A Blueprint for Resisting Trump Education Cuts? Chicago Teachers Reach "Powerful" Tentative Contract

[Uncle Joe]

In a major labor victory, the Chicago Teachers Union reached a tentative agreement with Chicago Public Schools Monday night that reaffirms sanctuary school protections, protects the ability to teach Black history, gives veteran teachers a raise, and more. The deal comes amid attacks on public education by the Trump administration. "The collective bargaining agreement is a very powerful tool to use, especially in this moment, to ensure that people are protected," says Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. She also discusses the new posthumous memoir by former CTU President Karen Lewis, titled "I Didn't Come Here to Lie: My Life and Education," and lessons Lewis shared for the struggle ahead.

[ancianita]

1. Solidarity forever! Go, AFT Local #1! My union!

Right now it helps that fewer of the Chicago Bd of Education are corporate people, and more of the CBOE are community professionals appointed by former teacher, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. This contract exemplifies why Chicago union people voted him into office.

Thanks for the good news, Uncle Joe.

[nycbos]

2. It's worth noting the head of the Chicago Teacher's Union...

.. send her own so to private school

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/ctu-president-stacy-davis-gates-son-private-school/

[Uncle Joe]

3. I generally make a major distinction between things of macro and micro importance

Al Gore championed the issue of changing our national and global policies to mitigate if not avoid the growing catastrophe of global warming climate change, when most other political leaders were ignoring or denying the issue.

However he did live in a "large house" and fly on jets.

To my way of thinking the former is infinitely more important in the great scheme of things than the latter.

To this end, I try to keep my eyes on the forest not the trees.

[nycbos]

4. That is different.

The CTU constantly rails against "school choice" while the union president makes that choice for her own kid. She is saying school choice for me, but not for thee. We can't call out right-wing hypocrisy if we're not willing to do it to our own too. She doesn't trust the public school system in Chicago for her own child that says a lot.

[Uncle Joe]

5. If they're saying that school choice pulls resources from public schools, is that correct?

That's the fundamental question.

There is no such thing as a perfect tree or perfect human, so step back and look at the big picture.

In an alternate reality wherein the issues of anthropogenic climate change and private vs public school funding or school choice had been settled years or decades ago, those micro realities wouldn't exist or carry import.

So the prime directive should always be policies.

[mopinko]

6. we have a robust charter system here.

they get the same per pupil as cps, but they also get money for facilities, where some hinkey things have gone on. afaik, most of the charters r now union.
they r all non-profits, tho some r part of chains. i have 1 of that turkish guy’s schools around the corner from me. award winning school and very, very good neighbors.
a lot of the other 1s r amazing, too. the u of chgo has a charter that is the neighborhood school, takes all comers. they’ve done amazing stuff. ctu has a charter.

they havent hurt cps half as much as the catholic schools. they’re all but gone.

i want to see cps get everything they need. but they’ve failed enough kids over the years, that i dont think they deserve a monopoly. i dont blame anyone for not giving them their kid.
and kids shd b off limits, imho.

[nycbos]

7. Not in Chicago

In Chicago, parents could send their kids to any public school they want, even if it's outside their "district boundary." I don't have any kids myself, but I looked up my district, and the African-American and Latino enrollment is twice as high as the population of the district. Black and brown parents like the schools in my district, and people wanna prevent them from going. Some of the opposition is based on ideology, not on what's best for the kids.

[Magoo48]

8. Union Strong, Solidarity.

This former Teachers Union Rep says—Big respect for Chicago teachers.