In the wake of the strike by the Chicago Teachers Union, many people wonder what the union is complaining about.
After all, Chicago teachers make an average of $76,000 for a nine-month year, 60 percent higher than the average annual income for a family in Chicago and 58 percent more than the average yearly pay for a Chicagoan with a bachelor’s degree. They get a huge package of benefits on top of that.
Their level of compensation seems especially generous given that nearly 80 percent of their students are below grade level in reading; that just 58 percent of high school freshmen eventually graduate; that just 3 percent of black males in the ninth grade go on to graduate from a four-year college; and that, according to a Southern Illinois University study, Chicago public school teachers scored below the state average on the ACT exam, which Illinois requires all high school juniors to take.
Union members dislike reforms that include lengthening the school day and increasing the importance of students’ test scores in teacher evaluations. But before they struck, they turned down a 16 percent pay raise over four years. Given the current economy, wasn’t that enough?
In fact, perhaps no offer from the city could have prevented the strike. Union President Karen Lewis is a firebrand, elected on her promise to get tough with the city. Last October at a meeting of Northwest Teachers for Social Justice, she ridiculed Education Secretary Arne Duncan: “Now, you know, [Duncan] went to private school ‘cause if he had gone to public school he would have had that lisp fixed,” she sneered. “I know — that was ugly, wasn’t it?” Many observers think Ms. Lewis is angling to become a national figure. If her allies perceive the strike as a success, it will make her a leading opponent of reform.
After all, Chicago teachers make an average of $76,000 for a nine-month year, 60 percent higher than the average annual income for a family in Chicago and 58 percent more than the average yearly pay for a Chicagoan with a bachelor’s degree. They get a huge package of benefits on top of that.
Their level of compensation seems especially generous given that nearly 80 percent of their students are below grade level in reading; that just 58 percent of high school freshmen eventually graduate; that just 3 percent of black males in the ninth grade go on to graduate from a four-year college; and that, according to a Southern Illinois University study, Chicago public school teachers scored below the state average on the ACT exam, which Illinois requires all high school juniors to take.
Union members dislike reforms that include lengthening the school day and increasing the importance of students’ test scores in teacher evaluations. But before they struck, they turned down a 16 percent pay raise over four years. Given the current economy, wasn’t that enough?
In fact, perhaps no offer from the city could have prevented the strike. Union President Karen Lewis is a firebrand, elected on her promise to get tough with the city. Last October at a meeting of Northwest Teachers for Social Justice, she ridiculed Education Secretary Arne Duncan: “Now, you know, [Duncan] went to private school ‘cause if he had gone to public school he would have had that lisp fixed,” she sneered. “I know — that was ugly, wasn’t it?” Many observers think Ms. Lewis is angling to become a national figure. If her allies perceive the strike as a success, it will make her a leading opponent of reform.
No comments:
Post a Comment