Its all about the students - NOT archived
Sep 10, 2012 at 12:46am
Union members handed out picket signs, stickers reading “Yes To Education Justice,” and red CTU T-shirts to hundreds of teachers Sunday morning at Teamster City union hall at 1642 W. Van Buren St.
By 5:30 p.m. Sunday, they had run out of T-shirts and closed up shop for the night, although there were still plenty of signs to pass out to teachers and their supporters if and when they hit the picket lines Monday morning. If it does, teachers have been asked to show up at their schools at 6:30 a.m. Monday to picket.
The union also planned a 3:30 p.m. rally on Monday outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters, at 125 S. Clark St., in case of a strike.
Principals and administrators have been prepping their schools and stocking up on supplies in case of a strike. Non-union CPS staffers will be supervising at the so-called “Children First” sites.
Dr. Tatia Beckwith, principal of William H. Ray Elementary School, said, in the event of a strike, each school open for activities is not to have more than 25 children per adult.
“We’ll have activity leaders that will take them to different rooms in the school, for different activities,” she said. “We will have art supplies. We have plenty of books for reading. We have some videos. We have centers set up in the rooms, for different kinds of play – a lot of board games, cards, those types of things.”
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the Police Department has been planning for weeks for a possible strike. He said the department’s plans include three areas: providing security at school sites and other locations open for activities for students during the strike; providing security at any teacher protests; and deploying extra officers in uniform to ensure safety for children who are not in school.
“We’re emptying out our offices. We’re taking out officers who are on administrative duties, we’re shutting down administrative duties, we’re putting those officers on the street to deal with potential protests at various locations throughout the city,” he said.
The department is also deploying officers to all 144 public school locations where students will be able to take part in activities provided by the district during the strike.
The superintendent also said tactical officers, who typically dress in plain clothes, will be deployed in uniform and work longer hours “to ensure that we provide enough deployment throughout the city, where children may not be in school, and might be on the streets.
Many of the city’s aldermen were urging teachers to remain in the classroom, and not go on strike, even if a deal isn’t reached by midnight.
A group of 33 aldermen has sent Lewis a letter, pointing out a strike would harm more than 350,000 public school students.
It reads, in part, “Though we fully support your collective bargaining rights, we urge you not to put our children at such a tremendous disadvantage. … Please allow the teachers to stay in the classroom during the remainder of the negotiations.”
If there is a strike on Monday, the walkout would deny classroom instruction to approximately 357,000 students across the city and place about 30,000 teachers on picket lines. While there are about 402,000 students in the CPS system, approximately 45,000 of those attend charter schools — where teachers are not union members, and would not join a strike by CTU.
CPS has planned for a strike and will open some buildings to students to give them activities to do. Lewis has said parents should make alternate plans, because the school sites under the CPS contingency plan would not be staffed by enough workers with experience overseeing children.
By 5:30 p.m. Sunday, they had run out of T-shirts and closed up shop for the night, although there were still plenty of signs to pass out to teachers and their supporters if and when they hit the picket lines Monday morning. If it does, teachers have been asked to show up at their schools at 6:30 a.m. Monday to picket.
The union also planned a 3:30 p.m. rally on Monday outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters, at 125 S. Clark St., in case of a strike.
Principals and administrators have been prepping their schools and stocking up on supplies in case of a strike. Non-union CPS staffers will be supervising at the so-called “Children First” sites.
Dr. Tatia Beckwith, principal of William H. Ray Elementary School, said, in the event of a strike, each school open for activities is not to have more than 25 children per adult.
“We’ll have activity leaders that will take them to different rooms in the school, for different activities,” she said. “We will have art supplies. We have plenty of books for reading. We have some videos. We have centers set up in the rooms, for different kinds of play – a lot of board games, cards, those types of things.”
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the Police Department has been planning for weeks for a possible strike. He said the department’s plans include three areas: providing security at school sites and other locations open for activities for students during the strike; providing security at any teacher protests; and deploying extra officers in uniform to ensure safety for children who are not in school.
“We’re emptying out our offices. We’re taking out officers who are on administrative duties, we’re shutting down administrative duties, we’re putting those officers on the street to deal with potential protests at various locations throughout the city,” he said.
The department is also deploying officers to all 144 public school locations where students will be able to take part in activities provided by the district during the strike.
