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Chicago Tribune: Chicago Teachers Union didn’t help investigation of student sexual violence, consultant says
The Chicago Teachers Union failed to participate in a major study aimed at protecting students from sexual violence, according to the study and its authors.
Consultant Maggie Hickey, a former federal prosecutor hired last year to help Chicago Public Schools revamp its Office of Student Protections and Title IX, wrote in a Sept. 26 report that she tried repeatedly to seek the input of CTU President Jesse Sharkey but received no cooperation.
Chicago Tribune: CPS teachers are being offered 16% raises. Here’s a look at why they’re holding out and might go on strike.
If the Chicago Teachers Union accepts the city’s current offer, the average teacher salary will approach six figures by the end of a five-year contract, according to city estimates.
But if union members take the deal now, they’ll lose a significant bargaining chip in their play for other central demands, like more school nurses, social workers and librarians. And they’ll lose some of their power to strike — as they plan to do on Oct. 17 unless they settle a new contract first.
Crain's Chicago Business: Here's what's selling in our bleak real estate market
As of the end of August, the number of homes sold in the city year to date was down a little more than 7 percent, and in the nine-county metro area, down nearly 6 percent. The decline is everywhere from recently white-hot Avondale, where sales are running almost 13.5 percent behind 2018, to longtime suburban stalwart Naperville, where they’re down more than 9 percent.
Rockford Register-Star: Rockford recoups costs of demolishing blighted former nursing home
A long chain-link fence separates Brown Park from what is now an empty field at 1920 N. Main St., former site of a blighted nursing home that burned down in December after years of neglect.
Demolition of the structure has vastly improved the area, said Vickie Fogel, president of the North End Square Neighborhood Association. Fogel’s dream is that one day the field the nursing home once occupied will be turned into an accessible playground and picnic area, perhaps with space for people to play with their dogs.
Rockford Register-Star: Rockford Public Schools still recovering from ransomware attack
It’s been four weeks since Rockford Public Schools lost all access to computers, laptops, tablets and anything else connected to servers or the internet, and computer use across the district remains limited as technicians continue to rebuild IT infrastructure.
Phone service, which was down or intermittent at several schools and district buildings, email, internet and Wi-Fi all returned as of last week. This week, the last of the desktop computers located in each classroom for teachers were back up and running and able to access educational websites and tools.