(The Center Square) — Starting Wednesday with donuts and T-shirts, members of the Chicago Teachers Union traveled to Springfield to plead for more investment from state taxpayers.
According to Chicago Public Schools, only two out of ten black students can read at grade level. At a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol, CTU members were asked if they were doing anything with their reading and math skills. They said Plaza del Centro to ask the CPS.
Republican lawmakers reacted to the CTU’s “Lobby Day. “State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said she and Senate Republicans are involved in many teachers having to take a taxpayer-funded day off in the middle of the week to protest. to stay in class.
“The most sensible thing is that there are substitute teachers who are paid to fill positions while the teachers are away. It’s very frustrating for us to see these kinds of protests in the middle of the week, when teachers are in their study rooms training. “students,” Rezin said.
There are 646 schools in the CPS school district and one of each of them was scheduled to travel to Springfield on Wednesday, meaning 646 students were given a paid day off to lobby.
CTU members were also asked at their press conference whether the absence of teachers would disrupt learning. Eric Waller, a Chicago teacher, said many teachers who come to the Capitol take an unpaid day. Waller himself proved that he had not taken any unpaid days. .
“If you just walk through the construction with us, you can stop by a day and see what our young people are going through. Walking into a crowded classroom. This is what causes the disruption of education. yes, we’re going to take that day and stand up for our little kids because they deserve it,” Waller said. “Some of us have had to take a day off private work or a day off pay. . . Now, CPS has given us a day of freedom, and that’s one user per build. Everyone who comes with us takes an unpaid day or a private day of work.
Separately on Wednesday, the Chicago Teachers Union and state Sens. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, and Don DeWitte, R-St. Louis, said they were not allowed to do so. Charles Discuss Additional Funding for Chicago Public Schools Catrina Petersen | The Central Plaza, BlueRoomStream
Waller told The Center Square that his delegate had granted him “liberation day. “Liberation Day was granted to the delegates, but if the delegates could not go to Springfield, they had the strength to bring anyone who wanted to come to Springfield.
CTU has a $50 billion list of demands for a new multi-year contract with CPS. If the union gets the contract it wants, average instructor pay will rise to about $145,000 in the 2027-2028 school year, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. Rezin said the union asks for a nine percent raise each year.
“We all agree that there is inflation, but at the end of the day, we have to be mindful of our budget and make sure we live within our means,” Rezin said. “We believe CPS has money that it wants to redefine as it negotiates its contract with its teachers. “
Throughout the day, teams of CTU members were scattered around the Capitol looking for lawmakers to call for more taxpayer funding. Several members had printouts of the faces and names of lawmakers.
State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said that for many years, CPS has gained a disproportionate percentage of state education resources through special exclusions and one-time grants. For example, CPS receives the Chicago Block Grant, a $200 million contribution written into the CPS database based on the evidence-based formula.
“Very few things surprise me now in this Capitol building. But knowing how much the scales have tipped in favor of the Chicago Public Schools formula when it comes to investment over the years. . . that the mayor and his cronies are seeking to intimidate lawmakers into giving more money, claiming that they are being harmed, is certainly outrageous,” DeWitte said.
As she made her way to the Capitol, Myra Johnson, dressed in a red T-shirt, shouted “we want more investment for our schools!
CTU members were asked about CPS’s $600,000 spending on balloon design. The district has spent $600,593 on balloon vendors since 2019, according to Chalkboard News, a K-12 news site published through the Franklin News Foundation, which also publishes The Center Square. Vicki Kurzydlo, a Chicago teacher, said the CTU has no control over what CPS does with its overall funding.
“The real question is: let’s fund our schools. That’s the question,” Kurzydlo said.
According to Chalkboard News, balloon presentations purchased through CPS have been used to mark events such as back-to-school, graduation or Black History Month.
State contributions to CPS have increased up to 14% since 2019. Also since 2019, there has been an 11% drop in enrollment in the district, according to DeWitte.