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Chicago Teachers Union Votes for a “Day of Action” on April 1

By dianeravitch
March 24, 2016 //
13

Frustrated by ongoing budget cuts, layoffs, and the Chicago school board’s support for privatization, the Chicago Teachers Union voted overwhelmingly to take a “Day of Action” on April 1. 

 

The union has been fighting for the needs of the students of Chicago public schools. The union is in a two-front battle for survival: Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner both prefer charter schools to public schools. Both are hostile to the CTU. Rauner, a hedge fund manager and political amateur, has been unable to get a budget passed by the legislature, and the schools face a growing deficit without adequate funding. Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools–led by a non-educator–is demanding ever more layoffs and budget cuts. Chicago doesn’t want to pay for public education. The constant attacks on the union and on teachers hurts children. It means increased class sizes and loss of the arts, librarians, and other services.

 

 

Teachers will be walking off the job April 1 for a “day of action” the Chicago Teachers Union said it hopes will help pressure the city and state to properly fund the school system.

 

After months of threatening the action, the union’s House of Delegates took the vote during a meeting Wednesday night at the International Operating Engineers Hall, 2260 S. Grove St. The union voted to authorize the strike with 486 votes, said union President Karen Lewis.

 

Another 124 members voted against the day of action, but only because they thought an official strike should be organized immediately, Lewis said.

 

“The labor conditions have gotten to a point where they are not tolerable,” Lewis said at a news conference after the vote.

Whereas the union has traditionally clashed with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over issues of funding and school closures, this time the teachers are putting Gov. Bruce Rauner within their crosshairs.

 

The action is needed because the budget impasse and political stalemate in the General Assembly have led to unfair working conditions for teachers in Chicago Public Schools.

 

The lack of a state budget has placed tremendous financial burden on the school system. Teachers already have been asked to take three furlough days so the district can save $30 million, with the first furlough day scheduled for Friday.

 

“We are dying the death by 1,000 cuts,” Lewis said. “We cannot go on like this … We need Gov. Rauner to get a budget passed.”

 

 

Categories Budget Cuts, Chicago, Funding, Unions

Arne Duncan Finds a Job

By dianeravitch
March 20, 2016 //
41
Categories Chicago, Duncan, Arne, Education Reform

Sanders Calls Rahm “A Terrible Mayor”

By dianeravitch
March 13, 2016 //
24

Thanks to a reader who posted this link about Bernie Sanders’ denunciation of Rahm Emanuel, in the days leading up to the Illinois primary. (I don’t thank him, however, for implying that my failure to post it was an effort to protect Hillary; I don’t actually read every newspaper in the U.S. and had not seen this story until this morning.)

 

Bernie Sanders, whose campaign in Illinois has been fueled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s biggest critics, is using the unpopular mayor’s support for Hillary Clinton to cut into her home state lead as he stumps in Chicago and Champaign-Urbana in the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary vote.

 

Pounding on the Emanuel and Clinton connections is a major part of Sanders’ strategy. It can be seen in his paid advertising in the Chicago market in the campaign’s closing days and in my exclusive interview with him Friday night before he rallied before several thousand supporters at Argo Community High School in southwest suburban Summit.

 

“I think he’s been a terrible mayor,” Sanders told me.

 

A few minutes later, at the rally, the crowd roared when Sanders said, “I want to thank Rahm Emanuel for not endorsing me. I don’t want to be endorsed by a mayor who is shutting down school after school and firing teachers.”

 

Emanuel has been absent from Clinton’s presidential bid for months, politically toxic to her because of the police shootings, his closing of Chicago public schools and his own mega fundraising from the very corporate interests Sanders deplores.

 

Nice to learn that Rahm Emanuel has become “toxic” to presidential candidates, since he has been toxic to Chicago’s public school teachers and students for the past four and a half years.

Categories Chicago, Education Reform, Emanuel, Rahm, Politics

Chicago Public Schools Sues Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Co-Defendants for $65 Million

By dianeravitch
March 11, 2016 //
5

Thanks to reader Chiara for calling attention to this new development in Chicago.

 

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago public schools are suing former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the SUPES Academy, Synesi Associates, and Gary Solomon, who owns the companies named, for $65 million. Byrd-Bennett was convicted last year in a scheme to take kickbacks from the companies.
“In plain terms, Defendants have stolen money from Plaintiff and the schoolchildren of the City of Chicago, and that money should be returned,” the school board said in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.

