The March 22, 2023 Chicago Board of Education Meeting once again highlighted how powerful the Chicago Teachers Union is and how it flipped the script on corporate education reform domination of the monthly public meetings.
The Coalition of Rank and File Educators CORE began by speaking out at the Board meetings that were dominated by education privatization during the Mayor Richard Daley and CPS CEO Paul Vallas Ed Reform days in the 2000 - 2012 years.
Charter schools slammed the local public schools and said they were the better alternative. Charter school advocates, many dressed in suits espousing corporate ed lingo, and their followers dominated the board meetings in those years. CORE flipped the script and today the CTU dominates the meetings.
March’s public participation meeting began with CTU Vice President Jackson Potter and his flair for street theater dressed in a heavy coat complaining that it was mighty cold in the board room. His point was that many CPS school buildings either have no heat, or too much heat. Teachers are suffering from extreme temperatures in their classrooms, asbestos and lead paint peeling, falling ceiling tiles, etc. The union said it will conduct its own ‘walk thru’ to determine which schools need immediate help. He mentioned the CPS 10 year facilities plan and the Clean Energy Job Act. “This is a chance to (correct) the historic neglect,” Potter said.
Potter spoke also about the problems for special education teachers who are many times pulled to substitute teach, the schools that go beyond the ratio of no more than 30 percent diverse learners in a classroom, and the district Star360 test that does not give special ed students the appropriate accommodations, such as more time as questions get harder.
VP Potter said that charter schools dumped a million dollars into the Paul Vallas campaign while at the same time told their schools they don’t have enough money to staff enough special education and ELL teachers.
Potter noted that former board attorney negotiator Jim Franzak represented charter schools, so it was a good thing he was fired by Mayor Lightfoot. “It would be a good thing to make sure the money is going into the classroom and not to lawyers,” he said.
Potter said he was disappointed that CPS did not want to work with the CTU concerning violence in school communities. In early 2000 former Substance Editor and Schools Safety Director for the CTU George Schmidt met with the Board of Ed concerning violence in the schools. But instead of working with the CTU to stop the violence, CPS decided to close schools. The school closings rampage during the Daley and Emanuel years resulted in increased school violence as children were forced to cross gang territories.
The CTU Charter Director Jenn Conant said they are currently negotiating 12 different charter school teacher contracts. She said some charter schools are owned by CPS and others by private organizations and she asked if the charters are included in the CPS facilities master plan. Some charters are housed in old warehouse and factory buildings. She noted that CPS increased the facilities budget from $36 million five years ago to $86 million today, but how is that money being spent, she asked.
The SEIU Local 73 which represents special education teacher assistants, bus aids, parent worker volunteers, crossing guards, security, custodians noted that Aramark which for over 10 years and a billion dollars cleaning the schools has the same problems today. “It is incredibly difficult to hold them accountable. They lack systems for tracking.”
A parent from George Washington Elementary School asked that CPS fund a new green school because the building needs repair. She said ceiling tiles are falling down.
The soccer coach and teacher at Carver Military Academy complained about a common problem for many schools where they cannot play home games because they do not have good soccer fields, and as a result they have to spend more money on costly transportation to go to other schools to play games. He also said his school does not have air conditioning, and he too asked for a green school with solar panels.
Many Bogan High School teachers and students complained to the Board that they were harmed by using erroneous graduation rates that do not reflect CPS data. They wanted a correction made so that they would not be punished because students will not choose to attend the school if they see the low rates.
A few speakers also spoke out against the new CPS sexual education program. One ‘faith leader’ told the Board the new curriculum is graphic, alluring and dangerous. “It is immoral and irresponsible … I did not speak up when prayer was taken out of schools, I will not make that mistake again.” She said it’s the responsibility of parents.
I remember earlier in my career as a teacher when we had faith-based groups come to teach sex ed to the kids which focused on abstinence. The pendulum then swung to the other side when condoms were freely distributed in candy bowls on office counters in the schools. Sex ed has since been taught by physical education teachers. Parents have the option to opt out their children.
One parent spoke out against wearing masks in the schools and another spoke out in favor of teaching standard English, especially for black children because it leads to dropping out of school.