catalyst-chicago.org

If Chicago teachers strike, “many, many hundreds” of parents will join them on the picket line because the union’s desires reflect parent desires, a parent group charged Wednesday, the Sun-Times reported.

Ahead of the heatwave expected to bring 100-degree temperatures to the area, Chicago Public School officials have canceled summer school classes at 10 schools that lack air conditioning, the Tribune reports this morning. Classes have been canceled at the following schools: Altgeld, 1340 W. 71st St.; Attucks, 5055 S. State St.; Bennett, 10115 S. Prairie Ave.; Courtenay, 1726 W. Berteau Ave.; Faraday, 3250 W. Monroe St.; Gregory Academy, 3715 W. Polk St.; Holden, 1104 W. 31st St.; Penn, 1616 S Avers Ave.; Stevenson, 8010 S Kostner Ave., and Harold Washington, 9130 S University Ave.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey said the pace of contract talks has picked up since an overwhelming number of teachers voted earlier this month to authorize a strike, according to the Tribune. This story also includes more on Wednesday's school board meeting.

For the second year in a row, CPS will raise property taxes to the max in order to fill a budget deficit, projected to be between $600 and $700 million. (Catalyst)

And, from the Sun-Times: For the second year in a row, Chicago Public School officials under Mayor Rahm Emanuel will raise property taxes for schools to the maximum allowed by law, yielding the cash-strapped system $41 million.

IN THE STATE
Teacher pension costs would eat up all of the Springfield School District’s property tax growth in the first two years if responsibility for pension obligations is transferred from the state of Illinois to the school district, according to a State Journal-Register analysis.

IN THE NATION
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he may veto a bill weakening teacher-tenure protections that won unanimous approval in the Democratic-controlled Legislature because it doesn’t go far enough. (Bloomberg)

Michelle Rhee's national education reform group, StudentsFirst, which has set out to transform U.S. schools by introducing more free-market principles to public education, raised $7.6 million in its first nine months — and spent nearly a quarter of it on advertising – according to partial tax records released on Monday. (Reuters/ctunet.com)

Microsoft will offer its Office 365 software, typically purchased by businesses for communication and collaboration, to schools for free through cloud computing, the company announced on Wednesday. (Education Week)

Administrators at Stuyvesant High School, in Lower Manhattan, are investigating an apparent case of cheating that may have involved more than 80 students communicating about exams via text message, students said, offering a glimpse of what some called a pervasive cheating problem at one of New York City’s most prestigious public schools. (The New York Times)