{"id":43145,"date":"2016-09-28T17:16:34","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T22:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=43145"},"modified":"2016-09-29T12:55:55","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T17:55:55","slug":"with-threat-of-teacher-strike-looming-cps-problems-pile-up-at-board-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/with-threat-of-teacher-strike-looming-cps-problems-pile-up-at-board-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"With threat of teacher strike looming, CPS problems pile up at board meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emily Olsen and Meredith Francis<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Update: The Chicago Teachers Union announced Wednesday evening that the teachers will strike starting Oct. 11 if it does not reach a contract deal with the school district.]<\/em><\/p>\n

As dozens of teachers and parents crowded into a packed room at the Chicago Board of Education\u2019s Wednesday meeting to voice their complaints, a teacher strike threatened to bring school to a halt altogether.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Teachers Union will announce Wednesday evening whether it will strike, a move <\/a> overwhelmingly supported by rank-and-file teachers last week. Teachers must give the city 10 days\u2019 notice before walking out of the classroom.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThis action is disappointing because negotiations are ongoing,\u201d district CEO Forrest Claypool said. \u201cI truly believe a strike can be averted.\u201d<\/p>\n

CTU President Karen Lewis made a rare appearance, pushing for tax increment financing for schools, including solving the teacher contract dispute. She did not comment on tonight\u2019s strike vote.<\/p>\n

Lewis and Frank Clark, board president, cut through the tension with gallows humor: \u201cI know you all would like to replace us with computers, but it\u2019s not going to work like that,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe\u2019re not ready for that. That\u2019ll be a little further into the 21st century.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark responded: \u201cYou\u2019re irreplaceable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the rare moment of levity, two topics dominated the public commentary from more than 60 parents, teachers and community leaders: special education funding and school consolidations.<\/p>\n

Many parents and teachers lamented a change that lumps special education money with the general education budget. In previous years, schools received a separate allotment for diverse learners, who sometimes require special aids, separate classrooms and other specific resources. Critics say the change makes special education funding less transparent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose kids that are most vulnerable and those kids that learn at a different pace are being left behind,” said Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th), who is also a CTU member.<\/p>\n

Christine Palmieri, a parent at Blaine Elementary School in Lakeview, said the lack of special education teachers and resources has led her to purchase a GPS watch so she can keep track of her son with autism. She said he has the tendency to flee school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn CPS, are we waiting for children to fail or get hurt before placing special education support?\u201d Palmieri said.<\/p>\n

A large group of parents also decried Ald. Matt O\u2019Shea\u2019s (19th) proposal to consolidate and relocate four elementary schools in his South Side district. According to an e-mail<\/a> the alderman sent to the district, the restructuring would consolidate Kellogg and Sutherland Elementary Schools, move Keller Regional Gifted Center to the old Kellogg building, then create a second campus for Mount Greenwood Elementary School.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Shea wrote Kellogg and Sutherland student populations were shrinking, while Mount Greenwood was becoming overcrowded.<\/p>\n

Monica Gross said the proposal would be \u201ctraumatic\u201d for her autistic son. She said he is starting to make friends and connections at Kellogg, and she\u2019s concerned his accomplishments would fade at a new school.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow all of a sudden those friends he\u2019s just getting to know, these relationships that are just starting to build are going to be cut off,\u201d Gross said.<\/p>\n

Parents from Kellogg Elementary School speak out against school consolidation in their neighborhood at Wednesday\u2019s Chicago Board of Education meeting. (Meredith Francis\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emily Olsen and Meredith Francis [Update: The Chicago Teachers Union announced Wednesday evening that the teachers will strike starting Oct. 11 if it does not reach a contract deal with the school district.] As dozens of teachers and parents crowded into a packed room at the Chicago Board of Education\u2019s Wednesday meeting to voice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":43149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2941,675],"tags":[1184,2956,118,2958,2957,2557],"class_list":["post-43145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2016","category-social-justice","tag-chicago-teachers-union","tag-forrest-clayton","tag-karen-lewis","tag-kellogg-elementary-school","tag-special-education","tag-strike"],"yoast_head":"\nWith threat of teacher strike looming, CPS problems pile up at board meeting - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/with-threat-of-teacher-strike-looming-cps-problems-pile-up-at-board-meeting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With threat of teacher strike looming, CPS problems pile up at board meeting - 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