The superintendent also said tactical officers, who typically dress in plain clothes, will be deployed in uniform and work longer hours “to ensure that we provide enough deployment throughout the city, where children may not be in school, and might be on the streets.
Many of the city’s aldermen were urging teachers to remain in the classroom, and not go on strike, even if a deal isn’t reached by midnight.
A group of 33 aldermen has sent Lewis a letter, pointing out a strike would harm more than 350,000 public school students.
It reads, in part, “Though we fully support your collective bargaining rights, we urge you not to put our children at such a tremendous disadvantage. … Please allow the teachers to stay in the classroom during the remainder of the negotiations.”
If there is a strike on Monday, the walkout would deny classroom instruction to approximately 357,000 students across the city and place about 30,000 teachers on picket lines. While there are about 402,000 students in the CPS system, approximately 45,000 of those attend charter schools — where teachers are not union members, and would not join a strike by CTU.
CPS has planned for a strike and will open some buildings to students to give them activities to do. Lewis has said parents should make alternate plans, because the school sites under the CPS contingency plan would not be staffed by enough workers with experience overseeing children.
It's about money. For some strange reason, teachers want to be fairly paid for the time and effort they put into teaching other people's children. What a shocker.
Thing must be getting ugly when Rahm is going against the teachers union in Chi town.
this is a straw man premise. all of us separate discussions of our compensation from our feelings for our jobs. getting the best compensation you can for yourself has nothing to do with your passion for what you do. if it did, people who enjoy what they do would offer to do it for nothing.
so of course contract negotiations are not about the students. it's about teachers trying to get the best deal they can from their own financial standpoint.
and who wouldn't do that?
so of course contract negotiations are not about the students. it's about teachers trying to get the best deal they can from their own financial standpoint.
and who wouldn't do that?
Zoinks said:
Clearly not. Since the economic issues have been agreed on.
retention issues are economic.
Zoinks said:
Clearly not. Since the economic issues have been agreed on.
According to one side. The other apparently doesn't agree. Or don't you read what you post?
I believe that the statement was related to "overreliance on student test scores" for measurement, not the act of measurement itself. Considering the test scores of a number of high-achieving students that I know of who have had most of the same teachers for a number of years and yet have widely different test scores, despite NOT being diverse ethnically or economically, I can't even begin to imagine how inadequate such measures would be across the entire demographic or to compare/evaluate teachers. Student test scores need to be used very carefully, and in ways that measure improvement (or lack thereof) of the SAME cohort rather than comparisons of the scores of different students or different cohorts. When you evaluate teachers against other teachers based on their students' test scores, this is automatically violated. (Unless the teachers are moving up with the students EACH year AND it is the changes in scores from year to year that are being compared, but I know that the first condition is rarely true and I don't think that the second is either in most cases.)Zoinks said:
Same old crock. Everything can me measured except teachers.
Sep 10, 2012 at 3:36am Edited
There are two research studies that found that the MAXIMUM impact of teachers on standardized test scores (beyond other factors) was about 15%-20%.
* In terms of any one thing that makes an impact on one student's life, that is a high percentage.
* However, in terms of the impact these teacher evaluations are expecting, that is a low percentage.
Some states and districts are weighting test scores as 50% of the teacher evaluations... which I think is wayyy too high considering the amount of movement they have been shown to be able to achieve under optimal conditions. And most teachers don't teach under optimal conditions.
* In terms of any one thing that makes an impact on one student's life, that is a high percentage.
* However, in terms of the impact these teacher evaluations are expecting, that is a low percentage.
Some states and districts are weighting test scores as 50% of the teacher evaluations... which I think is wayyy too high considering the amount of movement they have been shown to be able to achieve under optimal conditions. And most teachers don't teach under optimal conditions.
None of this is a reason to strike. In fact there is no reason to strike at all. None of this can be imposed without a contract so just work without one and let the students learn. Anything else is totally morally indefensible.
You are right. There is no downside to working without a contract...
Oh wait... no contract means no raises, right?
Oh wait... no contract means no raises, right?
Whatever is eventually agreed will be retroactive. So again it is nothing to strike over.
I don't think this is going to work out too well for teachers and teachers' unions. There isn't much sympathy for them these days because of the job losses and pay stagnation in the private sector.
