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Ted joined Chris and Amy to discuss the details of the preliminary CPS teachers contract and the negative consequences it will have for Chicago, the continued expansion of school choice across the nation, why Chicago’s homicide decline isn’t impressive, why Brandon Johnson is such a failure, and more.
Read more from Wirepoints:
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Years ago,when I attended a private grade school; my father looked at my report card and said that if I didn’t get all A’s and B’s, he would send me to the public school. NOW that was motivation
Wow! It sounds like you’re talking about your idiotic president in the white house! I don’t agree with Brandon Johnson but let’s be clear your president is the biggest YAHOO there is!
If you look at photos of his inauguration ceremony you’ll see Randi Weingarten dressed in red directly to the left of him. All I can say is if you don’t move, don’t complain. Chicago is beyond redemption. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-waves-to-guests-during-his-news-photo/1490411583
I would not try looking without welding goggles or a mirror.
Hey got an idea let’s go back to the times where teacher are not the kids friends. It seems they don’t respect you then. Also since the beginning, Catholic teachers never made enough to survive. But we can spend all this money on extra prep time.
CTU are the most hated pestilential vermin in Chicago. The once respected profession of teaching has been transformed by Public Sector Union scum like the CTU terrorists into parasitic primordial ooze unworthy to inhabit a cesspool.
How much would/could they get if students were charged tuition?
What if the public school system were contracted out to private teachers and staff? It would still be a free “public” system for K-12 and compensation would be based on individual merit not straight across the board?
The basic problem of rewarding both teachers and students for “merit” is that people don’t all have the same sets of abilities nor even motivations for how they choose to engage in what’s offered. For the honors classes presumably maybe most have the desire and to be successful and will have the records to show it. For lesser classes maybe on average 2/3 will meet that standard of showing actual academic merit. For the remainder of the students those who are successful in the test-taking measurements might fall into the 1/3 range as a guess. But, again, what should be… Read more »
Can we start with teaching them to read and do basic math before starting on these elaborate calculations of what constitutes success, to be defined by whom, and whose feelings might get hurt?
I think we can all agree that any definition of success must include the basic skills of reading and math.
Everyone gets moved onto the next grade, so the “educators” have already defined and achieved success for the students. If you don’t like that answer, the “educators” can further lower the bar for successful reading and math scores by dumbing down the tests again. The kids still take tests, right?
Sure, if enough pressure is brought to bear on a teacher he/she certainly can ask simpler test questions and maybe ridiculously so. No teacher wants to do that because they are having to admit their efforts to inspire deeper thinking are not worth the grief that surely was bound to ensue. So, simpler questions are the obvious remedy. The problem is that if the questions are so transparently easy the teacher’s efforts really have been rendered worthless in that maybe a student not even having that class could do well on it! Do we really want to put that much… Read more »
As to your first clause, Santa, maybe it’s more accurate to place blame on the bean counters of the schools than the teachers. After all, the public always pressures the school systems on the amount of tax money said to be needed. So, doesn’t it strike you that there are both implicit and explicit pressures in schools not to willy-nilly require students to repeat a grade or even a single class due to the extra expenses of it. I presume no such significant pressure might apply if, say, 5% were held back. But, routinely holding back some multiple of that… Read more »
Sure, but even what might seem the simplest goals you’ve mentioned apparently are a struggle to accomplish these days. Why that’s the case mostly escapes me as it does you apparently. All I know with reasonable certainty is that without decent workable skills in readin’, writin’ and ‘rhytmetic all else becomes harder to learn and do as well. So many here want to fault CTU teachers and suggest its their poor work ethnic. That might well apply to some, but surely there are numerous others who try mightily day after day still with pitifully small proven results to show for… Read more »
Are you suggesting that teachers cannot be expected to accomplish the most basic goals, readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic as you put it? Then why are they accepting the job as teachers? Maybe it’s time to pass that baton on to others who actually believe that a teacher cannot accomplish anything without teaching students to read. A radical concept I guess, but maybe they should focus more attention on the actual job and less time on concocting word salads of excuses.
