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NEWS & LETTERS, July 2004Chicago teacher crisisAs we go to press, the Chicago Teachers Union election committee has nullified the results of the June 11 election based on “evidence of fraud.” Already Mayor Richard M. Daley had announced further "reforms" involving privatization of whole schools, including vacating job rights of existing teachers. Ed. Chicago--Incumbent head of the Chicago Teachers Union Debra Lynch lost by a narrow margin to challenger Marilyn Stewart. Stewart, an associate of the old guard ousted by Lynch, now heads a union that faces choices not unlike the rest of the labor movement in recent years. The school board is slashing 1,600 positions to make up a deficit of $50-$60 million. Since this will not wipe out the shortfall, some expect further cuts. The school board signed a union contract with Lynch that some members call a sellout, while knowing that property taxes collected to fund the schools would not pay for it. This situation is a quagmire, but for the union it is also an opportunity. Rather than lining up to get the shaft, Stewart needs to launch an initiative in the style of the late union president Jackie Vaughn. The new leadership must flex its muscles and reach out to the community. Parent-teacher associations, local school councils, religious groups and civil rights organizations should be organized in opposition to proposed cuts, designed to balance the budget on the backs of the kids in the classrooms. The community must read the riot act to school board president Arne Duncan through large-scale pickets and demonstrations. The interests of the schools must be identified as the interests of society. Property taxes are inadequate to fund education. A good place to find funds is in the chunk of change being squandered on a wasteful war in Iraq. --Teacher |
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