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The Illinois Education Labor Relations Board certified on Thursday the union drive at three Chicago International charter schools run by the education management organization Civitas. But their word may not be final one, as another petition is pending at the national level and may override this decision.
After learning that a majority of its teachers had submitted union cards to the state labor board in April, lawyers for Civitas petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hear the case instead. They argued that Civitas teachers are technically private employees, working for a nonprofit, and are not subject to the state labor board’s jurisdiction.
If the national board accepts the case, it could force teachers to reconsider their union bid in a secret ballot, giving Civitas administrators time to craft a case against unionization. As CEO Simon Hess puts it, Civitas wants teachers to be able “to make an informed decision” in a private setting.
The state board, on the other hand, simply inspects the authenticity of union card signatures and determines if a majority of employees have, in fact, opted to join the union. About three-fourths of the teachers at the Civitas schools signed union cards, according to the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), which supported the organizing push.
It’s unclear whether the state labor board’s decision will stand. Earlier this week, Civitas and union lawyers argued their sides at a hearing before national labor board officials. Final briefs are due May 6; the national board will make a decision soon after, Hess notes.
Among other concerns, Hess is worried that a union contract may impinge upon his charter schools’ ability to provide a longer school day and year, as well as impacting the schools’ right to hire non-certified teachers. Hess also wants to ensure that the schools continue to base teacher evaluation on school achievement goals, especially as measured by student performance on assessments.
Teachers at Civitas schools want a recognized voice in school decision making. They say teacher turnover spiked in the wake of increased class loads.
Speaking to reporters at the Education Writers Association conference in Washington, D.C., this week, AFT President Randi Weingarten weighed in organizing charter school teachers.
Weingarten charged that charter advocates are fighting “tooth and nail” against teacher unionization drives, most notably at KIPP Amps school in New York and at Civitas schools in Chicago.
Instead of fighting, she challenged charter school advocates to accept unions in cases where teachers clearly want them, and to find ways to use charter-union contracts as a testing ground for improving teacher labor contracts in general.
“Charters have a very important role to play as innovators and incubators,” she says. “Why not engage with us … and let charters be incubators of good labor relations.”
Hess counters, “I get Randi’s point and I get the rhetoric.”
He suggests that Weingarten and other labor leaders need to focus first on finding ways to innovate in traditional schools.
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Sat May 2, 2009 at 4:31 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
"Hess is worried that a union contract may impinge upon his charter schools’ ability to provide a longer school day and year, as well as impacting the schools’ right to hire non-certified teachers"
That's funny, until this article appeared Hess had never said he was against CICS/Civitas teachers being represented by a union; his previous line was that he was only concerned that the decision be made in the "appropriate venue" (the employer-friendly NLRB, which governs unionization in the private sector -- not in public charter schools).
As one of the 75% of CICS/Civitas teachers who have expressed to Mr. Hess and Dr. Purvis our desire to be represented by a union, I applaud this first step toward honesty . May they take many more.
That's funny, until this article appeared Hess had never said he was against CICS/Civitas teachers being represented by a union; his previous line was that he was only concerned that the decision be made in the "appropriate venue" (the employer-friendly NLRB, which governs unionization in the private sector -- not in public charter schools).
As one of the 75% of CICS/Civitas teachers who have expressed to Mr. Hess and Dr. Purvis our desire to be represented by a union, I applaud this first step toward honesty . May they take many more.
Mon May 4, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
Sounds like you hate your bosses and hate working for them. Why not look for a better place to work, or a place where you don't have to work, like a unionized CPS school. Leave the charters to the teachers who want to work and actually care for their kids.
Mon May 4, 2009 at 7:42 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
Ah cynical poster, you are clearly ignorant to the Civitas/CICS situation. The teachers do not hate the administration; the teachers love the students. The 75% of teachers who created this union care about their students so much, they will fight for the right to have a voice in the students' education.
The number of foolish decisions that have been suggested (and worse, made!) has frustrated teachers and students alike. Teachers were unable to voice their opinions for fear of being written up. Teachers and school administration have been written up, run off, and bullied into submission for trying to stand up for the students. One such teacher was written up for disagreeing with the former CEO's not-so-brilliant idea of having students vote for a new principal.
These 3 charter schools are the creation of a labor of love by teachers who DO care for the students. The curriculum, the community, the spirit of the schools were all created, nurtured, and maintained by the teachers. If we didn't care, we'd leave. But we're fighting for our students.
The number of foolish decisions that have been suggested (and worse, made!) has frustrated teachers and students alike. Teachers were unable to voice their opinions for fear of being written up. Teachers and school administration have been written up, run off, and bullied into submission for trying to stand up for the students. One such teacher was written up for disagreeing with the former CEO's not-so-brilliant idea of having students vote for a new principal.
