Uncensored March 2 Chicago Sun-Times Letter
[Editor's Note. The following is the uncensored and complete Op Ed that Deborah Lynch sent to the Chicago Sun-Times. As readers with both versions (what Deborah Lynch wrote and what the Sun-Times published) can see, there was a lot cut out by the time the Sun-Times published the little that was left. On March 2, Deborah Lynch wrote to Substance: Hi George. While I am happy to have my submission in today's Sun-Times, here's what I sent to them. You can see what got eliminated.]
Gage Park High School teacher and former Chicago Teachers Union President Deborah Lynch waits to testify against the proposed "turnaround" of Deneen Elementary School at the February 8, 2010, hearing. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.On Sun, 2/28/10, ProActive Teachers wrote: From: ProActive Teachers . Subject: Response to "No way around teacher pay freezes", To: tmcnamee@suntimes.com, kgrossman@suntimes.com, Cc: letters@suntimes.com
Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010, 8:05 PM
As a current CPS teacher and past-president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), I have to take serious issue with the Sun-Times’ editorial about a teacher pay freeze (“No way around CPS teacher pay freeze,” 2/26/2010). You argue for a pay freeze, despite saying that it’s “not because teachers don’t deserve a raise…not because teachers should pay for the poor planning and mismanagement by CPS over the years…not because their pension fund lost out on between $1.5 and $2 billion over the last decade (due to CPS policies)” but because “CPS must deal with today, not the past.”
The problem is exactly that, the poor planning and mismanagement by CPS over the years, despite a free ride from Chicago ’s media over the “reforms” of Vallas, Duncan, and now Huberman. The teachers and their union have been warning the public about this gross mismanagement of public funds and the public’s trust and the disastrous effects on our students. Through restructuring to reconstitution to reengineering to probation to outright closings, to school turnarounds, teachers, staff and students have been victimized by one disastrous--and expensive-- reform model after another. None of these have increased either the overall test scores or the city’s graduation rate, though school disruption and violence, and even deaths, have been increasing.
Through it all, teachers and staff, especially those working in high poverty schools, have been vilified by CPS as the problem with the schools, not the solution. Closed schools and “turn arounds”, many of which have had millions poured into them recently, result in the letting go of teachers and staff for test scores. One of the latest casualties, Bradwell Elementary, had an unbelievable mobility rate of 75% and CPS let go of the entire staff — even the lunch ladies — over their scores. They were let go for the sin of working in a struggling, high poverty school. On the day after Huberman closed or ordered “turned around” eight more high poverty schools, part of the “Renaissance 2010” plan to close 100 schools and reopen 100, he asked those same teachers and staff members to help him.
There is another way around the CPS deficit. Ben Joravsky of The Reader fame cites just two figures which need to be carefully examined instead of once again trying to close the budget gap on the backs of the teachers and staff: the $700 million CPS spends annually on contracts to outside vendors, and the $250 million of CPS’ supposed share of the TIF (tax increment financing) money that the schools have never seen. For example, CPS pays millions to private, for-profit vendors (many former CPS administrators on pensions) to walk through our schools with checklists and to coach teachers with bachelors’ and masters’ degrees on untested “reforms." It gives millions more to the charter and turnaround operators they have turned so many of our schools over to.
It’s time for this city, the city that privatizes everything that moves, to fight for its schools and the teachers and staff who show up every day. Yes, it’s time to fight for our share of state funding. It’s also time to give up the mistaken belief that turning to the private sector is the answer.
(Deborah Lynch, Teacher, Gage Park High School & CTU President, 2001-2004, deborahmlynch @yahoo.com, 312-890-7713).
Comments:
By: Jean R Schwab
Talk
I've been talking to teachers about the elections. I guess I figured that everyone thought that the CTU needed a change. It surprised me when one teacher in a poor neighborhood told me that the CTU was doing as much as it could and it's hands were tied because of the contract. The teacher was mad that certain things were hurting the students like overcrowded classes and teachers not getting enough preps. Everybody was doing their part by giving up some preps, taking larger classes and doing without teacher assistants especially the Special Education teachers . The teacher lamented that the building was now too hot and they were planning to make the school a year round school. Their teacher Delegate said that the CTU could not do anything about these concerns because,"they hurt the students ,not the teachers." The teacher was told that to have the CTU interfere with any of these concerns might break the contract and they could not go on strike( if desired.) Marilyn Stewart was not to blame, it was Ron Huberman, the state and the budget that had caused all of this.
I tried to point out that when things are going wrong, the CTU was supposed to speak up for the staff and students. Has anyone else heard this perspective going around the schools?
By: kugler
Fear Tactics
Stewart pushed it this weekend at the workshop is was at. Change is coming and we have to go along, but no talk of the issues that have never been fixed or worked out.
Everyone has to educate the membership if they give up their power now they will lose in May and then on May 22, 2010 the day after the election you will see what huberman has planned, You all know huberman has been working this election too. and he has his favorite to win.
"The only strikes I want to see is in a bowling alley!"
By: MCasey
Bravo
someone has to listen