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: One step closer to—a teachers strike
By: Cassandra West / July 19, 2012
Chicago got closer to a possible teachers strike Wednesday afternoon as the Chicago Board of Education and the Chicago Teachers Union rejected the recommendations made by an outside mediator in the ongoing contract negotiations between the union and the financially strapped school district. (WBEZ)
Both the School Board and the Chicago Teachers Union rejected an arbitrator’s proposed contract settlement Wednesday, starting the 30-day countdown to a possible teacher strike. (Catalyst)
Aldermen representing as many as eight wards across the city are maneuvering to place advisory referenda on the Nov. 6 ballot asking their voters whether they want to make the switch to an elected school board. (Sun-Times)
In rejecting an arbitrator's report Wednesday that recommended a healthy pay hike, the Chicago Teachers Union indicated it will push for a deal that gives members greater job security and a say in how the longer school day plays out next year. Chicago Public Schools has indicated it won't budge on the longer day, but with momentum and newfound leverage on the union's side, the district may have no choice but to listen to the teachers' demands.
A Tribune editorial says any new teachers contract must protect the longer day and expand the charters. And, adds "teachers deserve a modest raise to work a longer day."
Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ-Chicago)—a member of CODE (Communities Organized for Democracy in Education)—put together this radio commercial in response to misinformation being spread by some big money astroturf groups. CODE is a coalition of over a dozen parent, teacher and community groups that seeks to bring an ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE School Board to Chicago. (Choice Media)
IN THE NATION
Six states—Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and South Carolina—and the District of Columbia are the latest to be approved for waivers from many mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday. (Education Week)
The White House is turning its attention back to STEM education, as the Obama administration lays out plans to launch a national "master-teacher corps" to recognize and reward top educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goal over four years is to identify 10,000 such STEM master teachers around the nation, the White House says. (Education Week)
Colbert skewers Texas GOP on its rejection of "critical thinking." (The Washington Post)
With new federal standards for school meals going into effect this month, and a renewed focus on the issue brought by the first lady Michelle Obama, thousands of school chefs, food service workers and nutrition experts from around the country gathered in Denver this week at an annual conference put on by the School Nutrition Association, a nonprofit organization of school food professionals. (The New York Times)
CTU members get ready to
CTU members get ready to strike. The mayor is not backing down from the longer school day, and the CTU members are not willing to work without proper compensation. I'm not interested in any other promises or non-monetary offers. We didn't get a raise last year but the charter schools continued to receive millions of dollars in funding. CPS better start closing some of those charter schools to make room for teacher pay. I can't wait to vote Rhampulstilskin out of office.
I With You, Avenger!
I hear you! Instead of Rahm and his friends racking in millions of tax payers monies to line their pockets for schools who do not have a proven track record of doing better than traditonal public schools he needs to either pay employees or not have the longer school day which CPS can not afford. It's also strange that it hasn't been mentioned in any news media outlet how CPS employees are tax payers! We have a big stake in CPS's budget seeing how our taxes are going up when CPS comes and stated that they will raise our property taxes. Rahm & CO should just admit as stated in Mr. Benn's report that maybe they need to revisit the longer school day. They obviously don't have the money now. Instead they should concentrate on providing a better school day for ALL CPS students by providing the same type of activites like Rahm and some of the Board members' children enjoyed. Working in a hot building and classroom with out air conditioning with children either throwing up, fainting or being rushed to the hospital due to the heat doesn't sound like a better school day to me. CPS needs to live within their budget.
Strike
Go on strike then. Our students made very little gains with you. Actually, a longer school day with our current teaching talent will yield the same results.
the simpleton view... teacher talent
Anonymous may I subscribe to your logic: then I would be a "good" teacher if I taught in Wilmette or a selective enrollment school?
Not true! Our neighborhood school-where CPS had taken money
and teachers away from us year after year, where we are overcrowded- we did well on ISAT. So well, that parents in charters are asking to come to our school. Yet, Cawley and his ilk continue to kill us by bleedding us to death.
The employees at this school do their best everyday in over-crowded rooms with the highest special ed rates, to do our best with our students. Thank you CTU for showing the bullies at CPS--Rahm, Vitale and Cawley.
Lousy Management
I've worked for great managers, great leaders. If I needed something, they did their best to get it to me. If they needed something from me, I gave it to them. I knew it would always come back to me. We agreed on the mission.
These guys downtown? Clowns, grasping parasites. They are not worthy of being followed.
I don't think its the money, or the longer day, or any of that... It's the natural need to defend yourself, and your clientele, against inept political climbers whose interest is their legacy and not the mission you've been assigned to accomplish.
To Urbanteach
Let me subscribe to your lack of talent and logic. A good teacher is a good teacher, is a good teacher, is a good teacher........ Regarless of where you teach.
your words and logic, not mine
"Actually, a longer school day with our current teaching talent will yield the same results." Quite a statement for an entire district. Sorry to offend, clearly I upset you. I don't subscribe to broad statements such as yours regarding a system characterized by many faults. There are many talented teachers withing the district, whether you characterize us as so or not. I found your comment limiting regarding the discussion.
where you teach
You can be a "good teacher". You can be a good "factory worker"....but if your factory has bad materials and bad tools....your product will suffer. This same logic is true of teachers. We can be "good" but if we have large class sizes, violent chidlren, a mayor and board motivated by "fame', and hypocritical and harmful administrators...our product will suffer, thus negating and "value" we add. the same can be said about a longer day. you think a teacher will have much difference with 40 kids in a longer day. teachers and students only have so much energy to deal with hot rooms and old books and supplies.
CPS will now test kindergarten - 8th gr. students 3 X per year
http://zhaolearning.com/2012/06/17/common-sense-vs-common-core-how-to-mi...
Teacher have RIGHTS TOO!!!! STRIKE!!!!
@ Anonymous it's no wonder you can't understand what teachers go through with educating children in ways parents SHOULD have! The tireless hours off the clock they spend on someone else's child instead of their own families. People like you don't understand because you DON'T want to.
VERY TRUE!!! RHAM DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!
I agree 100%. A longer school day will NOT produce greater test results it will make for a longer day of frustration, disruptions, irritations, and disrespect. UNTIL parents take more responsibility for their children there will NOT be any significant improvements in the education system. Teachers can't do it all. When they are faced with disrespectful students AND parents daily how can any meaningful learning take place?
Spoken by someone who DOESN'T Teach!!!
You can put the "best" teacher in the worst circumstances imaginable and there will only be marginable gains. Which is what'happening now! CPS expects these children who have parents with little to no education thus incapable of even helping their children to be geniuses. The small gains made ARE mounumental progress for such children. CPS needs to be REALISTIC about the progress being made and create realistic goals that can be attained much easier.
STRIKE! AND DO NOT RE-ELECT RAHM!!!!
RAHM EMMANNUEL DOES NOT HAVE A SHOT IN HELL OF EVER BEING RE-ELECTED AS THE MAYOR OF CHICAGO AGAIN!!!! HE IS THE WORST MAYOR THIS CITY HAS EVER HAD!!!! SO HEARTLESS AND CRUEL! I DIDN'T THINK IT COULD GET WORSE THAN DALEY! BUT I WAS WRONG!!!!
rahm
he was so concerened about the children's education that he moved to washington dc to work for the president? haahha
Ratification of the Contract.
Hopefully the voting will be fair.
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