Chicago, Chicago, A Hell of a Town

Chicago is really the epicenter of the battle between the ed deformers and the real reformers. It was the birth of mayoral control in 1995, the home of key Democratic deformers Arne Duncan who ran the schools for 7 years and Obama. Duncan was preceded by Paul Vallas who after he was run out of Chicago has ruined public school systems in Philly, New Orleans and now Hartford (or is it New Haven?) Really take a look at NO and Philly and there is only devastation.

Chicago still has a fighting chance, mostly due to the reform union movement led by the Caucus of Rank and File Educators which was elected in May 2010 with Karen Lewis, who came out of 30 years of teaching chemistry to run the 2nd largest teachers union in the nation. And despite a few missteps is doing quite well. Yes to real teachers, not lawyers, running teacher unions.

The AFT convention in Detroit starting July 26 may well have the dynamic of a struggle between the Chicago TU and the UFT -- CORE vs Unity caucus. One of the early battles shaping up is over the weak AFT Resolution on Testing and their support for the Common Core. We'll keep you posted on the 800 Unity Caucus slugs who will be there to oppose the Real Reformers.

The ed deformers were patting themselves on the back for passing a law requiring the Chicago Teachers Union to have 75% support before they can strike. My first thought was "good." Who would want to strike without having 75% of the members supporting it? Better yet, how about 90%, which seems to be the kind of support the CTU is getting for a strike from its members. And there is also parent support being built by the CTU.

All it takes is a mayor who demands people work a few hours extra a day for practically no pay. Plus all the other anti-teacher and union crap.

So the showdown between the CTU and Mayor Rhambo and NYC/Rochester reject and now Chicago Supt Jean Claude-Buzzard/vulture will be coming in September. It is in our interests here in NYC and all over the nation to support the CTU politically and financially as a victory over the ed deformers would have nationwide implications. Can you imagine how Randi will react? While mouthing support publicly she will be working desperately behind the scenes for a "settlement" where she will do as much to represent the powers that be as the union. Probably more as a successful strike in Chicago would create a greater militant demand here in NYC. We don't need our leaders to be intermediaries but to stand firmly in our corner.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis (above at podium) announced the strike authorization voting to begin June 6, while the union's officers looked on. Left to right above: Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, President Karen Lewis, Vice President Jesse Sharkey, and Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle. Substance photo by Sharon Schmidt.

Video of Karen's speech

CTU to hold strike authorization voting beginning June 6

Sharon Schmidt - June 01, 2012
Karen Lewis and the officers and members of the Chicago Teachers Union announced at a packed press conference on Friday afternoon, June 1, 2012, that the union will conduct its strike authorization referendum during the week of June 4, with full results expected by June 8. Under the terms of the law known as "SB7" (for Senate Bill 7), the union is required to get approval from 75 percent of its members in order to move towards a strike. (Retiree members are not part of the union that participates in strike votes).


Read MORE on the story

CPS parent Matt Farmer puts billionaire Board of Education member Penny Pritzker on Trial at CTU's STANDS STRONG RALLY. 

Pritzker doesn't seem to feel it is necessary to provide other people's children with the same educational experience as hers.
http://youtu.be/IMUboOIQT48




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The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Schmidt on Charters and Chicago

Are parents of charter school children across the city being organized into shock troops for Mayor Bloomberg's continued control of the public school system?

March 21, 2009

Norm and friends:

The answer is "Yes." They do the same thing in Chicago, only putting more dollars behind it.

After each conversion, a group of parents if formed to go around praising the charter (and damning the "bad" public school that the children had been forced to endure before they reached the promised land of charters). If you listen carefully (and you should really tape these scripted things), they will all repeated the same teacher bashing bullshit.

-- The teachers rush out of the building at the public school at the end of the day

-- The teachers in the public school did not believe "all children can learn" (a veritable mantra, since the days of "Stand and Deliver" -- which they still are required to memorize, I'm sure)

-- The "bad teachers" in the old public school simply sat at their desks and handed out worksheets, etc., etc., etc.

-- The public school teachers allowed violence and bullying to prevail, but finally our children are "safe" ete.

If you collate all of this garbage, you can actually hear the echnoes of their scripts.

What's interesting is that the two groups of people who repeat these scripts (the charter school TFA type teachers; the charter "parents") usually can't answer the simple question: What public school was that, where all those terrible things happened to you and your children?

They are usually repeating articles of faith, like scripture. Since the right wing talking points are never challenged, they get away with it. (Especially if, in the case of the parents, they introduce themselves as being poor and minority -- which usually they are not, since hustles like this don't go to the poor).

Here in Chicago, the breeding ground for these parents is a thing called the "Renaissance Schools Fund", which currently has more than $50 million to spend on privatization and its necessary "choice" propaganda.

The Renaissance Schools Fund sponsored an annual "choice" fair at Soldier Field (where the Bears play football; honest) in January. It could have been called "Charter Schools and Privatization Expo". Also, union busting Expo.

Their funding comes from the largest corporations in the USA, which is one of the reasons, as a side line, that CORE Chicago organized a boycott of Walgreens (basically, it's the Business Roundtable, which in Chicago is called the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club and includes all the CEOs of the biggest corporations and is straight out of Ayn Rand in its ideology).

They also sponsor several black women who are called "Parents for School Choice" who are always on call to speak at public meetings and denounce anyone who wants to reform the existing public schools and oppose charters. "Parents for School Choice" jobs will doubtless proliferate as these things do.

If some of the parts of these scripts haven't reached you yet in New York, they will.

One of the most fun things is to ask these people where they get their information and who is paying them. The answer to (a) is usually "everybody knows that" (for example, that union teachers trample the children rushing to the parking lot at the end of the day, while the noble charter school teachers work form pre-dawn until post-sunset for the sake of "the children") and (b) "Why are you asking that question? How is that relevant to what's best for my child's future? HOW DARE YOU !!!!"

Etc.

Enjoy.

Let's continue to share these experiences.

George N. Schmidt
Editor, Substance

www.substancenews.net