I so respect the Chicago Board of Education for resigning en masse. Instead of being a pigeon for Mayor Brandon Johnson, the school board members have the integrity to say, “No, I won’t do your dirty work.”
Now when the mayor appoints his new board members and they fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, it will show that the mayor is just an extension of his old employer, the Chicago Teachers Union. It will show he’s working for CTU, not the families of Chicago.
— Maxine Pavlik, Chicago
CPS CEO isn’t a desirable job
The mayor is pushing to oust the Chicago Public Schools CEO, while the Chicago Teachers Union is advocating for CPS to take on a short-term, high-interest loan. The burden of managing this debt would inevitably fall on the next CEO.
Good luck finding anyone willing to step into that role under such circumstances. Mayor Brandon Johnson has signaled that living within financial constraints is not a priority. There’s no clear leadership on how to manage this debt beyond hoping the state will cover it, which the governor has already declined to do.
Should the new CEO be expected to take the debt and request a property tax increase?
Moreover, the mayor’s vision for CPS remains vague. What is the Board of Education expected to do?
Why would anyone want this position when they’re being set up for failure before they even begin?
— John Dale, Chicago
Lack of fiscal responsibility
It is obvious that Mayor Brandon Johnson is still very much a pawn. Having the board resign so he can hand-pick their successors (people who agree with him and who will fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez) shows a lack of fiscal and moral responsibility. Martinez has refused to take out a high-interest loan to close CPS’ budget gap.
I fully support Martinez and the aldermen who disagree with this mayor’s maneuverings for his own personal gain. One does not take out high-interest loans to cover budget shortfalls. One alters one’s budget in order to live within it.
— Marjorie E. Bloss, Chicago
Mayor represents the CTU
Despite all of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pronouncements that he represents all residents of Chicago, his actions clearly show that he primarily represents and favors the Chicago Teachers Union.
— Richard Prince, Chicago
Why Johnson is failing
Mayor Brandon Johnson said: “I was elected to fight for the people of the city, and whoever is in the way, get out of it.” The “whoever” is him.
Lori Lightfoot failed as mayor because she was difficult to work with; Johnson is not only difficult to work with, but he also is incompetent.
— Roger Becker, Chicago
He is acting like a monarch
Apparently, Brandon Johnson is confused. Elected mayor in 2023, he now appears to be under the delusion that he was crowned king.
— Sue Ellen Levins, Chicago
Advice for win-win strategy
While I agree with the need for better access to vital programming for our students, as presented by Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates in her Sept. 30 op-ed “Chicago’s public schools have never been fully funded,” I am disappointed at her one-sided view and its lack of admission to the extreme financial burden the CTU demands will place on Chicagoans.
As a former teacher who has assisted with many contract negotiations, I would like to ask some questions and offer some negotiating advice to Davis Gates and the CTU.
Does a 9% raise make teachers more effective? (I completely understand how undervalued educators are.) Is 9% in line with other professionals’ salary increases? Can the taxpayers of Chicago afford to fund another junk bond sale to pay for the teachers’ demands? Might these raises ultimately place the city of Chicago in bankruptcy? Where will this place the pension debt for future Chicagoans? Can the state of Illinois afford to assist with the debt when it faces its own self-created financial woes, such as the underfunded pension system?
If the goal of the CTU is to improve equity and access to the arts, sports, literacy and other necessary programs, why do CTU members need four consecutive 9% raises?
My suggested new bargaining starting point: Ask for a 3% raise, equal to my annual Teachers’ Retirement System retirement increase, to show that the CTU is reasonable. Make improving access to arts, literacy, sports and other programs a priority. This will lead to better schools overall and attract better candidates to the CTU ranks. Request gradual changes that will not force people to decide whether to stay in the city and pay the debts caused by many disastrous decisions of this and previous administrations or leave the city and its debts to those who remain.
Bargaining should not be a war of attrition or like a siege in which one side struggles to survive — taxpayers — and the other declares victory — the CTU. There can be a win-win outcome in which the students are victorious, the city benefits from educated youths, and businesses and people remain in this beautiful, world-class city.
— Robert C. Lange, Chicago
CTU president’s motivation
In her op-ed, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates holds up California Gov. Gavin Newsom as someone who found the money to fully fund California schools. What she forgot to mention is that he has borrowed millions of dollars and increased taxes, and his state now has a $47 billion budget deficit. California is among the states losing the most residents. Is this what she considers a success?
Davis Gates cares only about getting the CTU the largest pay raises possible and really doesn’t care if she bankrupts the city or state. It’s all about her, not the kids.
