Chicago Teachers Rally: Not Down with Educational Reform

Thousands of public school teachers gathered on strike in Chicago, Il against the educational reform proposed by the mayor Rahm Emmanuel.  It left 350,000 children without classes as a few blocks of Chicago streets were engulfed by teachers and supporters creating a CTU (Chicago Teacher's Union) and Mayor Emmanuel standoff.  Being the nation's third largest school system, the bustle caused all kinds of hustle as parents frantically tried to find caretakers for the children.  So what is the problem here? Teachers are feeling injustice- over the rising national struggle over unionized teachers’ pay, conditions, benefits and standing.  The mayor was quick to dismiss talking politics over the reform and encouraged teachers to go back to their schools, which they finally did Tuesday, September 18th. 

For months, a conflict had been brewing between the teachers and Mr. Emanuel, who has pledged to make the most comprehensive reform in the Chicago Public Schools in a decade. Still, the strike, announced around 10 p.m. on Sunday, took many by surprise.

School officials said they had contract talks, and made adequate concessions including what would amount to a 16 percent increase for teachers over four years despite what is expected to be a $1 billion deficit in the system’s operating budget next year. Only two issues were still subjects of dispute — how to evaluate teachers and whether teaching openings should automatically go to laid-off teachers.

School board officials said the average salary for teachers here is $76,000.

CTU members seemed to suggest that the dispute was over something more mountainous, and included other issues related to benefits based on experience level and training days for teachers.

"Teachers also clearly saw the strike as a protest not just of the union negotiations in Chicago but on  education reform nationwide, which many perceived as being pushed by corporate interests and relying too heavily on standardized tests to measure student progress," said Monica Davey in a New York Times article. 

This upheaval has led to repercussions and considerations such as the belief in Emmanuel as mayor, the education reform movement did not do well and charter schools that replaced others are not doing better, the issues are now brought to more people's attention, and that parents will now be more involved in schools.

Democracy Now displays a video interviewing CTU members and other local supporters to demonstrate what is was like to walk down some of Chicago streets these past two weeks:

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/11/thousands_rally_in_chicago_teachers_strike

What do you think about striking over injustice in a school system and the CTU's response to Emmanuel's reform in that it is a nation-wide issue?