CPS Wants To Lay Off Worst Teachers First; Union Opposed

Chicago Tribune:

As Chicago Public Schools layoffs loom in response to a roughly half-billion-dollar budget deficit, schools chief Ron Huberman is proposing to circumvent the teacher contract by placing "unsatisfactory" teachers on the chopping block ahead of those with lesser tenure.

Read the whole story: Chicago Tribune

Comments

[misterh]

12:52 PM on 07/11/2010

Unfortunately, the union does sometimes protect teachers at the cost of children, but we need to understand that if we get rid of the CTU, this would be another way of perpetuating the privatization of CPS, and all of its negative aspects.
As a CPS teacher, I find it infuriating that some colleagues who probably should not be in the profession are protected and safe from being fired compared with hard working, well-intentioned, newer and non-tenured teachers.

The idea of firing "unsatisfactory" teachers can be a good one, but the way it stands now, that approach is problematic. It is important to remember that most teachers with unsatisfactory ratings have been in the system a while and therefore have much higher salaries than newer teachers. Of course the board would want to get rid of these teachers first.

In order to create an effective assessment of teachers, administrators should probably be in the teacher's classrooms more than two times a year and focus on more things than just test score data -- which is the current way of rating teachers. I think all good teachers would be in favor of a fair and rigorous assessment tool -- particularly one that would be beneficial to both students and teachers, and one that does not immediately cast teachers in a negative light.

Unfortunately though, the board's attempt to fire based on performance is solely driven by money, not for the benefit of CPS's students.

[zd14689]

10:53 PM on 06/27/2010

The problem is that the Unions protect bad teachers at the cost of the children. I have seen what unions have done to good teachers just because their seniority is not as high as bad teachers and the effect it had on students. They grades went down after replacing a good teacher with a bad one and the children started hating going to school.

It is about time that the teachers unions have the best interest of the children on their agenda and not the best for the worst teachers. Layoffs will happen, so look at keeping the best teachers around and let the bad apples go!

[chuckfirst]

01:31 PM on 06/24/2010

How can Daley face Chicagoans with a straight face and announce cuts,when he has his thugs on the city payroll with do nothing job. Both Michael Reese and Mario Olivella were both convicted in Federal Court but remain on the city payroll. Chief Building Inspector Michael Reese was sentencing on 6-15-10 but still is allowede to collect his $90,000 salary. Supervising Inspector Mario Olivella is waiting to be sentenced. Here is a video of Michael Reese rushing to his to do-nothing $90,000 a year job,while Daley cuts off Teachers,Bus Drivers and other city workers.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1r0EktV-9A

[InYourWorld]

12:22 AM on 06/24/2010

Glad to see unions are more important the the education of youth in a city ripe with so many social problems.

[colorado-kid]

10:25 PM on 06/23/2010

The unions already have a proven record running a business. They ran GM for years.

[metalcrafter]

05:01 PM on 06/23/2010

I wish the union workers actually ran a business and they would change their tune in a minute.

GO AWAY UNIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[USAFVET76]

04:43 AM on 06/24/2010

well said.

[skullman]

09:44 AM on 06/24/2010

When you say "GO AWAY UNIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " what you are really saying is "go away middle class".

Both sides negotiated a contract that calls for layoffs to be by seniority. The courts will enforce the collective bargaining agreement.

If the school administrators did their jobs the poor performing teachers would shape up or they would be gone.

[zd14689]

10:59 PM on 06/27/2010

skullman

I know of school administrators that tried to do that and the poor performing teachers where protected by unions!

To make a different comparison, you rather fly in an aircraft with a poor pilot rather than with a good one, just because he has a higher seniority and the good pilot will have to be laid off (union rule)!

It is about time that unions will get their power a little trimmed. No one is calling for abolishing the unions just to get realism back into the game!

It is about time that we think of our children first and not about bad apples!