25,000 Chicago Teachers Walk Off the Job

[krome2ez]

Morning Bell: 25,000 Chicago Teachers Walk Off the Job

Amy Payne

September 10, 2012 at 8:58 am

This morning, about 350,000 students in Chicago Public Schools will be without teachers. While the 25,000-plus unionized teachers take to the picket lines in a strike over benefits and teacher evaluations, working parents are scrambling to figure out what to do.

“We know a strike is really going to be painful. People will be hurt on both sides,” Jay Rehak, a union delegate and high school English teacher, told the Chicago Tribune. “But in the end, it’s like saying, ‘I’ll be bloodied and you’ll be bloodied, but at least you’ll know not to bully me again.’”

Among other demands, the Chicago Teachers Union had asked for a 30 percent pay increase—despite the facts that just 15 percent of fourth graders are proficient in reading and just 56 percent of students graduate in the district. The school board ended up offering a 16 percent pay increase over four years, but as last night’s midnight deadline for strike negotiations neared, the union rejected the offer.

The average teacher in Chicago Public Schools—a district facing a $700 million deficit—makes $71,000 per year before benefits are included.

Reuters reports that “Chicago Public Schools has projected a $3 billion budget deficit over the next three years and faces a crushing burden of pensions promised to retiring teachers.”

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, formerly President Obama’s White House chief of staff, is getting an advanced class in union power. He came into office last year and asked the teachers to accept a 2 percent pay raise instead of 4 percent to try to address the $700 million budget shortfall, and the union refused.

He did reach a deal to lengthen one of the country’s shortest school days. As the Tribune describes: “In exchange for the longer school day—an additional half-hour in high schools and 75 minutes in elementary schools—CPS agreed to rehire nearly 500 teachers in non-core subjects from a pool of teachers who had been laid off. That kept the hours in the work week the same for full-time teachers.”

The most reliable data show that teachers in general work no more than private professionals in a typical workweek, even when off-site work on evenings and weekends is included. Yet the CPS school day is among the shortest for teachers in the nation.

Heritage’s Jason Richwine and the American Enterprise Institute’s Andrew Biggs did an extensive study of teacher compensation and followed up with additional discussion of controversial issues. When it comes to teacher pay, Richwine sums up:

Because the average public-school teacher already receives above-market compensation, policymakers should avoid across-the-board pay raises. Instead, they should focus on rewarding high-quality teachers with targeted salary increases.

Of course, teacher compensation is much more than just wages. Part of Chicago Public Schools’ financial problems is the guaranteed pensions for retired teachers. Richwine explains that these defined-benefit plans, which cost several times more than the typical retirement plan in the private sector, are a bad deal for taxpayers:

Since benefits accruing to today’s workers need not be paid now, states can promise generous benefits without feeling the full fiscal impact for years or even decades. Benefits to workers are guaranteed, meaning taxpayers are ultimately responsible for any shortfalls in their states’ pension systems—and there are many shortfalls.

The Chicago strike, highlighting the urgent need for education reform, comes at a time when lack of confidence in public schools is at an all-time high—and support for school choice is also at an all-time high. Is it any wonder?

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/10/morning-bell-25000-chicago-teachers-walk-off-the-job/?roi=echo3-13068471095-9652499-ebe2ee23834f85e59e5bda13ec75bd61&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

I'm making 30-50% LESS than I used to.

Happy that I still have a job.

And these idiots are crying about raises,

when they already make more than the national average.

Rush stated today,

that he expects that Pres Obama

will get credit for ending the strike.

I wouldn't doubt it.

[Peace]

Well at least the kids are saved from a day of indoctrination, wish it could be more;)

[delta22]

Brandyclark , you took the words out of my mouth. With the utter drival being taught in public schools today the kids are better off with out them .

[Francie26]

Without the ability to teach the children well enough to even meet National Averages (these standards are not to measure the learning of first rank students, but rather average ones), these so-called " teachers" think pretty highly of themselves. They are already making $71,000, not counting other benefits, much more than most teachers earn throughout the nation. And now they are demanding another 30% raise, and this in a very trying time in our nation, a time when many parents are either out of work entirely or are working at minimum wage jobs. So the school taxes going into the coffers has to be much lower than normal. In addition, the entire country is in such a financial mess that I wonder what lala zone these people are living in.

http://www.teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state/

[Francie26]

Also when you think of how many of these kids who do graduate are pushed along and have not met the most base criterria for such graduation, and their graduation rate is only 56%, it is amazing that these people think so highly of themselves. I think this is a good argument for letting them go and hiring all new teachers, not for paying these bad ones more.

[MoonRover]

Yep, and 50% of the high school chitlens do not graduate. It is all show so obama can go in there and save the day...

[bamagirl]

I am a volunteer mom... I go in and copy for the teachers, sort papers and all kinds of things... the teachers have parents, student teachers and all kinds of aides doing alot of their work for them.. the kids go to art, P.E., library, computer lab, recess, lunch and other special classes daily... IMO teachers aren't doing nearly enough work for what they are paid anyways... Let them stay gone there's plenty of teachers looking for full time work..