What's more predictable - night following day; or this thread? Zoinks, please. Change your avatar to Andy Rooney and make this an ongoing thread, full of outrages! Or maybe those two guys in the theater box on The Muppets. Or maybe Clint in Gran Torino.
Zoinks said:
Whatever is eventually agreed will be retroactive. So again it is nothing to strike over.
More evidence that you haven't a clue about how labor works.
I'm waiting for "why don't teachers strike in the summer"; or refs during the off-season.
tjohn said:
I don't think this is going to work out too well for teachers and teachers' unions. There isn't much sympathy for them these days because of the job losses and pay stagnation in the private sector.
Agree completely. Given the demonization of public employees that attends this downturn, there are few alternatives that arouse public sympathy. Health care. The usual suspect.
Zoinks said:
Clearly not. Since the economic issues have been agreed on.
Is this what you were saying after the union workers had agreed to all the concessions that Governor Walker had asked for and he still continued to insist on crushing the unions? I'm sure that you were morally outraged at Gov Walker.
tjohn said:
I don't think this is going to work out too well for teachers and teachers' unions. There isn't much sympathy for them these days because of the job losses and pay stagnation in the private sector.
There have been more job losses in the public sector as of late than in the private sector. The reason for the teachers getting no sympathy is because of all of the propaganda coming from the right intended to dupe the uninformed.
ProgressivePatriot said:
tjohn said:
I don't think this is going to work out too well for teachers and teachers' unions. There isn't much sympathy for them these days because of the job losses and pay stagnation in the private sector.
There have been more job losses in the public sector as of late than in the private sector. The reason for the teachers getting no sympathy is because of all of the propaganda coming from the right intended to dupe the uninformed.
I don't think that is entirely correct. If I am making $40K per year or something like that with no prospect of a pension or healthcare when I retire, the teaching profession is going to look pretty cushy and I won't have much sympathy for the union demands. The "propaganda from the right" in this case has some pretty good facts to use as a starting point.
Healthcare is an economic issue. Healthcare is the first item a board puts on the table (since the '80's). If you give me a $100 raise and ask me to pay $100 more in healthcare costs...
tjohn, what folks forget is that pension/healthcare benefits are a product of decades of public employee work.
One doesn't simply get a job and suddenly have a benefits and healthcare pkg. NJ requires 25 years last time I looked.
Who's been in a classroom full of average kids lately?
One doesn't simply get a job and suddenly have a benefits and healthcare pkg. NJ requires 25 years last time I looked.
Who's been in a classroom full of average kids lately?
tjohn said:
ProgressivePatriot said:
tjohn said:
I don't think this is going to work out too well for teachers and teachers' unions. There isn't much sympathy for them these days because of the job losses and pay stagnation in the private sector.
There have been more job losses in the public sector as of late than in the private sector. The reason for the teachers getting no sympathy is because of all of the propaganda coming from the right intended to dupe the uninformed.
I don't think that is entirely correct. If I am making $40K per year or something like that with no prospect of a pension or healthcare when I retire, the teaching profession is going to look pretty cushy and I won't have much sympathy for the union demands. The "propaganda from the right" in this case has some pretty good facts to use as a starting point.
What I've noticed is that it is generally NOT the person making 40K that is making all the noise about teachers. It's the wealthier folks who don't want to pay taxes and the low-information voters who don't understand the political trick of diverting money that should have been paid into pensions and then blaming unions for their inability to pay for the pensions promised their workers.
My bet is that the constituents (parents) of the Chicago public schools are fairly sympathetic. However, the voting public is not. Therefore, the teachers may well lose this round.
Zoinks said:
because the district is probably paying $200 more for healthcare.
First off, you don't know that. Also, districts are allowed to shop around (within contracts) to look for a better deal. Things like this are settled through contract negotiations; job actions affect negotiations. Why do you hate contracts?
I don't hate contracts. I hate work stoppages. They are destructive and unnecessary.
Morally indefensible? You need to get a grip on how the world really works.
Some Southern states have property taxes under $1000 for average folks. They believe that taxes "go to support you-know-who." Consequently, there are districts with up to 90% white kids in private schools (not NJ-level private schools, by any means) and the schools go to hell. It's also why the South produces so many illiterates.
Zoinks said:
I don't hate contracts. I hate work stoppages. They are destructive and unnecessary.
