Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates decried standardized testing. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said schools should be measured by spending, not performance. ‘Accountability’ is not in their vocabulary.
Chicago teachers were handed a union without the ability to choose for themselves. It’s the result of a system that props up government unions at the expense of the members they are supposed to serve.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates had words for state lawmakers, the governor, corporations and financial institutions at a public bargaining session over a new union contract. She said union demands are not a money discussion, but rather about culture.
Nearly 31% of public school teachers in Chicago send at least one of their kids to private school. What does that say about the quality of a public-school education in Chicago?
The federal filings of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and its national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, reveal questionable spending, with little spent on representing teachers, millions spent on politics and deficit spending while the big boss got $500K.
Chicago Public Schools just passed a $9.9 billion budget that spends nearly $30,000 per student. Despite receiving most city property taxes, boosted state funding and about 40% of federal aid, the new teachers contract will put the budget in the red.
The Chicago Teachers Union is seeking a $543k property tax cut that would take about $301K from the schools where its members teach. CTU’s also making over $10 billion in contract demands, which would certainly drive up Chicagoans’ tax bills.
With 10 Chicago Public Schools Board of Education seats on the Nov. 5 ballot up for grabs, the battle is on for the Chicago Teachers Union to take full control of the city and district.
The Chicago Teachers Union is putting political goals in its contract demands, something not found in other large cities. It is trying to impose policy on the public without elected representatives debating whether the policies will hurt students and taxpayers.
Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade...