HOD June

Core Wins Executive Board Positions at June HOD

By Jim Vail

Core defeated Members First to win three executive board positions at the June 2 House of Delegates meeting.

Norma Noriega of Stevenson Elementary School, Lori Torres of Monroe Elementary School and Aisha Wade-Bey of Lawndale Community Academy to be functional elementary vice presidents on the Chicago Teachers Union Executive Board.

The top vote getter was Wade-Bey with 157 votes, followed by Torres with 137 votes and Noriega with 132 votes. They easily defeated the three Members First candidates Terri Hehn of John Garvy Elementary School (74 votes), and Viktor Ochoa of Burbank Elementary School and Debbie Yaker of Hanson Park Elementary School, both with 73 votes.

According to the CTU, a total of 243 elementary teacher delegates cast votes. 

This election marked a come back for Core after Members First defeated the ruling CTU party in recent elections, including a teachers pension trustee and five retiree delegates.

President Jesse Sharkey noted that there was a heated discussion on Facebook concerning a proposed resolution to condemn the Israeli attack on Palestine for human rights violations. There have been massive protests throughout the world to condemn the Israel occupation of Palestine. The union decided then to not bring the resolution to the floor because of strong emotions on both sides of the debate.

He said the union had to shut down more comments in the last few weeks over this debate than the entire year. Both Core-led CTU and Members First Facebook pages are monitored and censured for comments they deem disrespectful or in violation of their social media protocol.

"Some of the comments were hate-filled," Sharkey said. "We need to be respectful."

One delegate said the CTU should organize a celebratory party to mark the recent legislative wins, including restoring the union's bargaining rights and the elected school board, which finally passed the senate against the wishes of the Mayor.

Sharkey said that the Chicago Board of Education decision to not allow Aspira High School to move into the Aspira Middle School was significant. He noted that the CTU represents the Aspira charter teachers as well as the teachers at Roosevelt High School who campaigned against the possible move that they claimed would hurt their enrollment. But the CTU is strongly against any expansion of charter schools and Sharkey said it was good that the Board said it was important to protect our neighborhood schools.

"This was unheard of," Sharkey said. "That is not what they were saying 10 years ago."

Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Gates acknowledged that they received long overdue raises that put their salaries within range of an assistant principal at a mid-size elementary school.

One of the scams of charter schools is paying their administrators even more than the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. 

There will be a June 11 rally for charter schools, some who might go on strike.

The delegates overwhelmingly passed the budget for 2021 - 2022.