More than 5,800 Chicago Public Schools employees were due back in their classrooms Monday to prepare for students’ return next week. But not all of them showed up.
Jesse Sharkey
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board issued a 2-1 vote denying the teachers union’s request for an injunction to halt Chicago Public Schools’ plan to reopen schools for in-person learning early next year.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey signed on to an open letter sent to President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday from 16 local teachers unions and organizations, calling on Biden to appoint “one of our own” as his chief advisor on education.
As a potential return to in-person learning draws nearer for some Chicago Public Schools students, the Chicago Teachers Union is seeking help in negotiations with the district over classroom reopenings.
“While we’re very, very conscious that people want to get their kids back in schools, we want to be back in school too,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said Monday. “It’s also critical that people be safe. You can’t learn if you’re dead.”
Chicago Teachers Union leadership and members said CPS needs to better tailor student schedules to reduce screen time and allow clinicians to do more work from home to limit the number of people who are in school buildings on a daily basis.
As Day One of the teacher strike ended, Chicago Teachers Union leadership strongly criticized claims made by Mayor Lori Lightfoot that the union lacked urgency to end the work stoppage.
The Chicago Teachers Union has insisted that its next contract with the city include not just raises for teachers, but a host of other commitments. But with a possible strike looming, will those demands hold up?
With the clock ticking down toward a potential teachers strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday expressed her “significant concern” that Chicago Teachers Union leadership isn’t participating properly in ongoing contract negotiations.
Ninety-four percent of Chicago Teachers Union members voted to authorize a walkout, according to preliminary results announced Thursday night at the CTU headquarters.
The head of Chicago Public Schools remains confident a strike can be avoided, but on the eve of a key vote, Chicago Teachers Union leaders say they’re ready for a work stoppage if they can’t get written assurances on staffing and class sizes.
Teachers at Chicago Public Schools are back in the classroom, preparing for the arrival of students next week. But they still have no contract from the district, even though the district is changing its offer to teachers.
Teachers at Chicago Public Schools still have no contract deal with the Board of Education, and have repeatedly threatened to walk off the job. And another controversy is brewing within their ranks.
As the Chicago Teachers Union and Board of Education continue to negotiate a new contract, an independent fact-finder recommends a 16% pay raise for Chicago teachers over the life of a five-year deal.
Miguel del Valle, a former Illinois state senator, will serve as the president of the Chicago Board of Education. Mayor Lightfoot announced his appointment and six others Monday morning.
There’s a grassroots push for an elected school board in Chicago, but how would a move away from an appointed board impact students? We discuss the pros and cons with Jesse Sharkey and Rufus Williams.
