-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
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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CT u is a progressive activist group protecting their turf. CTU should have nothing to say about charter schools. CTU is more for politics and power than about education.
Nope. CTU is a labor union and they are free to use their first amendment right and speak up on these issues just as you are free to do the same.
The CTU only cares about money, benefits and huge pensions, education is not even on their list of things to do.
How would you—or how would any of us—REALLY know? My belief is they tend to focus on what’s more realistically doable rather than fighting a never ending social battle that’s not doable.
It’s unfortunate that they don’t seem to find teaching kids to read doable.
The tragedy is that they are so short sighted that they thought electing an unqualified mayor would help them more than making sure the kids who came into their classrooms could read.
Yeah, if only CPS could find that magic wand so many here are sure exists all would be well.
Why are you looking for a magic wand? We’ve known how to teach kids to read for centuries. It’s not a huge mystery that only a very few gifted wizards have been able to attain.
Okay, but why are state-reported reading scores here in IL and even nationwide mirroring to varying degrees those of Chicago? If that’s the extent of the problem what lies at the root of it—certainly not CTU so many want to blame here? There is a MAJOR problem here yet to determine with any seubstantial certainty. Make reasonably sure slings and arrows are pointed at the right culprits rather than what your gut feeling prefers.
Why is the problem mirrored throughout the country? Have you heard of NEA and Becky Pringle? How about AFT and Randi Weingarten?
Why are you unable to look squarely at the people who have been running education for decades to find the source of the problem? Instead you keep wanting to point to some mysterious outside force that is preventing schools from accomplishing what civilization has been doing for centuries.
Nobody’s asking that schools turn out classes full of Shakespeare scholars. But you can’t pretend to be educating when more than half your students are functionally illiterate.
I take it that you are taking the issue here as primarily an IL-wide or Chicago one. I’m telling you it’s a problem nationwide which logically means that it’s a much more common set of problematic, non-productive issues than most Chicago area people likely realize. Google searches state the facts in terms of test score achievements almost anywhere you’d care to know such things.
You do know that NEA and AFT are national teacher unions, right? I’m very well aware the problem is nationwide. The unions have done a great job of making sure teacher jobs are absolutely secure. No accountability. Untouchable. Union strong, right? This stance has exploded in your faces and created the problems you constantly bemoan. Those primary grade teachers who aren’t making sure kids learn to read? They dump the problem on the middle school teachers, who can’t possibly teach kids who lack basic skills. And so on up the ladder. Your union makes sure nobody can do anything about… Read more »
You seem to think teacher unions nationwide have a much stronger influence on the belief systems and daily work processes of individual teachers than seems justified in our American culture of free thinkers. With only the rarest of exceptions everyone in our society has independence of thought and action except where laws are violated. Secondly, teachers are employed by their local school districts rather than a teachers union, meaning they have in general more allegiance to the expectations of their immediate boss and his superiors or suffer the consequences. Teacher unions are much further down the list of daily importance… Read more »
Your friend PPF constantly says the voters are getting what they voted for. Teachers are the only group of voters who vote for the people on BOTH sides of the bargaining table- school board members and union leaders. If anybody is getting exactly what they voted for in schools, it is the teachers. School board candidates endorsed by teacher unions win something like 80% of school board elections. The heads of both national teacher unions have been on the DNC for years. I understand teachers are individuals and not union robots. But there is absolutely no group that has had… Read more »
“Constructive change” is different for different categories of people. That’s politics in general. Some local school districts have a preponderance of conservative voters and others have far more liberals. So, sometimes any individual wins and sometimes he /she loses in the political voting process. School board agendas tend to follow that concept as well because they mirror their voters, but take heart. Rumor has it that the pendulum swings from one extreme to the other, although pendulums need never do so in unison as to time or direction.
I can agree that it stands to reason a larger percentage of teachers generally likely will vote in school district elections than is the case for the local citizens as a whole. That has its consequences in some situations most likely and especially where local citizens have poor voter turn-out—probably in school district elections and bond referendum voting in particular. On the other hand the cards are not totally “stacked” in either case since it’s likely that many teachers aren’t required to live within the school district. Chicago is one of only a few such places to mandate otherwise.
Does it matter where they live? School board candidates endorsed by teacher unions win about 80% of the time. Presumably the union endorses candidates who are likely to follow policies that teachers like.
Sorry, this is on teachers no matter what verbal gymnastics you employ. Teachers got the policies they wanted. They quite rationally don’t like the results, because the results are abysmal.
Stop pretending there is some magic elixir that makes all your bad ideas work, and start looking in the mirror.
That’s impressive. It’s like the voters respect the teachers opinions. The average voter doesn’t hate on teachers the way some people do. The voters can listen to any endorsement and then choose. The voters are getting exactly what they want.
i know you hate that others can vote differently than you but that’s life in the great USA.
A lot of us did vote for the candidates endorsed by teachers. Thirty years ago my son would bring home flyers in his backpack from the teachers whenever there was a school board election. Vote for these people to make DG schools great! And of course, all of us parents did that. We wanted our schools to be great. We made the grave error of believing teachers and unions were influencing our votes with the best interest of kids at heart. This has been going on for decades, and we see the results. Anyone who still believes teachers have the… Read more »
Nope, the “magic elixir” has to be found. The fundamentals used to be drilled into students, but it’s obviously not taking hold theses days for reasons yet to be solidly determined, although bloviators spew their gut-held beliefs to the contrary left and right. Know any? I’ll bet Kristi know ’em.
Seriously James? That’s sad. You don’t even understand that you proved my point.
Did I ever say that I think American public school students have better skills in the 3-Rs than was the case eons ago when you and I were heavily drilled in such things? I don’t think so. I agree with you there. But, I think it’s a multiplicity of factors as to why that’s happened. I could list each and state my case, but you’d not bother reading beyond the first sentence ago, because you are so dead set on the loose idea that it’s the teachers’ fault that you’d fight anything else I’d suggest. So, if I “proved your… Read more »
Teachers sure do get paid a lot of money for schitt results. Pay them 1/2 the amount and the results would be the same, Schitt.
Maybe so. More money for salaries gives a greater likelihood of attracting more applicants, some of whom might well be much better in performance. But, higher salaries do not necessarily guarantee better results. That requires more skill than an interviewer or committee of same and references can deliver with assurance. As always with any kind of job and any applicant, you select the one you want and simply hope you’ve made the best decision. Only time will tell.
All about the money. It is what the education business/grift has become. CTU and CPS couldn’t care less about education, kids, parents or community. Just give them the money…