These 3 charter schools are the creation of a labor of love by teachers who DO care for the students. The curriculum, the community, the spirit of the schools were all created, nurtured, and maintained by the teachers. If we didn't care, we'd leave. But we're fighting for our students.
Tue May 5, 2009 at 2:29 AM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
Hint to NT Teacher (teachers) about how to communicate this stuff now that the hard core union haters are being separated from the rest of humanity.
Be very specific.
Years ago, when the right wing union-busting talking points about our unions were just beginning to pop up at community forums and stuff like that, I started hearing that "a 300-page book of rules..." blah blah blah to deride our union contract. The ranters and railers (and most were shills for union busting; others, a minority, simply naifs who had picked up the right wing nonsense out of the air) just kept repeating that, as if the length of the contract itself was evidence of the problem.
Now that we've suffered from the results of their deregulation rantings with everything from toxic Thomas the Tank Engine trains for children to derivatives that "couldn't fail" and were AAA rated by Moody's (until they became worthless to the tune of a trillion dollars or two), it's time to demand that every line that's supposedly so bad in these "300-page" contracts be identified.
Most of the people who repeat this right wing deregulation nonsense can't talk about specifics. I used to carry around a contract and cite two of the briefest paragraphs in the one CTU has had with CPS for years.
The first states that math teachers must have blackboards in their rooms. (I'll let you find that one).
The second states "teachers and other bargaining unit members shall work under safe and healthful conditions." That's article 44-9 in the current CTU/CPS Agreement).
Those are brief enough for anyone. Sort of like "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances." (I hope I got that one straight from memory, but I think you get the point).
Be specific.
Give examples.
The reasons why we need all those pages and all those words is that once upon a time some idiot decided that a teacher in a high school (probably with a class of 35 squirrely freshmen) could teach "Algebra" without a blackboard. Or chalk. Or even desks, perhaps.
I had to enforce that seemingly absurd item twice. Once, when Steinmetz High School was going through rehabilitation, a dozen classes were meeting in the auditorium. We had to insist, at least, that those "classrooms" (every 20 rows or so) had a couple of portable blackboards, just in case the lighting was good enough so the kids could see something. That was "class". (We should have had a paragraph that said "Classes shall meet in classrooms with walls..." now that you think of it).
I won't go into the other example.
The "safe and healthful conditions" one should be obvious, but as soon as the real world creeps in, everything from gangsters with guns to rats and mice also arrives at a classroom near you. Half of my job as Director of Security and Safety at CTU was based on that simple paragraph (and I was only dealing with the gang-related "safety" part because we were understaffed; think of all the "health" related possibilities).
But to share (then depart) one example (a long-time favorite that some people may have heard).
One year (it may have been 1988) CPS decided to cancel routine pest extermination work in all schools. "No money" "Budget problems", the usual.
So we returned to Amundsen High School that summer to find the third floor (and most of the rest of the building, but third floor is the lunchroom at Amundsen, Gage Park, and Foreman -- all the same designed) infested with cockroaches.
As in you pull down the shade after a summer and a couple of dozens roaches and their cousins rain downs and rush for the walls. Black swarms of them. The same little critters featured (for English teachers) in Kafka's novella. Etc.
Administration answered my proposed Article 44-9 grievance with "no money." (As usual, there was money to hire another ten patronage hireling and a bit of nepotistic same same, but none to get the roaches out of our lunches and classrooms).
My members were very very very worried about bringing a hitchhiker home in purse or lunch box. So I began to document the problem by distributing a half dozen roach motels. Which I sited and dated. Then collected (all filled; no vacancies there) a week later.
I sealed the six filled roach motels in a bag and went into the principal (a nice guy by the way; Bruce Berndt, long before Ed Klunk polluted that office for eternity and a little more than that). Principal repeated "no money." I took out one example of the "evidence" the union would use at the next level of the grievance. Within a few days, we had the exterminators in.
Of course, they sprayed the building to a dangerously high level while teachers and students were in classes and gym. So a lot of us got sick that day. (It's always been how bosses work when you outflank them).
But by the next day, we were seeing fewer roaches. And they never dared claim there was no money for extermination (at least at Amundsen) again.
Later we can talk about how we got the cat to get rid of the mice that came in from the prairie up there, and how the cat got fleas and then the custodial workers who had to work near the car got fleas...
But that's a different 44-9 story.
And not one of these stories mentioned the Latin Kings, MLDs, Black P. Stones, GDs, BDs, etc. etc. etc. --
which are also covered under "teachers and other bargaining unit members shall work under safe and healthful conditions..."