I’m not suggesting they absolutely can’t accomplish the desired goals of your rant. What I am saying is that it’s harder in many cases than a non-teacher can easily comprehend. There are various impediments at play that come to bear against a high success rate much of the time with language barriers, lack of “readiness for learning”, and attendance are more problematical in particular.
The desired goals of my rant? You mean teaching kids to read? It’s OK, you can say it. I think teachers should teach kids to read.
Oh, if only it were that simple. Apparently it isn’t. As my mother used to say “if wishes were fishes the sea would be full.”
As my mother used to say, “don’t pay people who readily admit they cannot do the job you are paying them for.” It was good advice.
Easy jobs by definition are easy to do. Hard jobs are those that require humility as to one’s own expertise, that person’s thoughts for how things can be improved and seeking advice as necessary for contrary ways of perceiving things. Smart people do those things routinely. Dumb people who want to appear strong (mentioning no one in particular) go full steam ahead with all the bluster at their command. Now, please help us find all those smart people for how teaching should be done, and let’s put them on some school’s payroll.
Who are these benevolent people that will serve as educators in some of the most difficult schools in the country and achieve better outcomes? You or other commenters on this site? Perhaps the job is more difficult than you can possibly fathom.
Why do you keep wanting to make this about challenging me to become an educator?
Schools exist to educate children. If the current configuration cannot accomplish that task, we need to find alternatives.
As long as we allow unions to run schools, we will never find the alternative that can actually produce the result we all pay for. Despite your passionate pleas, I assure you I am not that alternative.
Yes, but let me repeat the basis problems. What should be the new overall curriculum and teaching strategy replacement strategies? Then, since we presume the current educators have been brain-washed differently to prefer a leftist political agenda what are the criteria for hiring new people? Who are these new people? Finally, many seem to think educators ought to work for less money as good ol’ Sister Mary Knuckles used to do? So, we get down now to the crux of it. Where are we going to find sufficient numbers of new or highly recommended current highly educated, highly intelligent, and… Read more »
Do you think that because I cannot outline a complete, ready to implement proposal in a comment, that means it cannot be done and therefore we must cling to the status quo? Is that really what you’ve got in defense of the current system?
I think you are a complainer who prefers not to think beyond that level. We all know it’s easier to complain than to have to actually DO most anything, right? When you suggest even a somewhat realistically doable set of thoughts to improve things I’ll start taking your rants more seriously. We don’t need dead-head satisfied being armchair critics; we need thinkers and doers!
James, there are many thinkers who are offering possible ideas on what to do about education. I did offer several ideas off the top of my head when so challenged before. People involved in the education system will have none of it. We hear nothing but laments about how tough they have it from educators. The rest of us just don’t understand! But people in education keep doing the same thing over and over, getting the same result, and tell us nothing else can be done. If somehow you feel like you have effectively disposed of simple points about the… Read more »
You want a PERFECT way to teach all students all subjects with superior results all around. It doesn’t exist! That’s the bottom-line truth of it in terms of psychological and sociological interactions from one person to another. Each will “come from a different place” in one or the other category, will see their life differently as a result and perform accordingly. “Bean counter” adultswho thrive in a world where perfection theoretically at least is possible can’t comprehend the fuzzy world I’ve mentioned. In their world the worker (the student in the case of education) either does what’s expected or gets… Read more »
Try to remember that I only asked that teachers make sure that students can read.
And how do you expect to have an “information economy” when you have been graduating illiterates for decades? And giving out degrees in Gender Theory to those who can read?
Thought of giving a simple answer today since it’s my birthday Now 73 and where have all the years disappeared to so fast.
First on the list would be getting rid of Common Core. Before CC the old fashioned way of learning seemed to be easier to comprehend.
It could be that easy. Here’s some info.
https://pioneerinstitute.org/academic-standards/study-finds-historic-drop-in-national-reading-and-math-scores-since-adoption-of-common-core-curriculum-standards/
I challenge you and anyone else that complains about teachers but won’t provide any sort of plan to find these new magical teachers that can get students to learn against their will. You have no idea what the job entails but you are positive that it’s caused from teachers.
