Monday, September 10, 2012

For Parents Of CPS Students

Two of Uptown's aldermen and several other sources are sending out information about what to do with the kids for the duration of the Chicago Public Schools teachers' strike:

8 comments:

  1. Stop by a school in Uptown today and show some support for the teachers fighting for a fair contract and a better education for kids in Chicago. Uplift, Graeme Stewart are both great places to stop by in the heart of Uptown.

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  2. The average CPS teacher is struggling to get by on a mere $76K, plus benefits and pension. Shameful.

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  3. Actually, the average pay of a first year teacher with a bachelor's degree is 50K. The highest you could get paid after experience and degree pay is around 88k. That's with 20 years and a doctorate. And just so you know, a doctorate takes about 6 years and means you are not actually in a classroom. No school hires a teacher with 20 years and a doctorate. They hire low pay teachers. No wonder why 80% of teachers only teach in CPS for two years tops. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/June-2011/Chicago-Teacher-Salaries-The-Long-View/

    Get your facts straight and then post "shameful." Obviously you didn't have a teacher to teach you that.

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  4. No school hires a teacher with 20 years and a doctorate.

    ... that's true in the private sector as well. Any organization will look to keep costs (ie - salaries) as low as possible.

    Heck, I know people with a Masters who don't get anywhere near $50K to start .. if they can find a job, at all.

    That and in the private sector, one doesn't get such comprehensive retirement or health benefits.

    Point: this strike just looks really, really bad for the CTU - especially considering that a good number of parents adversely affected by this strike don't make 1/2 of a first year teacher's salary, if they have a job at all, and certainly don't get the retirement benefits.

    I doubt many low-income parents are going to feel bad for someone who can only make $88k.

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  5. In the suburbs, a first year teacher would easily make around 55k. A teacher with 20 years and a doctorate could make 120k, easily. You want teachers to stay here? Work with them, dont fight against them.

    After 20 years, if I am at a job where I am in constant danger, working with the worst obstacles in my way, and seeing my pension dry up, and I ONLY make 88k AFTER a doctorate degree... I am going to be striking.

    No teacher goes in it for the money. They are asking for your respect. If they've lost it because they are demanding to be fairly compensated for the extra time they are putting in, then you didn't respect them to begin with.

    Neither party is helping the situation. The sooner this gets resolved the better. But it would be better for teachers that do stay in the system to be fairly compensated.

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  6. I am going to be striking.

    ... or you could look for a better paying job elsewhere .. y'know .. like the rest of us are forced to do when times are bad.

    Look, I'm in full support of ensuring that our schools are serving the community to their fullest. And yes, teachers need to be compensated, fairly.

    The problems are these:

    - the city is broke (see: TIFs, horrible civic leadership and corruption) and CPS is $700M in the hole (ditto)
    - CPS has already smacked a property tax increase on home owners
    - the state has smacked a 66% income tax increase on everyone to, mainly, pay for the pension obligation
    - most people in the private sector haven't received squat with regards to raises or COL increases - let alone 16-30% increases
    - most people in the private sector have seen their retirement packages decimated by the bad economy
    - almost no one in the private sector has ANY sort of job security

    The only way for teachers in Chicago to get more/any compensation/health care and retirement benefits (shadowing what the private sector counterparts get) is going to be via some sort of tax increase, or some other further burden on residents.


    If the teachers want to be respected, how 'bout some respect for the folks who will ultimately have to sacrifice some level of salary and retirement funding to cover these bills?

    Where does CTU expect this money to come from? It's not so much a matter of not being respected, it's more so the fact that the resources from the public have been sucked dry (by the very politicians the CTU historically endorsed and supported, I might add). We're max'd out.

    The solution is to come to a temporary agreement with future results to be reflective of economic realities, and work to rid the political ranks of those guilty of wasting the billions and billions of dollars which, if available, would make this entire argument irrelevant.

    Not to hold a strike which places an even heavier burden upon the general public and, more importantly, those who can least afford it.

    Social and economic justice, indeed.

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  7. It's not what you think, you guys. From what I see, it's the ability to get fired from not making test scores more than PAY. See here... better explanation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/the-real-problem-with-rahms-school-reforms-in-chicago/2012/09/11/c77c3cc4-fba4-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_blog.html

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  8. That's a good article, and certainly a must-read.

    And maybe Chelles and I were too focused on salaries - but, all of this comes down to economics, really (IMHO).

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