Dive Brief:
- The Chicago Teachers Union has planned a one-day strike for this Friday in order to call attention to what they view as a dire need for Gov. Bruce Rauner and state legislators to create a new funding plan for schools.
- Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool said March 28, 2016, the district probably would not take legal steps to block the Chicago Teachers Union walkout.
- More than 100 Chicago schools will be affected, and the union's proposed contingency plan reportedly will not be able to accommodate 300,000 affected students.
Dive Insight:
According to CPS, the striking teachers won't be paid for the day of the walkout. It's also not yet clear whether the district will try to enact disciplinary action against teachers who participate in the strike. Previously, Chicago Public Schools has insinuated that 200 teaching jobs were to be cut, with an additional 180 vacant positions facing closure. In early March, the district ultimately cut significantly fewer positions: 62 overall, including 17 teachers.
The strike comes as no surprise to CPS. As of February, contract negotiations had continued for a total of 14 months. Chicago politicians have also threatened to take over CPS, but a state takeover might not help schools improve. Similar moves, such as Michigan's Education Achievement Authority district in Detroit and New Jersey's takeover of Newark, largely failed to achieve promised school turnarounds. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Democrats in the state's legislature are strongly opposed to the plan.
