As negotiations begin on a new Chicago Teachers Union contract, expect them to push for higher pay, less work, less accountability and less competition. None of those things will lead to better educations for Chicago’s children.
Nearly 500 education employees have stopped affiliating with CTU in the past year. But the number of members leaving the union could be even larger than currently reported.
For the first time since the Chicago Teachers Union started filing federal reports, the union reported spending more money than it took in for its 2023 fiscal year. It underscores members’ concerns about union leaders for years failing to provide required audits.
New data filed with the U.S. Department of Labor shows Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates’ total income tops $289,000. The average household income of families receiving the Invest in Kids scholarships she wants to kill “for good” is just $45,046.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s most recent federal report reveals just 17% of its spending in 2023 was on representing teachers, but it tripled its political spending from the previous year. Nearly 500 teachers left the union.
The Chicago Teachers Union has registered opposition to just one bill in the Illinois General Assembly’s current legislative session: one that would have created opportunities for low-income parents to send their children to private schools.
Stacy Davis Gates’ hypocrisy isn’t just about denying families the private school choices she enjoys. It’s also a blatant attack on public school options, particularly public charter schools.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will give Illinois students access to donor money if the state opts into the program.