Ted appeared on the Illinois Channel TV to talk about the Chicago teachers strike. He told Illinoisans what they need to know: that all Chicagoans will lose no matter how the strike is resolved, that taxes will continue to go up, that property values will continue to stagnate, and that people will continue to leave the city.
Read what you need to know about the strike:
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Ted joined Jeff Daly to discuss why Illinois’ property taxes are such a national outlier, why Illinoisans are forced to pay the high, guaranteed salaries, benefits and pensions of the government class, why Illinoisans aren’t getting their money’s worth for what they pay, the teachers unions’ influence over elections, and more.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
Illinois’ dismal education numbers – especially for minority students – are embarrassing to politicians and officials. But rather than admit there’s a problem with Illinois’ education system, they attack the state’s own standards for being “too high,” instead.
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Simple math. That’s all it takes to explain why the CTU’s demands can’t be met. Funny thing about math is, it doesn’t care about your feelings. It is apathetic to your chants, demands, and rhetoric. The fact that the supposed educators of Chicago refuse to accept it points to much deeper problems within the CPS than just funding, class sizes, and support staff.
“Yes,” but from their point of view “no.” The city of Chicago has financial responsibility for various kinds of activities with each having its own budget. The overall pie has a certain size. CTU at the least wants a bigger slice of that pie, although I’m sure they’d like the size of the pie to grow as well. I’m not arguing for them nor against them, so don’t try claiming otherwise.
Let’s gauge CTU’s true end goals and values by countering with the following: – Hire more nurses/librarians/social workers but make them non-union positions and under CPS administration, like the principals who are not union. – For every 25 nurses/librarians/social workers hired, CPS knocks off 1% of the pension pick-up. – Provide housing vouchers to teachers, but the value of these vouchers is based on some set of metrics (where you agree to live, classroom performance, etc). Offering a teacher a voucher to live in Lincoln Park is no different than offering a developer a TIF in Lincoln Park. – CTU… Read more »
Nixit, now your talkin’! Usually its the “aren’t we great and aren’t they stupid” arguments here and rarely more thoughtful than that. You’re actually giving some real bargaining-chip thought to the CTU striker demands here. Bravo; let’s hope others chime-in! Maybe someone who can bring your ideas to the table will start listening/reading and solving this mess.
Nixit, watch out or we’ll start a petition drive to make you the city’s negotiator.
A resounding “yes” to all of Nixit’s proposals. I am among those who suspect that this strike is as much a CTU membership drive as it is anything else. Thus, when they rejected these proposals, they would essentially be admitting it to everyone.
Sounds real good at face value. I would add one more question to see if they show compassion or just greed. This question pertains to retired teachers/administrators also /police/fire/etc. Would you be willing to have a small nominal tax on your pensions to help shore up non retirees/salaries/etc within your district to help out? Chicago would help Chicago/Rockford helps Rockford. Their answer would show if they are willing to help their own or not. Money would stay within the district and not go to Springfield. They are in solidarity now but is it to each their own. Family helps family.… Read more »
You are correct. They’re trying to bargain for the employer & pay they want instead of the employer & pay they’ve got. Kind of scary that public opinion – at least within the city limits – is on their side. It’s sure as heck not on their side outside of Chicago city limits. My wife was getting ready to send emails to my kids’ suburban teachers threatening them with non-violent retribution if they chose to ever follow their CTU’s compatriot’s lead. I had to stop her from going crazy on my kids’ teachers, who have no plans to even strike… Read more »