HOD Nov.

Report on the meeting of the House of Delegates held on November 2, 2022

By George Milkowski

CTPF Jeffrey Blackwell and Jackie Price Ward were re-elected to Pension Board.

NOTE: The CTU did not make its traditional delegates’ packet available in print for retiree delegates..  The Union put it on line, which I think is foolish as I did not have time to print up copies before I had to leave for the meeting.  The only recourse was to look at the material on our phones, which is difficult as there was so much material.

The meeting began at 4:50 p.m.. 

The meeting opened with four candidates for the Pension Fund given two minutes to explain why they are running.  This election is for active teachers only this time.  Pres Davis Gates preceded their remarks by saying that CTU Executive Board has voted to ask the House to endorse two of the candidates; Jeff Blackwell and Jacqueline Price Ward.  The vote on this will come later in the meeting.

Jeffery Blackwell has been on the Pension Board and has been able to serve as its president.  He said he worked successfully to get the State legislature to re-enact a dedicated tax levy for the Fund and also has been active in going after charter schools that have not made their required payments to the fund.

Catherine Cunnigham-Yee is running as an independent.  She is a high school Special Ed teacher and wants the CTPF to be more aggressive in divesting from fossil fuels.  She maintains the 2027 self imposed deadline to do so is too late.  She also said that if elected she would put out a monthly video report to the Pension Fund members.

Marcy Esposito-Usterbrowski wants to abolish the Tier 2 category for teachers and she strongly criticized the leadership of the Union for not being transparent.

Lastly, Jacqueline Price-Ward said she has been on the CTPF Board for 4 years and for two years chaired the Pension Fund’s Communication Committee.  She said that some of her opponents are in the Members First Caucus and are tied in with the right wing leaning Illinois Policy Institute.

I. Officers’/Committee Reports

A.   Christel Williams- Hayes – Recording Secretary.  Christel is ill so Pres. Stacy Davis Gates filled in for her.  While using Zoom during the pandemic, delegates were able to send in questions during House meetings using the “chat” function.  That seemed successful and the Union will continue to take questions during the meeting using delegates’ phones.

It was announced that a “Delegates & School Leaders Training” session will be conducted on Saturday, November 12 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Breakfast and check-in will start at 8:00 a.m. and there will be a break for lunch. 

November 29 is “Giving Tuesday” and the Union is asking for donations to the CTU Foundation.  They would like donations to the Student Special assistance Fund for eyeglasses, hearing aids and clothing.  Also there will be a holiday coat and toy drive.

B. Kurt Hilgendorf gave a brief financial report with some pages posted on a screen but it was difficult to read so I have nothing to report on this.

C. Maria Moreno – Financial Secretary – Our membership is 27,569 of which 1,683 are retirees.

Retirees will have a chance to elect someone to represent them on the Pension Board.  Nominations will be taken at the scheduled December 8 luncheon.  If you would like to run for the Board you do not have to pay for the luncheon.  You can just show up for the nominating process.  Ballots will be mailed out January 17, 2023 and will need to be returned by February 14.  If needed, there will be a run-off March 9.

D.  Jennifer Conant – Charter Division – Jennifer reported that 35 charter schools in 13 different charter networks have their contracts expire this summer.  The CTU Charter Division is working to have a common baseline contract for all the schools.  She stressed that whatever the charters contracts can get will help set precedents for our own contract when negotiations begin the following year.

Jen also said the CPS has revoked the charter of Urban Prep due to financial mismanagement, substantiated cases of sexual misconduct, and the lack of the minimum required number of certified teachers.  She said they are working with the CPS to insure that the future of these schools will have union representation and involvement.

F.  Jackson Potter - Vice President –Jackson referenced the Union’s “We Care Coaching and Mentoring” program.  Too many newer teachers feel isolated and lost in their first two years and end up quitting in frustration.  This has made the growing teacher shortage worse.  He said the CTU’s program has a success retention rate of 93% for those in years 1-3 of teaching.

Jackson said he has been out canvassing for Lori Torres (36th Ward), Muise Bawamy (50th Ward), and Brandon Johnson (running for Mayor).  He said Johnson is insisting that public safety is directly tied in with public investment in communities.  

The CPS has agreed to recognize five new job categories and is negotiating with the CTU over 25 more job titles.  Once this is finalized, these workers will be eligible to be CTU members.

Jackson concluded by saying that the immigrants being shipped north from Texas and Florida are increasing the number of homeless students the CPS has to deal with.

G.  Jed Schenkier – Grievance Department.  An arbitrator has ruled in favor of a CTU member, Melissa Poeta.  She was laid off illegally and told she had to get a Special Ed endorsement if she wanted her job back.  She did at her own expense.  The arbitrator ordered the CPS to pay Melissa for the expenses she had incurred to get that endorsement..

In other grievances we won, 4,234 coaches, athletic directors and sports liaisons will receive between $1,200 and $8,500 for unpaid work they did during Fiscal year 2020-2021.  Also, over 5,000 coaches will get $20,000 for their schools for uniforms, equipment and bus transportation for 82 high schools.  261 elementary schools will be getting $13,000 for the same reason.

Lastly, Jed said the deadline to appeal one’s REACH (teacher evaluation) score for the 2021-2022 school year is November 22.

II. President’s Report

Pres. Stacy Davis-Gates opened her remarks commenting that the CTU and CPS has put a number of lingering grievances on a “fast track” and it seems to be working.

Stacy also said the CTU is opening its on-line store on November 4 to give members a chance to buy CTU “swag”.  Members can get a 10% discount if they sign up for the Union’s “Memberlink”.

