Wednesday, April 24, 2019

CTU vs. Charters

Charter vs. CTU election results
By Jim Vail



The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) pumped in a lot of money to help elect 10 aldermen.

The IL. Network of Charter Schools pumped in a lot of money to help elect 10 aldermen.

Is this a preview of what to expect when Chicago has its first elected school board?

The CTU gave $35,600 to Dyett High School hunger striker Jeanette Taylor to win in the 20th ward, $20,000 to Byron Sigcho-Lopez to win the 25th ward, $5,000 to Andre Vasquez to win the 40th ward (and knock out the machine incumbent Pat O'Connor), and $10,000 to Matt Martin to win the 47th ward, according to the Sun-Times. They also endorsed and gave money to aldermen winners Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), and Maria Hadden (49th) before the runoffs.

The CTU also donated $18,000 into Rafael Yanez's losing bid against Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) and gave $5,000 to Robert Murphy who lost in the 39th ward.

The CTU gave about $339,000 to its endorsed candidates between Feb. and the runoff elections April 2, according to IL State Board of Election records.

The IL Network of Charter Schools spent more than $800,000 in the 2019 elections, according to the Sun-Times. They didn't like Mayor elect Lori Lightfoot, who said she supports a moratorium on new charter schools. CTU also didn't support Lightfoot.

The Charter network said 10 of its 13 endorsed candidates won, inlcuding Howard Brookins (21st), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Ray Lopez (15), Stephanie Coleman (16th), Felix Cardona (31), and Samantha Nugent (39).

The charter endorsed candidates who lost included Ald. Joe Moore (49), Alex Acevedo (25), and Ald. Pat O'Connor (40).

CTU VP Stacy Davis Gates told the Sun-Times, "Rahm Emanuel is gone, Bruce Rauner is gone and the CTU is here. We won."

The SEIU union also pumped a lot of money into the elections and said the union will be pushing to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, invest in the neighborhoods and police reform.

However, it looks like the unions are divided. The trade unions - Teamsters, Laborers, Engineers - support aldermen and outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel who vote for TIFs, which take money from the schools to develop the city. The deal is any construction is done by union workers.

The CTU has been hit hard by the charter privatization industry.

This fight back in the political arena makes sense.

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