 

Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty and faces up to 7 and 1/2 years in prison. The others are negotiating possible guilty pleas with federal prosecutors.

 

The federal indictment accused Solomon and Vranas of arranging to pay Byrd-Bennett as much as $2.3 million in kickbacks and other perks in exchange for her using her influence to award more than $23 million in no-bid contracts to SUPES Academy. Byrd-Bennett had previously worked as a consultant for SUPES.

 

Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool framed the lawsuit as an effort to “fight for every dollar our children deserve.”

 

The lawsuit hinges on Illinois law that entitles public entities defrauded by corrupt individuals and companies to three times the amount of what was “fraudulently obtained,” Claypool said.

 

That would include salary, pension contributions or other payments CPS made to Byrd-Bennett and her co-conspirators, Claypool said. As a consultant and as CEO for CPS, Byrd-Bennett received almost $870,000, according to the lawsuit. Solomon, Vranas, SUPES and another company, Synesi, were paid a total of $15.5 million, the lawsuit said.

 

Claypool said “there’s no guarantee whatsoever” that CPS would receive restitution as a result of the federal case against Byrd-Bennett and SUPES’ owners. But the state law “gives us a path to recover these dollars,” he said.

 

“These gentlemen have been in business a long time, all over the country. We’re entitled to discover assets, we have various legal tools available to us to track those assets and we will pursue every one of them,” Claypool said.

 

The link includes a link to the court papers.

 

Categories Accountability, Cheating, Chicago, Education Reform

Chicago: Troy LaRaviere Speaks Out Without Fear

By dianeravitch
March 6, 2016 //
6

Troy LaRaviere is principal of Blaine Elementary School in Chicago, which has received many honors.

 

Troy could rest on his laurels, but instead he keeps speaking out against the injustices done to the children of Chicago by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner. He filmed a tape on behalf of Rahm’s opponent, Chuy Garcia. He has written numerous articles protesting budget cuts and unfair treatment of teachers and students.

 

Recently, the Chicago station WGN interviewed Troy about his beliefs, his candor, and his personal history. Despite the stellar record of his school, Troy LaRaviere was warned by the Chicago Board of Education that he was on thin ice. He seems to revel in skating on thin ice. He wants a city that is better for the children of Chicago, including his own son.

 

There have been persistent rumors that he might run against Rahm Emanuel in the next election. That is a long way off, and it is hard to see how he can compete with the banks and lawyers that support Emanuel. But it would be one interesting contest.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Chicago

Chicago: Jay Travis for State Representative

By dianeravitch
February 20, 2016 //
2

The best and only way to restore democracy in Chicago is to vote for people who believe in democracy. Vote!

 

Here is a candidate who rejects the billionaires’ agenda: Jay Travis. She is running for State Representative in the 26th District against an ally of Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Rauner.

 

The race is a rematch; Travis lost to Christian Mitchell two years ago by a few hundred votes. The biggest issue in the contest is education. 

 

Travis’s main thrust is to paint Mitchell as a “Rauner Democrat,” based on large donations he’s received from wealthy allies of Gov. Bruce Rauner and from groups backing charter schools and pension cuts. Indeed, Mitchell has been one of the top recipients of funds both statewide and nationally from Stand For Children, a group brought to Illinois by Rauner in an effort to undercut union influence and bargaining rights; it’s backed by a bevy of billionaires including Republican Ken Griffin.

 

The NPE Action Fund endorsed Jay Travis.

 

Our board member Jitu Brown (who led the Dyett hunger strike last fall) wrote:

 

There is a groundswell of support in this nation for candidates who reject the politics of moneyed power and put the needs of ordinary people at the heart of their work. In Chicago, we have a real opportunity to elect just such a candidate — with support from people like you.

 

The race for 26th District state representatives pits an incumbent corporate Democrat against grassroots community organizer Jay Travis. Jay has a lifelong record of commitment to the needs of ordinary people, from rank and file teachers to young students in some of our most disenfranchised communities. As the leader of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization for twelve years, she led the battle to save our neighborhood public schools, push back against neighborhood displacement, and bring resources and equity to communities ignored by mainstream politicians and their corporate backers.

 

She’s running against corporate Democrat Christian Mitchell, a darling of the school privatization movement closely allied with Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who gave Mitchell more than $28,000 last April alone in two donations that bookended Mitchell’s endorsement of Emanuel.

