Teachers union seeks 5 percent raises, says ‘rich people’ will pay for them.
Chicago Teachers Union leaders on Tuesday submitted their first contract proposals — including 5-percent pay raises — to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office, though most negotiations are expected to fall to the next tenant of City Hall’s fifth floor.
The teachers’ current contract expires June 30, more than a month after Emanuel’s successor is sworn into office following the Feb. 26 mayoral election and possible April 2 runoff election.
“Rahm Emanuel still is the mayor of the city of Chicago and will be until early May,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said, holding up a packet of the union’s demands outside Emanuel’s City Hall office.
“He’s got to do his job in advance bargaining so when it becomes a new mayor’s turn to take over, we can actually land a contract before school starts next fall.”
Sharkey laid out four provisions of the teachers’ proposals: increased pay and benefits, increased staffing, reduced class sizes and “social demands” guaranteeing sanctuary status for undocumented students in CPS classrooms and increased availability of affordable housing citywide.
In addition to 5-percent raises for CTU members, the union is seeking librarians and nurses at every school, heightened special education and bilingual student support services, class sizes capped at 24 for early childhood education and a counselor for every 250 students
City officials did not release details on a potential counter-proposal.
“CPS is led by two lifelong Chicago educators who understand the supports our teachers need to be successful, and we look forward to beginning productive conversations to work toward a contract that honors the contributions of our educators and supports the best interests of Chicago students and families,” district spokesman Michael Passman said in an email.
Emanuel spokeswoman Lauren Markowitz touted the district’s academic gains and said, “As discussions around the next contract begin, we must ensure this forward momentum continues so that every child in every community has an education that matches their potential.”
Union leaders did not say how much their plan would cost, but Gates acknowledged the price will go up from the current contract, estimated at $8.9 billion when it was ratified in 2016.
The New Year Sees No Relief For Illinoisans’ From Ever Growing Property Tax Bills
A major reason for Illinoisans’ daunting property tax bills is the record number of local government bodies they’re supporting. Illinois, for example, is home to nearly 860 school districts, fifth-highest in the nation.
Meanwhile, those districts serve the fifth-lowest number of students per district at 2,400, which suggests Illinois taxpayers are paying for an overabundance of school districts.
That comes at no small cost. School districts in Illinois consume nearly two-thirds of all property taxes collected by local governments.
Unfortunately, Illinois ranks 8th in the nation in administrative spending as a percentage of education spending – meaning a substantial chunk of those property tax dollars never reach the classroom. Instead, a large portion goes to pay for administration and support functions.
By consolidating school districts, overhead would drop and allow local leaders to take immediate steps toward property tax relief.
Many of these government units overlap, in many cases performing the same services.
In addition to excess taxpayer costs, too much government provides refuge for waste and abuse: The McHenry County state’s attorney opened criminal investigations into three separate townships in the county this year.
Following one of the investigations, the state’s attorney described the “flawed” township form of government in a report as hotbeds of “incompetence, guile and impropriety.”
Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker should allow McHenry County taxpayers to rid their communities of such abuse by signing into law House Bill 4637. That bill would empower county residents to more easily dissolve their townships at the ballot box.
Additionally, state lawmakers should extend those consolidation powers to all Illinois taxpayers.
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