Dive Brief:
- The Chicago Teacher's Union announced a possible strike or "day of action" on April 1, after Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district decided to mandate 3 mandatory furlough days for 2016 in order to save a reported $30 million.
- The move by the union also comes after CPS laid off 62 school staff, including 17 teachers.
- The furlough days are slated to begin March 25, 2016, followed by projected dates at the end of April and June; the union has said the furloughs are akin to a pay cut in disguise.
Dive Insight:
The saga continues in Chicago, where CPS is staggering forward, despite an ongoing corruption probe into the district and its leadership, as well a multimillion dollar budget deficit.
In October 2015, CPS misreported its graduation rate as 69%, instead of the correct number: 66%. Public confidence in education officials has suffered due to near-constant threats of teacher strikes and the guilty plea of the district's most recent CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who took kickbacks from a $20.5 million no-bid contract.
The possibility of a state takeover of the CPS district also looms. A January proposal by Illinois Republicans called for a takeover, in order to allow the district to file for bankruptcy and implement school board elections. Reuters has reported that CPS has a structural budget deficit of more than $1 billion in addition to a junk credit ratings.
