As the Chicago Teacher’s Union continues to hold the budget of Chicago Public Schools with the full support of the mayor’s office, it’s helpful to recall what brought us here. Although they have grown, budget problems are not new. They would have gotten worse over time regardless of whether or not CTU insisted on increased staffing for a reduced student body and becoming the highest-paid teachers in the nation.
Still, it’s a difference in degrees. Absent these negotiations, the CPS budget is bloated. Maybe it stopped by McDonald’s on its way home from work too often or indulged in some sugary desserts every night. With a little discipline and time, it could get back on track. The CTU proposed budget gets its own TLC show that puts 1000-lb Sisters to shame.
At a time when belts need to be tightened across city institutions, the CTU wants a massive pay increase that requires a short-term loan at eye-popping interest rates – for a permanently higher cost. It’s hard to understate how myopic, self-serving, and irresponsible implementing this would be. CPS would almost certainly go bankrupt and then the state would have to step in to take it over, at which point CTU would be – and pardon my language here – well and thoroughly fucked.
If that was not enough, they want to increase staffing at under-enrolled schools. Some of Chicago’s schools are located in neighborhoods that have seen population decline. At the extreme end is Douglass Academy. It’s a Southwest Side school meant for 900 students. It currently has 35. That means costs per student are astronomical and it means those students are not getting the education they deserve.
The logical thing to do – the thing that Rahm Emanuel did and got lambasted for by the CTU – is to close or combine under-enrolled schools and send students to other nearby schools. Despite the uproar and continued unpopularity of the move, data shows there was only minimal impact on students at closed schools.
That point is moot. Closing schools is not a politically viable option. However, growing staff at a school where the cost per student is already nearly $70,000 is moving in exactly the wrong direction. We simply do not have the funds to do that and even if we did, they would be better put to use improving services for residents elsewhere.
If they want to increase staff at under-enrolled schools, those buildings should be put to use to find the revenue. Under-enrolled schools are disproportionately in under-resourced communities. That space could be used for vocational training programs. Manufacturers could find future high-tech workers there. Healthcare providers could rent out the space for urgent care or the like. There are endless possibilities. The schools should have to find their own revenue if they want more staff.
The CTU likes to say that it is doing things for the students, but it is transparently self-interested. They are willing to sacrifice the future of this city for a raise. If they get it, CPS will likely go bankrupt. Aldermen of Chicago need to put more pressure on the Johnson Administration to be more responsible and work for every Chicagoan, not just the union that he is still a part of.