Little Village Election

Core Fights Back at Little Village High School Election Debate

By Jim Vail

Core VP candidate Jackson Potter is striking back at his opponents.

CORE squared off against REAL at the CTU Caucus Debate at Little Village Lawndale High School campus. Members First did not attend.

About 25 teachers attended the Tues, April 19 debate where both caucuses gave opening statements about their mission. Real emphasized solidarity noting that some CTU members were forced to return earlier to school during the pandemic. Core emphasized social justice activism and strong ties to the community.

Joey McDermott, a former Core member and field rep, is running on the VP ticket for Real. He stated that the CTU has cut their grievance department from 20 to 15 field reps who are crucial to defending the members. 

"Grievances are taking years before they are resolved," McDermott said.

Jackson Potter, the founder of Core who served 8 years as the CTU chief of staff, is running on the VP ticket for Core. He said the old UPC ruling party told him to pack his bags when CPS wanted to close Englewood High School where he first taught. He helped form Core to fight back against the racist school closings and then recited an impressive list of accomplishments ever since Core took control in 2010.

"We restored our bargaining rights, we got the pension pickup restored to save our pensions, we got a four year moratorium on charter schools and we led the first charter school strike in history," he said.

He also stated that the union has increased the number of attorneys working at the union who are fighting for the teacher's contract rights and noted that 75% of the members supported the pandemic strike, including Real candidates who served on the executive board.

"They know the strength is in our numbers," Potter said. "MF wants to collaborate with the boss which was what got my school closed."

Jackson Potter said Real would be the first caucus to have two male officer candidates since 1957 in a union with 80 percent females. Real countered that they have an elementary school teacher president candidate; historically elementary teachers have been underrepresented on caucus slates.

Jackson said that the problem with grievances is that the Chicago Board of Education keeps changing its hearing officers which leads to delays in hearing cases. 

McDermott hit Core hard on the question of solidarity when the moderator asked how can the union restore solidarity.

"When the union leadership refers to Members First as the Mayor's caucus, these are members who pay our dues and to refer to them in such pejorative terms we're weakening our solidarity."

Jackson Potter said politics and caucus division fade away after the election, and with falling enrollment there are a lot of sharks circling who want to close the schools. The union must unite to fight this.

McDermott said he felt union democracy when members went out to campaign for Chuy Garcia for Mayor, but that it felt like an inside deal to endorse Toni Preckwinkle against Lori Lightfoot in the last election. He also cited a lack of transparency when it comes to political endorsements, adding that a CTU employee making $100,000 per year and also serving as a Cook County Commissioner is wrong.

However, the impressive list of political wins the CTU has earned including getting an entirely elected school board passed is crucial in the fight to withstand the corporate assault on public education and unions.