 

Mitchell has voted dead wrong on issues of critical concern to educators and our residents. He voted for the state charter school commission’s power to overrule democratically elected school boards who reject charter school applications. He voted against parents who wanted the right to opt their kids out of controversial and deeply flawed high-stakes tests. He opposed a bill for an elected Chicago school board — and only changed his tune during this election season. For the last six months, he’s been promoting a pension cost-shift scheme that does nothing to address the structural deficits in Illinois’ schools, and would only create new losers among already cash-strapped school districts outside of Chicago.

 

None of this is surprising given the amount of money Mitchell’s received in the last for years from school privatizers — including more than $150,000 alone from Stand For Children, over four times greater than the amount they’ve donated to Senate GOP leader Christine Radogno.

 

Most recently, Mitchell stood with CPS CEO Forest Claypool and supposed “leaders”, including the minister who paid destitute Black people $25 each to advocate for the closing of Dyett High School, in betraying the brave Dyett hunger strikers. With accountable political representation in the 26th District, we would not have had to starve our bodies for 34 days.

 

We need state representatives in Springfield who aren’t beholden to opportunistic corporate elites and their raids on critically needed programs for our seniors, students and working families. We need a work ethic — and a representative — who tells the truth and puts the needs of ordinary people first.

 

You can help. Jay Travis came very close to beating Mitchell two years ago, even though he’s raised ten times as much in campaign contributions. Her volunteer field crew is large, committed, effective — and growing. But it takes money to print literature, pay for office supplies and mailers and run a competitive campaign. I’ve had the privilege of working with Jay for years — and she’s always been unflinchingly honest and supremely committed to putting our young people and their families first. Your help can put a real advocate for public education and a progressive voice for ordinary people in Springfield. Click here to learn more about supporting her campaign.

 

In solidarity,

 

Jitu Brown

 

NPE Action Board Member and Journey for Justice Alliance National Director

 

 

The BATS endorsed Jay Travis:

 

We need true progressive candidates in office! In Chicago we have a chance to begin to make the change for equity and equality. Jay Travis is running against Christian Mitchell, darling of the school privatization movement, who is funded by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, astro-turf groups Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform as well as receiving a $10,000 check from hedge funder Eli Broad himself! While he has money, Jay has the solid track record and the people. Victory is there for the taking, but Jay needs your help. The election of Jay will have NATIONAL ramifications! Please join Jay on February 24th @ 8:30 PM Eastern as she talks about what real progressive movements are about. Register for the Virtual House Party here https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2713524701147779596

 

Get involved. Vote. Send a contribution to Jay Travis to help her win. 

Categories Chicago, Education Reform, Networkfor Public Education Action Fund

Chicago: No, Children, This is not a Normal School District

By dianeravitch
February 10, 2016 //
6

Julie Vassilatos, a parent of children in the Chicago public schools, writes about how she explains the Chicago public schools to her children.

 

“No, kids, this school district isn’t normal.”

 

She writes:

 

 

But it isn’t so much CPS I feel I need to explain. It isn’t so much the dictatorial leadership, the robotic degree of testing that’s required, the number of librarians who are fired, the unimaginable inequities among schools from neighborhood to neighborhood, a food contract that is so bad students all over the district are boycotting meals.

 

It’s not the way arts and music have disappeared from curricula, or the constant looming threat of hundreds, or thousands, of teachers being fired. It isn’t the revolving door of leadership and the chaos that ensues, or the dark insinuations from Springfield that our already untenably undemocratic situation could get a lot more North Korea on us.

 

It isn’t so much the methods we parents must use to communicate to this district, this mayor, and his puppet board–like hunger strikes for weeks and weeks, and occupying libraries so they can’t be demolished, and declaring sit-ins so somebody somewhere will talk to us because they will have to step over us, or sitting in the middle of the road in order to get arrested, or staging press conference after press conference after press conference because maybe the media will listen even if the CEO doesn’t.

 

I don’t so much feel any of this needs explaining. It is, after all, all my kids have ever known.

 

Rather, what I sometimes wonder about is just that. I wonder if they know that this isn’t normal.

 

Oh, I know it’s their normal. I just don’t know how to explain that it isn’t everyone’s normal.

 

And it shouldn’t be anyone’s normal.

