Outrage in Chicago
Bubba
07 Oct
There’s a full-blown teachers union controversy in Chicago right now. (Chicago Sun-Times)
The latest: As the Chicago Teachers Union stages “walk-ins” demanding more funding for public schools, the entire Chicago Public Schools (CPS) board is set to resign amid conflict with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Pedro Martinez, the CEO of CPS, and Johnson have clashed repeatedly over the mayor’s school district budget plan, which Martinez characterized as fiscally irresponsible.
Johnson, who is closely allied with the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, is now expected to install a new board that will implement his budget plan.
How The New York Times reporter Rachel Nostrant described Johnson’s plan:
…a $300 million high-interest loan to cover a $175 million pension for staff members in the district who aren’t teachers, and to cover pay increases for members of the union…
The numbers: CPS spends nearly $30,000 a year for each student, well above the national average of $17,280 per pupil.
The results: The district’s spending has increased 97% since 2012, but test scores have fallen over that same time period.
Big picture: While school budgets and funding have increased over recent decades, relatively little of that money has gone toward paying and hiring more teachers.
The politics: Teachers unions contributed $5.7 million to propel Johnson to victory in 2023 (his opponents received little to no money from the unions), and were among the biggest donors in Chicago’s recent elections.
Bubba’s Two Cents
When you lay out all the facts here - a poorly performing school district whose funding has nearly doubled since 2012 is now asking for more money and being backed by the mayor who received millions of dollars from the teachers union to help him get elected - it sounds almost comical. But the consequences - taxpayer money going to educational bureaucrats and union bosses, while students get left behind - are all too serious.