Which school will the Lake County Federation of Teachers shut down next?
On Oct. 2, the Lake County Federation of Teachers, or LCFT, began a public-employee union shutdown of Waukegan Unit School District 60 schools, which serve 16,138 students. In the wake of the strike, the Waukegan community is dealing with a dramatic disruption to their lives, with closed schools and parents struggling to find childcare and...
On Oct. 2, the Lake County Federation of Teachers, or LCFT, began a public-employee union shutdown of Waukegan Unit School District 60 schools, which serve 16,138 students.
In the wake of the strike, the Waukegan community is dealing with a dramatic disruption to their lives, with closed schools and parents struggling to find childcare and educational opportunities for their kids.
What school district will the LCFT, or other unions, decide to shut down next?
The LCFT represents approximately 5,500 teachers in 20 different school districts across Lake County. These districts are home to more than 75,000 students.
Below is a list of school districts represented by the LCFT union, their student enrollment and the expiration of the current LCFT contract. Strikes typically occur a year or two after a contract expires.
The LCFT union strike in Waukegan is a stark warning to parents and taxpayers regarding the power of unions to shut down schools and leave communities scrambling for educational opportunities for their children.
Without school-choice initiatives and the power to take their tax dollars elsewhere, parents are powerless to serve as a check against the willingness of public-employee unions to shut down schools via strike.
Parents and taxpayers should take note of the LCFT’s strike in Waukegan and get engaged with their local school boards.
Besides running for office, parents and taxpayers can insist local school boards adopt a policy of open collective bargaining, as proposed in House Bill 3310. Only then can parents and taxpayers be an integral part of a balanced collective bargaining process.
Collective bargaining negotiations are likely to yield the most important and most costly contracts school boards will ever decide upon, but all too often parents and taxpayers are locked out of the process.
To avoid strikes, and to have balanced collective bargaining contracts for everyone involved, it is crucial for parents and taxpayers are an integral part of these important negotiations.
A community shouldn’t be held hostage by a labor union that is willing to shut down public schools and shut out students from their educational hopes and dreams.