 

This school district, Chicago Public Schools, fills me with horror and astonishment every day. No–I certainly don’t mean the schools. They do an admirable job of shielding the students from the unending stream of harm and nonsense that comes from central office. Most of our schools are strong communities where so much learning and growth happen. Kids are mostly protected from the drama, the galling contracts, the high stakes chess games that characterize central office.

 

 

Categories Chicago, Parents, Students

Troy LaRaviere: Time for “Shared Sacrifice” in Chicago

By dianeravitch
February 7, 2016 //
2

Superstar principal Troy La Raviere in Chicago steps back to assess the deadlock between the mayor and the Chicago Teachers Union.

 

He recalls a recent conversation with Paul Vallas. He writes:

 

“I’m not an admirer of his education policy, but Vallas was the last Chicago Public Schools CEO to leave the district with a structurally balanced long-term budget. He also left CPS with a fully funded pension system, and over $1 billion in reserves. When Vallas returned to Chicago this past August, I was fortunate enough to have an hour-long conversation with him a few days before we both participated in a panel at the City Club of Chicago. During our conversation—and during the panel—Vallas outlined the financial rules that kept CPS budgets balanced during his tenure. Those practices included the following:

 

“He did not add programs without identifying additional revenue to pay for them.

 
“He did not borrow for operational expenses.

 
“He did not spend on new schools when there was declining enrollment. Building new schools should be based on demographics, not school reform ideology.

 
“He did not redirect funding for pension payments toward other spending projects.

 
“After Vallas’ departure, the mayor’s appointees to CPS lost all fiscal discipline and consistently violated every one of these sound budgeting practices. As a result of their mismanagement, CPS now claims they need “shared sacrifice” from teachers. Teachers union officials don’t seem to have the kind of consistent and concise messaging the Mayor’s office has, so the average news consumer may not notice that within CTU’s response are the keys to solving CPS’ fiscal crisis. I will take the liberty of fine-tuning CTU’s message and speaking as the Chicago public school teacher and union member I once was, before becoming an administrator nearly a decade ago.”

 

LaRaviere then describes what is necessary to fix the budget. And he identifies who must share in sacrificing to put the system in a sound financial footing.

 

Categories Accountability, Budget Cuts, Chicago, Education Reform, Funding, Pensions, Unions, Vallas, Paul

Mike Klonsky: CTU Hits the Streets of Chicago

By dianeravitch
February 5, 2016 //
2

Mike Klonsky posts a video of the Chicago Teachers Union march in Chicago.

 

Also a newspaper article showing that public opinion strongly supports the union over Rahm.

Categories Chicago

Sarah Karp: Why the Chicago Negotiations Collapsed

By dianeravitch
February 5, 2016 //
3

Experienced journalist Sarah Karp here explains what sank the contract negotiations between the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union.

 

“In the recent Chicago Public Schools contract offer, which now lingers in a sort of political purgatory, teachers were offered a pay raise, but there was a big catch: CPS educators would essentially be paying for the salary increase by sacrificing the most experienced members of their teaching force.

 

“An early-retirement buyout program was the linchpin of the Board of Education’s since-rejected offer – and it’s one of the main reasons why Chicago Teachers Union representatives voted down the deal, according to union officials.

 

“The board was offering $1,500 per year of service to teachers of retirement age and $750 to support staff to leave, according to the CTU. If at least 1,500 teachers and 700 other staffers took advantage of the buyout offer, the contract would stand, according to the CPS offer.

 

“But, if not enough employees signed up for early retirement, then CPS could reopen the contract – which union members feared would lead to layoffs.

 

“With that prospect looming and, among other things, the concern of a brain drain as experienced educators walked out the door, the CTU’s bargaining team of 40 union representatives voted down the deal unanimously on Monday.

 

“At a press conference on Tuesday, CTU President Karen Lewis said the union voted down the contract offer because, “No. 1 it would have pushed out 2,200 of our seasoned, experienced educators, disproportionately impacting African-American and Latino educators. It will lead to ballooning class sizes and the cuts the board proposed were solely out of our pockets.”

 

“Fifty-four percent of teachers with more than 20 years experience are black or Latino, whereas only 22 percent of new teachers are, according to a Better Government Association analysis of 2012 state data. New teachers make about $48,000 a year, while those with 20 years or more experience make an average of $88,000

Categories Chicago, Education Reform, Unions
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