CPS teacher strike and Illinois area....

dereksbicycles

dereksbicycles

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CPS Strike 2012: Chicago teachers strike lasts at least full week; Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis: 'Praying' for school Monday, House of Delegates must vote to end CTU strike | abc7chicago.com

Chicago teachers strike: Illegal under Illinois law? - CSMonitor.com

District 109 Teachers Authorize Strike - Deerfield, IL Patch

Those are few of the stories of teacher strikes going on in Chicago area and surrounding areas. I don't know enough information to determine if I side with teachers or the schools.

Therefore, I'm throwing this out. What do you think???
 
According to csmonitor.com, it's more than just about pay and benefits. It's also about class size, job security, and teacher evaluations.

I wouldn't be surprised if things got worse for the teachers that they felt the need to strike.

Nowadays, people are getting paid less and working more. A lot of schools are putting more students in classrooms expecting the teacher to handle it, while paying the teacher the same (or less). I have friends who work in education. They love their jobs, but the one thing that many of them don't like... is how they're treated by their higher-ups. The schools are expecting them to work longer and harder, but only pay the same. Many of them work in special education and deaf education. Working in these places require more work. Yet, they get paid the same or less than those who work in normal (or hearing) classes. I also know that a lot of schools pay their employees by the year, not by the hour. For instance, your contract is for 36 weeks (9 months) of school. Yet, they pay you monthly for 12 months. That means, you're getting 9 months worth of pay spread out into 12 months. What's worse? A lot of people paid a lot of money to continue college for their Masters degree, putting themselves in debt. Then they teach and paid so low that they have to teach for the next 10 to 20 years to pay off that debt.

As for teacher evaluations, that's probably being done unfairly as well.Years ago, if a kid messed up in school... who gets the blame? The kid! Nowadays, if a kid messed up in school... who gets the blame? The teachers! It's easy to blame the teacher and let them go, then hire someone new for less pay. It's also easier to blame the teacher than to deal with the parents. This is because the parents are just too lazy.

My parents raised me properly. If I failed a test, I got punished. If I didn't do my homework, I got punished. If I failed a semester, I took summer school to catch up. No teachers were blamed. I got through school and graduated like everyone else. I earned my place in society. Today, my brother does the same with his kids... and my parents do the same with my nephews.

Today, a lot of parents won't have anything to do with their kids. If their kids are deaf, they just stick CIs on them and dump them in special education without bothering to learn sign language. So, these kids learn sign in school. They come home and can't talk to anyone. No one tells them to do homework. If they mess up, the teachers get the blame for it.

Who do we blame for all of this? The higher-ups for taking the side of the parents and not the teachers... for overworking these teachers and not paying them more for it.
 
dereksbicycles said:
CPS Strike 2012: Chicago teachers strike lasts at least full week; Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis: 'Praying' for school Monday, House of Delegates must vote to end CTU strike | abc7chicago.com

Chicago teachers strike: Illegal under Illinois law? - CSMonitor.com

District 109 Teachers Authorize Strike - Deerfield, IL Patch

Those are few of the stories of teacher strikes going on in Chicago area and surrounding areas. I don't know enough information to determine if I side with teachers or the schools.

Therefore, I'm throwing this out. What do you think???
Click to expand...

I'm on the side of the teachers. It's more than salary, it's about how they're allowed to teach, what their job is limited to, class size, raises, political interference - a lot. This strike is long over due.

Laura
 
I have mixed feeling about teacher's union strike.

I have highly respectful to hardworking teachers but have no respect to bad/lazy teachers.

I agree with Vampy above.
 
The striking teachers make 75k on average. If they have a legitimate grievance they should negotiate fairly. This is not "workers vs rich". In this district the teachers make 40% more than the taxpayers who are paying them. By striking teachers are doing nothing but bullying struggling taxpayers and using the taxpayer's children as weapons. It is disgusting.
Especially in this economy. There are plenty of qualified people willing to do the job for less.

For those that complain about class size look no further that the 75k salaries + pensions. Those thing prevent schools from hiring more teachers.
 
Foxrac said:
I have mixed feeling about teacher's union strike.

I have highly respectful to hardworking teachers but have no respect to bad/lazy teachers.

I agree with Vampy above.
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Too bad public worker unions make it difficult to fire bad teachers.
 
Oh wow, the strike is still not over.

Not surprised and I feel bad for kids and they are out of school for 1 week now.
 
TXgolfer said:
The striking teachers make 75k on average. If they have a legitimate grievance they should negotiate fairly. This is not "workers vs rich". In this district the teachers make 40% more than the taxpayers who are paying them. By striking teachers are doing nothing but bullying struggling taxpayers and using the taxpayer's children as weapons. It is disgusting.
Especially in this economy. There are plenty of qualified people willing to do the job for less.

For those that complain about class size look no further that the 75k salaries + pensions. Those thing prevent schools from hiring more teachers.
Click to expand...

Yup, it cost city - $2.250 billions per year to pay 30,000 teachers at $75,000.

In here, most teachers are paid at no more than $50,000 per year, less as $30,000 per year for new teacher.

If Chicago teachers want make more money like $75,000 or more so they should go back to college to take a major in business and they can earn more money after graduation.
 
TXgolfer said:
Too bad public worker unions make it difficult to fire bad teachers.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's major problem at public schools, especially school districts are unionized.

My relative shared with me about Birmingham City School, they laid some good teachers off but they kept bad teachers who are member of AEA in school.

Birmingham City School is completely garbage and they are overtaken by state now.
 