[usndiver]

Well at least the kids are saved from a day of indoctrination, wish it could be more;)

My niece is in fifth grade in public school and she told me that the best president was FDR. I bit my tongue and smiled.

[DiveDeepSix]

Our school has tried and failed repeatedly to get a huge tax increase passed for what they claimed they needed to survive. Now they did get one passed, what did they use the money for? 9th thru 12th graders all got new ipads and the classrooms have touchscreen chalkboards to match. Now the teachers are doing even less teaching, its a big expensive joke. Our school and state are way down as far as reading and math. There are enough kids failing they can afford to run an entire bus route for summer school, but don't have any money? Summer school consists of 8-noon, doing crossword puzzles, no homework, and a bus ride home again. Fire all of them, including the administrators. If you can't perform you are history, PERIOD. Oh they did make some cut backs though, they eliminated the cheerleaders for varsity games, which was voluntary anyways.

Then to top it off they forced the parents to sign waivers taking responsibility for the ipads and said they would not provide insurance for them to buy. So here is your $600 bill if your kid breaks it, it's your problem. They said there was no insurance available for this stuff. After a quick internet check, 4 companies popped up, one for $49 per year with no deductible, but only could be used by a school making the purchase. Apparently they didn't even check on it.

I smell a huge lawsuit coming, as most parents here can't afford to buy an ipad if one gets broken or stolen, and most parents agree our kids aren't responsible enough to keep track of a calculator for the year much less a computer. Homework isn't checked for accuracy it's checked that it's been completed, absolutely pathetic.

That is the liberal mindset though, give me, give me, give me. Fire them all starting in Chicago.

Edited September 10, 2012 by DiveDeepSix

[Lutie]

Shame on the greedy Chicago teachers and the Teachers Union. After what the the Union and the teachers did in Wisconsin I have no sympathy for them anymore. They obviously don't care about the students. I live in Illinois and our state is BROKE! We have very high property tax and sales tax and we are still 8 billion in the hole. And yet the teachers want me to pay more so they don't have to help pay for their pension. They were asked to pay a small % toward their own pensions but it wasn't fair. They were asked to work one hour more which would bring their work day up to 7 hours and they would be compensated for it but I guess it wasn't enough. They were offered a 16% raise over the next 4 years but it wasn't enough. That's more then most of us will see. I don't know exactly how many days teachers are actually in the schools working but it's a lot less then most of us.

We need good teachers and we need to pay them a fair wage and their are many good ones out there. But the Union has made it impossible for cities to keep good teachers and get rid of the bad. And really I can't afford any more taxes so we can pay for their pensions!

[jeepguy]

did i hear right -------- these teachers are making 75,ooo a year ??? i heard that on the radio ,,, but if the economy is in the crapper and the houiseing market isn`t great ,, the tax money from these two in it`s self isn`t going too give the teachers their money----- { sorry --- but a couple bad weeks here on the home front }

[skitealwedrop]

I feel bad for the children of CISD. Maybe the little O (Obama) and the big O (Oprah) will come to the rescue.

I understand your point Bama. I spent many hours volunteering at my son's elementary school. I was a chess club Mom for two years. I made sure that the kids had snacks and that theirs boards and pieces were ready for them when school let out each Friday. I have no regrets. Volunteer work in our schools is critical to fill in the gaps.

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

We saw these ignorant, greedy "teachers" on some news reels today....

They are SO DISGUSTING we decided they shouldn't be teaching at all.

No command of the English language,

hideous speech patterns,

Unable to formulate a thought,

incapable of clear & concise communication,

setting a terrible example for the minds they're molding.

This is the kind of trash generated by the sense of entitlement crowd.

Pitiful.

Fire them all!

By the time they fight it out in court,

we'd have had the time to properly educate a whole generation of better kids!

[Francie26]

did i hear right -------- these teachers are making 75,ooo a year ??? i heard that on the radio ,,, but if the economy is in the crapper and the houiseing market isn`t great ,, the tax money from these two in it`s self isn`t going too give the teachers their money----- { sorry --- but a couple bad weeks here on the home front }

I think it was $71,000, but that's still a very high salary, I think the highest in the nation. I posted a list of salaries above somewhere. And this was the highest teacher's salary on it. But now, with only graduating an agonizing 50-something percent of students, they want a 30% raise. That's exorbitant. In fact, given their horrible track record, they need to give up 30%of their pay.

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

74k plus... and THAT doesn't include benefits, perks, sick time, vacation, etc....

These people are too disgusting and LAZY to be in charge of educating American kids.

[jeepguy]

I think it was $71,000, but that's still a very high salary, I think the highest in the nation. I posted a list of salaries above somewhere. And this was the highest teacher's salary on it. But now, with only graduating an agonizing 50-something percent of students, they want a 30% raise. That's exorbitant. In fact, given their horrible track record, they need to give up 30%of their pay.

wow!! that would give them a kick in the pants --- give it back