You hate organized labor.
gaijin said:
Morally indefensible? You need to get a grip on how the world really works.
Rahm Emmanuel is trying to break the union. He's just using different methods than his fellow union-buster from Wisconsin.
He will use test scores as the fig leaf for firing teachers and he's pouring public school money into non-unionized charter schools (despite the lack of evidence of their superiority).
You may approve or disapprove, but let's not pretend he is negotiating with anything less in mind.
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What a slap in the face for students and working parents.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/09/cps-teachers-still-engaged-in-intense-talks-to-avoid-strike/
Union: No Deal To Avoid Strike, Teachers Will Hit Picket Lines
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Public Schools teachers were preparing to go on strike for the fist time in a quarter century on Monday, after the latest contract talks broke down Sunday with no deal to avert a walkout.
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said late Sunday there had been some progress in contract talks, but “we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike.”
The impasse set the stage for the city’s first teachers’ strike since 1987. The union had set a midnight deadline for a walkout.
“We are committed to staying at the table until a contract is in place. However, in the morning, no CTU members will be inside our schools. We will walk the picket lines, we will talk to parents, we will talk to clergy, we will demand a fair contract today, we demand a fair contract now,” Lewis added. “Until there’s one in place, that our members will accept, we will be on the line.”
Late Sunday night, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he was “disappointed” in the union’s decision to continue with a strike.
“I am disappointed that we have come to this point, given that even all the other parties acknowledge how close we are, because this is a strike of choice,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said late Sunday. “Because of how close we are, it is a strike that is unnecessary.”
The mayor said CPS negotiators are available at any time to resume contract talks, and have asked the union to postpone a strike. He insisted the two sides have reached an agreement on financial issues, leaving only teacher evaluations and teacher retention issues to negotiate.
“All that makes it a strike by choice, because they are not financial issues,” Emanuel said. “This is totally unnecessary, it’s avoidable, and our kids do not deserve this.”
He also shrugged off any criticism that he has not personally attended contract talks.
“It’s not about my presence, it’s about reaching agreement,” he said. “As I believe, this is an honorable deal. It’s an honest compromise between both parties, without anybody having to compromise principle.”
A short time before Lewis’ announcement, Chicago Board of Education President David Vitale said talks had ended for the night, after more than 20 offers from the district to the Chicago Teachers Union over the past week.
“We assume that we’re basically done today, from our standpoint,” Vitale said, adding that he’d repeatedly tried to reach Lewis after talks broke down, with no success.
Vitale said he believes Chicago Public Schools officials have made their best possible offer to teachers.
“There’s only so much money in the system. There’s only so many things that we can do that are available to us,” Vitale said. “At this juncture, it is clearly their decision. … We’ve done everything we can.”
Vitale said the district’s latest offer included a 3 percent raise for teachers in the first year, then 2 percent raises in each of the next three years of the proposed deal.
Vitale said the district’s offer would also allow teachers who lose their current positions from school consolidations to follow their students to the consolidated school, “to the extent that positions are available.”
In the case of teachers whose positions are eliminated to a school closing, they could either choose to take three months of severance, or take five months to apply for other CPS teaching positions, and be given preference for interviews with CPS principals.
For teachers that lose their positions for other reasons, those teachers would have recall rights for one year, for the same unit and position.
Lewis said the two sides were close to agreement on a contract, but not close enough.
“We are not far apart on compensation, however we are apart on benefits,” Lewis said. “We want to maintain the existing health benefits.”
Lewis said the union is also concerned that a proposed new teacher evaluation system “could result in almost 6,000 teachers – or nearly 30 percent of our membership – being discharged within one or two years. This is unacceptable and leads to instability for our students.”
She said the new evaluation system would rely too much on students’ standardized test scores.
“This is no way to measure teacher effectiveness at all,” she said.
CPS had already put in place a contingency plan for the strike. The district was prepared to open 144 school sites for various activities, and so that children can eat lunch and breakfast in a district where most of the 402,000 students qualify for free meals, because they are from low-income families. The sites will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day of a strike.
Many Chicago Park District facilities and Chicago Public Library locations will also provide activities for public school students.
The union has been prepping its members all weekend to get ready for the picket lines. The union’s strike headquarters on the Near West Side was a hub of activity on Saturday and Sunday.