— Mike Kirchberg, Chicago
Put fiscal house in order
As a recent transplant from Connecticut (“The Land of Steady Habits”), I can only watch in fascinated horror as Chicago gives away precious assets for short-term payouts.
I arrived in time to see the city commit millions of dollars so a billionaire family could land a flying saucer in Soldier Field, infuriating veterans and robbing the stadium of its landmark status. In short order, there also was, among others, the parking meter lease, which now forces the city to buy back some spaces for bike lanes; the Skyway lease; and the Park Grill deal.
And now that same billionaire family has its hand out for more cash to build a new stadium because it’s not happy with the flying saucer. Oh, and can the family please have some “forever open, clear, and free” parkland?
Here’s how the city might put its fiscal house in order.
- Take a lead from New York City’s 1975 crisis when it faced possible bankruptcy. Set up a rigorous accounting system and hand the purse strings to a blue ribbon committee, such as the one headed by financier Felix Rohatyn that pulled NYC back from the brink. It was very tough love, but it worked.
- Adopt the “three jars” method of budgeting. This program helps children budget their allowances. You take all your revenue and distribute it among three jars. One jar would cover “must pay” expenses such as wages, insurance, debt service, etc. The second jar would be for “rainy day” savings to build a cushion against unforeseen expenses. The third jar would be for wish list projects.
Here’s how it could work. The next time someone suggests renaming a street or a highway, that person must show that the “wish list” jar has enough funds to cover the total cost (new signage, labor to post it, printing updated documents such as bus routes and maps, clerical time to supervise it all). The city would go ahead only if the “wish list” jar could cover it.
Chicago is my home now, and I want to see it thrive!
— H.L. Metzger, Chicago
Same old tired arguments
Willie Wilson claims a lack of teacher accountability in Chicago Public Schools is fueling the school-to-prison pipeline (“Lack of teacher accountability in CPS is fueling the school-to-prison pipeline,” Oct. 3). His comments in general are misleading and somewhat misdirected. I served for 44 years in education, including in teaching and central office administration. I have close relatives who have also served in education, including in the business office. I worked in Indiana, not CPS, but the issues were similar.
Wilson is using some of the same old tired arguments that have served only to place an albatross around the efforts of those who understand the complex reasons behind student performance. Wilson blames teachers for passing students on when they can’t read or write at a certain proficiency level. He says: “The school-to-prison pipeline is sustained by social promotion and a lack of teacher accountability.” He adds that this damages the student and “ultimately, society.”
A number of researchers say that student success or failure is based on a combination of social, psychological, economic and educational factors. My experience supports this research.
Support services for students such as tutoring, extended-day or -week instruction, counseling, parent involvement activities, incentives, etc., would be more beneficial than the emotional harm done to students because of retention.
Wilson also says he only supports “teachers and pay raises for them if they are tied to performance and accountability metrics.” He does not understand that teacher evaluations are not objective or scientific. Much work is needed in this area. The variables, including the human aspect, are too extensive.
Let me be clear. The home and community culture continue to be the major factors in student achievement.
Wilson cites state test scores as one indication of students’ lack of proficiency in reading and math. Those scores have little, if any, meaning for students. They understand report card grades because accountability is attached.
State tests must become more meaningful.
Wilson does offer some excellent recommendations for improving student performance, such as launching a literacy initiative that would be supported by popular entertainers and members of the business community. I also appreciate his comment, “in the absence of a home — it takes a community to raise a child.” I agree. However, we shouldn’t let the home transfer its responsibility.
The schools should serve as a critical enhancement, not as a substitute.
— George Comer, Crown Point, Indiana
What is Wilson’s evidence?
In reference to Willie Wilson’s op-ed, I request that he provide evidence of an average $145,000 annual salary for Chicago Public Schools teachers. Among the many fallacies in this piece, this is one I wish were true. I challenge Wilson to correct me.
— Marla Goldberg Katz, Glencoe
Opinion pieces are simplistic
I write this letter to make those comfortable with publishing Willie Wilson commentaries uncomfortable.
Why the Tribune opinion section continues to publish these simplistic, nonsensical and uninformed screeds from the multiple-time failed mayoral candidate is beyond me. The most recent example includes the “suggestion” that Illinois lawmakers should pass a law to implement a fully elected school board. Apparently, Wilson doesn’t know that this law is already on the books, and Chicago voters will elect the entire school board in 2026.
— Christopher Johnson, Winnetka
Impressed by Wilson’s writing
I am an older white woman who has lived in the western suburbs for my entire life. I have been following Willie Wilson on the opinion page, and I believe he makes a great deal of sense. Too bad he is not the mayor of Chicago.
— Jeanie Bonavolonta, Roselle
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