I don't see much mentioned about the area of teaching. Many of the teachers teach on South Side of Chicago. I can imagine that they don't want to work for $75K and worry that someone will start a gang fight in classroom. I can imagine that they want to be compensated for that.

Evanston, IL solved their teacher strike and I think Deerfield, IL did. Both are good areas.

I would imagine that Birmingham is a bad area. I can see laying off good teachers. Sad that it seems to be run by corruptions. Those good teacher would probably not last long, but they should not be laid off.
 
Also, living in Chicago is $$$. COmmuting from suburbs to city during rush hour is horrible. So therefore, what may be fair at $75 K here in Chicago may be same as $50k in Birmingham when you factor cost of living in certain areas.

I can understand teachers wanting a lot, but please don't ask for too much.
 
dereksbicycles said:
I don't see much mentioned about the area of teaching. Many of the teachers teach on South Side of Chicago. I can imagine that they don't want to work for $75K and worry that someone will start a gang fight in classroom. I can imagine that they want to be compensated for that.

Evanston, IL solved their teacher strike and I think Deerfield, IL did. Both are good areas.

I would imagine that Birmingham is a bad area. I can see laying off good teachers. Sad that it seems to be run by corruptions. Those good teacher would probably not last long, but they should not be laid off.
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Chicago Public School is responsible to make school safer and secured for all teachers and students instead of ask for compensated, unless teachers got beat up and victimized.

Yup, most part of Birmingham city limit are ghetto, only nice parts are Downtown, Montclair, Five Points South and some portion of Crestwood/Southside. The northeast portion of city limit used to be good until terrible white flights in 1990's and the area went down into bad area with more crime. I'm glad that I don't live in city of Birmingham, nor is Jefferson County. Jefferson County filed for bankruptcy because of outrageous debt and sewer crisis.

Yup, I agree with you about good teachers should not laid off and I think that our state will probably toughen on AEA, especially state takeover of city school.
 
dereksbicycles said:
Also, living in Chicago is $$$. COmmuting from suburbs to city during rush hour is horrible. So therefore, what may be fair at $75 K here in Chicago may be same as $50k in Birmingham when you factor cost of living in certain areas.

I can understand teachers wanting a lot, but please don't ask for too much.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm sure that teachers in California, especially in LA make less money than in Chicago, but living in LA is more expensive than in Chicago. Due to low property tax under state constitution, I don't think LA could afford to pay $75,000+ for all teachers, except for seniority and work for many years.

In here, not much anymore and new teachers are getting less money - $30,000 per year now. We don't have much property tax and we only paid $600 per year for nice medium house with 1/2 acre of land. Some schools are talking about rid of extracurricular sports like football, basketball, etc, that's very sad.
 
dereksbicycles said:
Also, living in Chicago is $$$. COmmuting from suburbs to city during rush hour is horrible. So therefore, what may be fair at $75 K here in Chicago may be same as $50k in Birmingham when you factor cost of living in certain areas.

I can understand teachers wanting a lot, but please don't ask for too much.
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The cost of living in Chicago is not much worse than Texas. It is nothing compared to California or the NE. Again these teachers make much more (on avg) than the taxpayers who pay them. That is a problem.
 
TXgolfer said:
The striking teachers make 75k on average. If they have a legitimate grievance they should negotiate fairly. This is not "workers vs rich". In this district the teachers make 40% more than the taxpayers who are paying them. By striking teachers are doing nothing but bullying struggling taxpayers and using the taxpayer's children as weapons. It is disgusting. Especially in this economy. There are plenty of qualified people willing to do the job for less.

For those that complain about class size look no further that the 75k salaries + pensions. Those thing prevent schools from hiring more teachers.
Click to expand...

wondering where did you get that figure.

Union opts to continue Chicago teachers strike; mayor takes fight to court - CNN.com
As is, the median base salary for teachers in the Chicago public schools in 2011 was $67,974, according to the system's annual financial report.
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and these taxpayers do not have daunting bills to pay that teachers have like cost of certification tests and extra years in colleges. taxpayers do not have to pay for babysitter + daycares either....
 
For all we know, the requirement for costs to get certifications may be more in Illinois as compared to most states. I don't have any "inside" informations.
 
dereksbicycles said:
For all we know, the requirement for costs to get certifications may be more in Illinois as compared to most states. I don't have any "inside" informations.
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you can simply look up at any college's tuition cost. Typical requirement of becoming a teacher is extra 2 years at college which can be about $40,000 a year.
 
Jiro said:
and these taxpayers do not have daunting bills to pay that teachers have like cost of certification tests and extra years in colleges. taxpayers do not have to pay for babysitter + daycares either....
Click to expand...
Yes, working taxpayers do pay for their education and certifications, just like teachers do. They also have to pay for babysitters and day care. What makes you think they don't?

For example, interpreters have to pay for their college degrees, certification tests, annual CEU training, workshops, professional insurance, and RID/NAD memberships. Those with children have to pay for child care when they're working. On top of that, they often don't have health insurance coverage, paid vacations, workman's comp, or retirement plans.

There are plenty of other fields that have just as many requirements and expenses as there are for teachers. They just can't all go on strike.
 
Reba said:
Yes, working taxpayers do pay for their education and certifications, just like teachers do. They also have to pay for babysitters and day care. What makes you think they don't?

For example, interpreters have to pay for their college degrees, certification tests, annual CEU training, workshops, professional insurance, and RID/NAD memberships. Those with children have to pay for child care when they're working. On top of that, they often don't have health insurance coverage, paid vacations, workman's comp, or retirement plans.

There are plenty of other fields that have just as many requirements and expenses as there are for teachers. They just can't all go on strike.
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that's why interpreters should go on strike :)
 
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