Most of the problems in our schools are the results of decisions made by the administrators. Setting curriculum that is failing, passing failing students, allowing disruptive students to remain in school, etc… None of those items are caused by teachers or because they unionize for better pay and benefits.
You have mentioned this many times before about school boards. In most towns the school board is voted in by the voters. In Chicago the school board was handpicked by the mayor. The board in turn hires the super. The super’s duties are in the link provided. So now most of the problems are a result of the mayors decision who was basically hired by the union (sorry-voted in by the public).
https://interviewguy.com/school-district-superintendent-job-description/
‘We are only following orders” didn’t work at Nuremburg and it doesn’t work in the classroom either. If 90% of the kids in your classroom still can’t read after a full school year, that’s on you, teacher. Too many older cynical teachers seem eager to take the paycheck for little work, and too many younger ones seem eager to indoctrinate the children in far left-wing ideology.
Excellent summary in a nutshell. They wield power, but not enough to fix the classroom. Only enough to increase their paychecks.
They start their contract negotiations with demands about climate change and green equity, but not a peep about the evil administrators who make their lives miserable? You expect me to buy that?
I have worked in several jobs and I think the one prevailing thing that makes a difference is attitude. I went to 13 different schools from NY city to AK I saw a lot of different attitudes the good ones I looked forward to the not very good it was required. The teachers were in the middle admin on top students below. The admin can be good or bad on the attitude of the teacher and students. For parents it’s easy to see what kind of school their life’s are in just ask what did you learn today. Their response… Read more »
Teachers work very hard. As in any profession, there are teachers who do not work in earnest. They no zero control over who gets passed along to the next grade. Please spend one day in any school and actually talk to a teacher.
Yes, none of us have ever spent a day in school LOL.
I would like to see an experiment where teachers/principals-staff from private schools would go to any one public school in Chicago and see if their teaching methods would show improvement in student outcomes. I am trying to compare apples to apples but it is difficult since private school kids have the advantage of parents teaching them at home before they enter school and many kids in public may not have that advantage. All the kids in these so called failing schools have the ability to learn and have a great fulfilling life but they need to be motivated to want… Read more »
We’d all like to think your movie plot of the STRONG leader would save the day. Maybe so, but remember that the movie was inspired by a real situation but stretched to the level of fantasy in some ways. Your other thought might be good, too, but most surely would tend to agree that parents who are willing to pay private tuitions as well as their own public school-related property taxes are more likely to place all kinds of attention to their children’s education than is the norm. First, I think we can agree chances are they will periodically monitor… Read more »
“The private school staff would use only their protocols and not CPS’s.” The current public school teachers don’t get to use their own protocols. You’ve introduced another variable into the experiment and wouldn’t be able to draw a conclusion that your results are from higher quality teachers or different administrative policies. The issues impacting education are at the district level. These are decisions made without the rank and file teachers. Even if you had an experiment that showed higher quality teachers produce better results (which I would imagine would be the result), unless you find a way to scale that… Read more »
What a load of bunk.
All those smiling faces, giving the Stalin salute, so content with getting more money to not accomplish anything all day and get a fat pension at the end of the road.
Paying this kind of money for a bus ride, 2 packaged meals and expensive daycare is a crime.
CTU cleaned up, what didn’t they get???
Her lordship, queen Stacy, is VERY entertaining taking her in your face victory lap on Fran Spielman Show from a couple days ago…. but warning, only listen to on an empty stomach.
( https://art19.com/shows/the-fran-spielman-show/episodes/1dd64af8-3c09-40cc-bfeb-2db1b1139e49)
Best I can find: CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said “so what” if the contract cost $50 billion and three cents. More than 700 demands were priced at between $10 billion and nearly $14 billion on the ones that could be calculated. But the past year did not yield the smoother negotiations and transformative contract the union predicted. Instead, it bred contempt for the union across the city. The four-year deal is estimated at $1.5 billion. That took nearly a year and gave CTU a fraction of its agenda. CTU’s House of Delegates approved the union’s tentative contract with Chicago Public Schools on April 2. All union members now vote… Read more »