"Northtown Teacher(s)"
Don't waste your time replying to people who recycle boilerplate right wing nonsense here or anywhere else.
They are just trying to get you to waste your time.
Focus on the language in the contract you're going to be living under once it's signed and sealed. As you already know, most of it will deal with things like (mandatory) professional problems committee meetings and stuff like blackboards (or whiteboards; gotta update) for math classes and no roaches in the lunchroom pizza this week.
Be very specific.
Years ago, when the right wing union-busting talking points about our unions were just beginning to pop up at community forums and stuff like that, I started hearing that "a 300-page book of rules..." blah blah blah to deride our union contract. The ranters and railers (and most were shills for union busting; others, a minority, simply naifs who had picked up the right wing nonsense out of the air) just kept repeating that, as if the length of the contract itself was evidence of the problem.
Now that we've suffered from the results of their deregulation rantings with everything from toxic Thomas the Tank Engine trains for children to derivatives that "couldn't fail" and were AAA rated by Moody's (until they became worthless to the tune of a trillion dollars or two), it's time to demand that every line that's supposedly so bad in these "300-page" contracts be identified.
Most of the people who repeat this right wing deregulation nonsense can't talk about specifics. I used to carry around a contract and cite two of the briefest paragraphs in the one CTU has had with CPS for years.
The first states that math teachers must have blackboards in their rooms. (I'll let you find that one).
The second states "teachers and other bargaining unit members shall work under safe and healthful conditions." That's article 44-9 in the current CTU/CPS Agreement).
Those are brief enough for anyone. Sort of like "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances." (I hope I got that one straight from memory, but I think you get the point).
Be specific.
Give examples.
The reasons why we need all those pages and all those words is that once upon a time some idiot decided that a teacher in a high school (probably with a class of 35 squirrely freshmen) could teach "Algebra" without a blackboard. Or chalk. Or even desks, perhaps.
I had to enforce that seemingly absurd item twice. Once, when Steinmetz High School was going through rehabilitation, a dozen classes were meeting in the auditorium. We had to insist, at least, that those "classrooms" (every 20 rows or so) had a couple of portable blackboards, just in case the lighting was good enough so the kids could see something. That was "class". (We should have had a paragraph that said "Classes shall meet in classrooms with walls..." now that you think of it).
I won't go into the other example.
The "safe and healthful conditions" one should be obvious, but as soon as the real world creeps in, everything from gangsters with guns to rats and mice also arrives at a classroom near you. Half of my job as Director of Security and Safety at CTU was based on that simple paragraph (and I was only dealing with the gang-related "safety" part because we were understaffed; think of all the "health" related possibilities).
But to share (then depart) one example (a long-time favorite that some people may have heard).
One year (it may have been 1988) CPS decided to cancel routine pest extermination work in all schools. "No money" "Budget problems", the usual.
So we returned to Amundsen High School that summer to find the third floor (and most of the rest of the building, but third floor is the lunchroom at Amundsen, Gage Park, and Foreman -- all the same designed) infested with cockroaches.
As in you pull down the shade after a summer and a couple of dozens roaches and their cousins rain downs and rush for the walls. Black swarms of them. The same little critters featured (for English teachers) in Kafka's novella. Etc.
Administration answered my proposed Article 44-9 grievance with "no money." (As usual, there was money to hire another ten patronage hireling and a bit of nepotistic same same, but none to get the roaches out of our lunches and classrooms).
My members were very very very worried about bringing a hitchhiker home in purse or lunch box. So I began to document the problem by distributing a half dozen roach motels. Which I sited and dated. Then collected (all filled; no vacancies there) a week later.
I sealed the six filled roach motels in a bag and went into the principal (a nice guy by the way; Bruce Berndt, long before Ed Klunk polluted that office for eternity and a little more than that). Principal repeated "no money." I took out one example of the "evidence" the union would use at the next level of the grievance. Within a few days, we had the exterminators in.
Of course, they sprayed the building to a dangerously high level while teachers and students were in classes and gym. So a lot of us got sick that day. (It's always been how bosses work when you outflank them).
But by the next day, we were seeing fewer roaches. And they never dared claim there was no money for extermination (at least at Amundsen) again.
Later we can talk about how we got the cat to get rid of the mice that came in from the prairie up there, and how the cat got fleas and then the custodial workers who had to work near the car got fleas...
But that's a different 44-9 story.
And not one of these stories mentioned the Latin Kings, MLDs, Black P. Stones, GDs, BDs, etc. etc. etc. --
which are also covered under "teachers and other bargaining unit members shall work under safe and healthful conditions..."
