Now that Chicago Teachers Union members have ratified a new contract, CTU President Karen Lewis detailed what comes next for the union and Chicago Public Schools district.
“We will work with them to shore up their financial issues by promoting legislation that will adequately and equitably fund all of Illinois’ schools,” she said during a speech before the City Club of Chicago.
In discussing the vote results, Lewis said, “What I can tell you is that the level of distrust between the district, parents, educators and communities is still high, and will need a lot of work to repair these wounds.”
Chicago parents, aldermen and state lawmakers urged the city Friday to support a TIF surplus ordinance to help avert a potential teachers strike next week and alleviate school budget cuts.
Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is one of seven individuals who have filed state and federal lawsuits in an effort to win an elected school board in Chicago.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s governing body approved an October 11 strike date Wednesday, putting the union one step closer toward its second walkout since 2012.
“If we cannot reach an agreement by then, we will withhold our labor,” CTU President Karen Lewis told reporters Wednesday evening after a special meeting of the union’s House of Delegates.
CTU and school district officials have yet to agree on a new labor contract to replace the one that expired in June 2015.
Progress Illinois provides highlights from Wednesday’s Chicago Board of Education meeting, during which the school district’s $5.4 billion budget was approved and TIF surplus supporters spoke out.
The Illinois State Board of Education is scrapping the controversial PARCC exam for high schoolers and replacing it with the SAT, according to a Monday announcement.
From paid sick days to regulations on popular sharing services like Airbnb and Uber, Progress Illinois rounds up highlights from Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal Troy LaRaviere faced the media Thursday morning to speak out against the “politically motivated charges” leveled against him by the district.
Last month, CPS removed LaRaviere — an outspoken critic of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS — from Blaine Elementary School in Lakeview and reassigned him to his home with pay until the disciplinary process is complete.
CPS has 12 total dismissal charges pending against LaRaviere involving insubordination, dereliction of duty and ethics violations.
LaRaviere’s removal comes as he runs for president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, the election for which is currently underway and ballots will be counted next week.
“When I was a lone voice, the administration tolerated me,” LaRaviere said this morning at the Wishbone Restaurant on Lincoln Avenue. “But when faced with the prospect of an organized group of education leaders speaking as one on behalf of students, they’ve moved with haste and reckless abandon to prevent that from happening.”
The Illinois State Board of Education found that the Chicago Public Schools district does not meet the requirements for a state takeover, according to documents published on its website.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s governing body approved an October 11 strike date Wednesday, putting the union one step closer toward its second walkout since 2012. 
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal Troy LaRaviere faced the media Thursday morning to speak out against the “politically motivated charges” leveled against him by the district.