues a report card on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and he gets an "F" in every single category: fidelity to the Constitution, doing what's right for children, doing what's right for public education, respecting the limits of federalism, doing what's right for teachers; doing what's right for education.
Efforts to revamp public education are increasingly focused on evaluating teachers using student test scores, but school districts nationwide are only beginning to deal with the practical challenges of implementing those changes. Only an estimated 30 percent of classroom teachers in the U.S. work in grades or subjects covered by state standardized tests. (Wall Street Journal)
The people I know who have
The people I know who have done LSC found it a nightmare. That's why so few people apply.
It's an uncomfortable fact that poorly educated people typically make very poor LSC members. No school system can be improved by the leadership of the poorly educated. If it wasn't for the racial implications, this would be an obvious fact.
race to the top
wOW WHAT A SUCCESS RACE TO THE tOP HAS BEEN... Duncan and Obama have completed what bush left off!! now teachers more than hate their jobs....this will really help educate the chidren and recuit a new generation of teachers???
felons on LSCs?--what is law dept doing about that
what?
CPS can save $ by paying successful school teachers less!
From Rod Estvan at 299: I don't agree with this statement: "Here is another consideration: teachers are paid a salary based on a negotiated schedule. You can't have a teacher at Elementary School A being paid X dollars for 6.5 hours and teachers at ES-B being paid the same salary for 7.5 hours." Public Act 097-0008 more commonly know as SB7 allows CPS to force the CTU to have what ever working hours the Board of Education determines is appropriate and it does not require each school to have uniform working hours.
115 ILCS 5/4.5 (a) specifically eliminates CTU's collective bargaining rights over the length of the school day at the determination of the CPS Board. It is my understanding that CPS has elected to not bargain over the length of the school day during the current labor discussions. There is no rule that requires CPS to enter into a wage and benefit based contract with the CTU that requires a uniform school day among all schools or a uniform wage scale for all teachers based on having the same hours of work.
In fact if the majority of higher performing CPS schools had a shorter school day there is no reason to believe that the teachers at these schools would not accept a different wage scale than teachers at lower performing schools with a longer school day. These schools are after all simply put the best jobs in the system and would have no problem at all in filling slots.
I would also add that the IL Supreme Court decision in CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION, LOCAL No. 1, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, Appellee, v. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO et al. Appellants, fundamentally elininated most tenure rights of CTU teachers. Basically CPS could layoff even tenured teachers at these higher performing schools with shorter working hours if they did not accept a lower wage scale than those teachers working the longer day at lower performing schools. Any laid off tenured teachers, based on the Supreme Court decision are entitled to no process at all in which they have a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications for
vacant positions with the Board, unless that is negotiated in the upcoming contract.
Just for the record I am not cheering that CPS now has these vast powers, but we need to realize CPS does not have to be a one size fits all school district based on labor contracts. Based on Public Act 097-0008 that is not a legitimate argument for forcing the longer day on schools and families that do not want it. CPS is forcing this issue based simply on bureaucratic instincts reinforced by the Mayor's less than fexible approach to this issue.
Rod Estvan
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