"Northtown Teacher(s)"
Don't waste your time replying to people who recycle boilerplate right wing nonsense here or anywhere else.
They are just trying to get you to waste your time.
Focus on the language in the contract you're going to be living under once it's signed and sealed. As you already know, most of it will deal with things like (mandatory) professional problems committee meetings and stuff like blackboards (or whiteboards; gotta update) for math classes and no roaches in the lunchroom pizza this week.
Tue May 5, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
What is to stop CICS from removing Civitas as the EMO over these three schools. If Civitas is removed and the schools are given to another EMO would the teachers still have jobs?
Wed May 6, 2009 at 8:05 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
I'm not sure about all the reasons they can't do that, although I know there are several. Here are two:
One is that Civitas is a wholly owned subsidiary of CICS, so the teachers at those three schools are jointly employed by both companies.
Another is that the agreement between CICS and Civitas is that the schools can be moved to another EMO only if they're failing to meet the benchmarks, and "exploited teachers" isn't one of them (although they probably just forgot to make it one).
I'm sure there are many more reasons, but those are two of the most obvious to me right now. If all it took was changing management companies - essentially changing a sign and a few of the bosses - to bust a union, they never would have taken hold anywhere.
One is that Civitas is a wholly owned subsidiary of CICS, so the teachers at those three schools are jointly employed by both companies.
Another is that the agreement between CICS and Civitas is that the schools can be moved to another EMO only if they're failing to meet the benchmarks, and "exploited teachers" isn't one of them (although they probably just forgot to make it one).
I'm sure there are many more reasons, but those are two of the most obvious to me right now. If all it took was changing management companies - essentially changing a sign and a few of the bosses - to bust a union, they never would have taken hold anywhere.
Wed May 6, 2009 at 8:46 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
Will CICS will receive all of their charter contracts this year? It seems that a whole lot of paperwork would need to be updated. It's a real shame that the dedicated Civitas educators have gone through so many difficulties with their mangement year after year. Between the teacher and administrative turnover, when the faculty photos and leadership photos are printed each year, the EMO will keep seeing new faces, of people who stoppped by to provide a charter school experience for public school students, with families who wanted their children at these wonderful schools. Advisory programs with home room advisors or even coaches or club moderators who keep moving on; curriculum that needs to have repeated to new staff; and administration that has been intimidated by the upper management. Maybe a survey of the climate could have been done, early on? Or has that been done already?
Wed May 6, 2009 at 8:51 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
I do not think the Civitas teachers are employees of CICS, I think they are only employees of the EMO which is why the teachers may have a union with Civitas but without an actual job, CICS will not want other campuses to unionize, my fear is that there is a reason why the teachers do not have contracts yet for next year, I am willing to bet that CICS is looking at a way to dissolve Civitas and place "Chicago Rise" in charge, look at the headline from April 2008, that is kind of odd that the CEO of Civitas is replaced in April, and the two heads of Chicago Rise come aboard to lead Civitas, IF CICS can creatively re-write thier contracts what is to stop them from creatively dissolving thier own creation {Civitas} and transfering the flag back to Chicago Rise
Chicago, IL (May 16, 2008) – Chicago International Charter School (CICS) and NewSchools Venture Fund are pleased to announce the addition of Simon Hess and Stacy Beardsley to ChicagoRise, a new nonprofit education organization that will manage the turnaround of low-performing public schools in Chicago.
Simon Hess joins ChicagoRise as the chief executive officer. Stacy Beardsley will serve as the chief academic officer. Together, Hess and Beardsley have more than twenty years of experience in the education arena.
"We are thrilled to have Simon and Stacy join our team," said Elizabeth Purvis, executive director of CICS. "Under their leadership, ChicagoRise will move forward to provide public school students more and better opportunities for a top-notch education."
CICS is partnering with the San Francisco-based NewSchools Venture Fund to form ChicagoRise, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chicago International that will manage "turnaround" schools. These schools, with extended histories of low performance, will be managed in a way that seeks to dramatically improve results for students. ChicagoRise will seek to manage turnaround schools as part of Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010, an initiative designed to create more high quality educational options across Chicago. Plans are under way for two elementary schools to be run by ChicagoRise in September 2009, with more to come in the future.
Chicago, IL (May 16, 2008) – Chicago International Charter School (CICS) and NewSchools Venture Fund are pleased to announce the addition of Simon Hess and Stacy Beardsley to ChicagoRise, a new nonprofit education organization that will manage the turnaround of low-performing public schools in Chicago.
Simon Hess joins ChicagoRise as the chief executive officer. Stacy Beardsley will serve as the chief academic officer. Together, Hess and Beardsley have more than twenty years of experience in the education arena.
"We are thrilled to have Simon and Stacy join our team," said Elizabeth Purvis, executive director of CICS. "Under their leadership, ChicagoRise will move forward to provide public school students more and better opportunities for a top-notch education."
CICS is partnering with the San Francisco-based NewSchools Venture Fund to form ChicagoRise, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chicago International that will manage "turnaround" schools. These schools, with extended histories of low performance, will be managed in a way that seeks to dramatically improve results for students. ChicagoRise will seek to manage turnaround schools as part of Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010, an initiative designed to create more high quality educational options across Chicago. Plans are under way for two elementary schools to be run by ChicagoRise in September 2009, with more to come in the future.
Sun May 10, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
I just want to lend my encouragement to those teachers and school leaders who are taking-on this complex and difficult issue of unionizing teachers at charter schools. This is a very important debate, and the rest of us at charter schools all across Chicago are watching closely.
We are drawn to this work by altruism--a desire to participate in a positive change larger than ourselves or just our own classrooms. This is a common fact among teachers AND leaders at charter schools. An unfortunate side effect of choosing a work out of altruism is that drawing any sort of personal boundary becomes taboo. Because altruism is the foundation of charter schools' culture, it is almost forbidden to request any sort of personal benefit from them.
This is a ridiculous quandary that need not exist. Though I know the AFT president was goading her adversaries with her suggestion, I believe it IS true that everyone in public education stands to benefit from a thorough, honest, and honorable exploration of how charter school teachers can earn job rights and protections without eliminating the liberty and choice that make charters adaptable and dynamic. Compromise can be made on both sides, with the result being a much more sustainable work place that can further thwart charters' reputation as workplaces that cannot be replicated on a larger scale.
We are drawn to this work by altruism--a desire to participate in a positive change larger than ourselves or just our own classrooms. This is a common fact among teachers AND leaders at charter schools. An unfortunate side effect of choosing a work out of altruism is that drawing any sort of personal boundary becomes taboo. Because altruism is the foundation of charter schools' culture, it is almost forbidden to request any sort of personal benefit from them.
This is a ridiculous quandary that need not exist. Though I know the AFT president was goading her adversaries with her suggestion, I believe it IS true that everyone in public education stands to benefit from a thorough, honest, and honorable exploration of how charter school teachers can earn job rights and protections without eliminating the liberty and choice that make charters adaptable and dynamic. Compromise can be made on both sides, with the result being a much more sustainable work place that can further thwart charters' reputation as workplaces that cannot be replicated on a larger scale.
Fri May 22, 2009 at 5:18 AM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
This shell game has to stop. The tax dollars meant for kids virtually stop at CICS's door in the form of very generous salaries (Beth Purvis). The remaining money then goes to the EMO which takes a cut for there central leadership team. The little remaining then goes to the campus level and for kids. CICS and Civitas only care about getting kids in the seats until the month of October in order to get the per pupil expenditure dollars from CPS, after that they do not care if the kids choose to leave. What is even more disturbing is that CICS makes every campus submit comliance reports on virtually everything. These reports are aimed at one thing which is to find minute mistakes in the report to thus justify taking more money away from the campus and putting it back into CICS general funds. It is in these compliance reports that lie the problem. The purpose of the report is to find a flaw, to justify taking back the money. This is why administrators at the campus level virtually dissapear over night, How many Directors and Associate Directors started this year and did not finish. I heard 3 of six, 1 Director and 2 Associate Directors started but did not finish.
Fri May 22, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Charter teachers union gets thumbs up from state
Also at Civitas, they have had 2 CEO's this school year, 2 HR Directors (both from non educational backgrounds), they're on their 3rd External Affairs administrator, are still down one Technology Director, and the campuses hardly see the Chief Academic Officer who is employed by a north suburban high school district, with the other CAO who has just come aboard. Not to mention the various educational staff who have left throughout this school year, additionally, who have either resigned or been chased out. As for the students, head counts bring in dollars. I agree, I have heard that the administrators definatley make the dollars at the organizational level. Too bad the families don't get more involved with their tax paying dollars. They see a safe choice for sending their child to a school with khaki uniform pants and primarily young teachers, who will most likely not spend the whole four years with those students due to high turnover.
Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 6:34 PM
Question about principals power
Are principals abusing their power? Many principals say that the union has lost its power and that they are running and hiding from the board. I think it is very inappropriate to openly talk like that in front of staff members. I say this because my principal tells the staff that he has the right to fire anyone, despite tenure. He is currently threatening a tenured teacher with an impeccable record and ratings. What is happening?
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