Stacy also said we need to celebrate the work that our members are doing, so she specifically devoted some time highlighting the work done by Delegate Jedda Biddle-White (Fiske School) and CTU organizer LaShawn Wallace.

Pres. Davis Gates became emotional when she related how she and her family were recently outdoors and there were gunshots.  Her kid, playing soccer, and everyone else, had to hit the deck for their own safety.  She said that CTU endorsed mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson feels more investment in neighborhoods will help reduce crime.  She said this won’t solve all of our social problems but this is better than proposals put out by other candidates.

III.  More Reports

A. Organizing – Jhoanna Maldanado.  Jhoanna urged delegates to notify the CTU if there is an influx of immigrant students.  We are working with CPS to try to have more bilingual interpreters, especially for developing IEPs for students.  Also, they are trying to deal with the problem that the high school entrance exams are only in English.

B. Political/Legislative – Kurt Hilgendorf.  Kurt’s report was short.  He is asking for volunteers to work to get passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment.

IV. Items for Action

A.  The House voted, without dissent, to endorse Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward), Rosanna Rodrigues Sanchez (333h Ward), and Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35th Ward).  They are up for election in February 2023.  I voted “yes” for these individuals.

A motion was made to have the House of Delegates formally endorse Jeffery Blackwell and Jacqueline Price-Ward for the CTPF.  After some debate it passed.  There were a handful of “nays”.  I voted “yes” on this.

IV. New Business/Question and Answers

Retiree Delegate Lou Pyster asked about the status of renaming some Chicago schools.  He suggested a few names, including Jacob Lawrence.

The delegate from Bright School again asked that the Union take a position supporting reparations for foundational African Americans.

At that point a motion to adjourn passed.   It was 7:05 p.m..

IFT

IFT Convention Report – October 21-23, 2022 - St.Louis, Mo.

By George Milkowski

Friday night was registration and a few workshops followed by a delegates’ reception.  Everyone had to pass a COVID 19 test to be admitted to the convention.  The convention hosted 275 delegates from 39 locals representing 73,106 employees.

The opening of the convention on Saturday included a welcoming address by the Mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones, the first woman of color to be elected to that position.   In her remarks she stressed that despite efforts by the Republican controlled state government, St. Louis has successfully led the way in getting the state to raise the minimum wage and to overturn right-to-work legislation.  

“March for Our Lives” (MFOL) founder David Hogg, a survivor of the school shooting at Marjorie Douglas Stonewall high school and currently a student at Harvard, addressed the convention via video.  Understandably, he spoke about gun control and said that for the first time in 30 years there was a law passed by Congress to put some limits on gun ownership, although the bill is a very limited piece of legislation.  

Trevon Bosley, an electrical engineer from NIU and also a MFOL member, is from Chicago’s south side and he spoke, too.  He talked about the closing of 50 schools in the City under Rahm Emanual and how this forced students to cross gang territorial boundaries that led to increased violence.  As a child he lost a brother and a cousin to gun violence.  He said he wasn’t a very good student but remembers a 3rd grade teacher who went out of his way to help him. He also said he heard his 5th grade teacher say that he was in the job just for a paycheck.  Teachers need to consider the background of students before they try to evaluate the students’ performances.

The convention then began dealing with 21 resolutions that were to be acted upon.  All of them were adopted over the next day and one half, some unanimously.  Many were amended from the floor over the course of that day and Sunday morning and I did vote in favor of all of them after amendments were agreed upon.  

One item that was presented for convention was the IFT Consolidated Financial Report.  It was shown on a large screen but was impossible to read and at that time there was no paper copy available.  It was approved but I abstained because I couldn’t tell what was in it.

The same held true for the upcoming IFT budget.  I abstained on that, too.

During the next day and one half there would be short “rah rah” videos interspersed with the resolutions.  The Saturday morning session ended 40 minutes ahead of schedule so Dan Montgomery, IFT president, adjourned the meeting.  I found this to be irritating.  I thought we should continue to the next resolution to get the work done that we were there for as quickly as possible.  

Dan Montgomery expounded at length on the challenges faced by workers.  He said retaining teachers is a major problem nationwide.  One reason Illinois is having a problem attracting and keeping teachers is our two-tier pension system.  Teachers hired after January 1, 2010 cannot achieve their maximum pension benefits unless they work for 45 years, generally to age 67.  Also, the way the formula for those teachers is constructed, they will be earning LESS than if they worked at other jobs and paid into and became eligible for Social Security. 

Dan also said that a major priority for the IFT is organizing new locals.

Lastly, Montgomery stated, “The GOP is actively working to suppress the vote”.  It is imperative that members of IFT locals come out to vote in November for the Workers’ Rights Amendment and also to get involved in school board elections that are coming up statewide in the spring.  (Chicago will have its first round of school board elections in 2024).

There were also changes approved to the IFT constitution and by-laws.  One was to increase the number of IFT vice-presidents to 44 from the current 40.  Montgomery stated that this would make the IFT more inclusive and more diverse.  (Not to mention that it gives a few more jobs to officers of IFT locals).  

An increase in “pass through” dues was also approved.  The current pass through is $379.80 per member per year and it will increase in steps to $405.30 by September 1, 2025.

Along with the dues increase will be an increase in the value of “units of assistance”.  These will go from $15,278 per unit to $17,030 per unit by September 2025.

        Each local is eligible for a unit of assistance based on its membership size.  The IFT uses this to determine how much it can help out locals in appealing grievances to the arbitration or court level and things of that nature.  

One proposed constitutional amendment, brought to the convention by UIC GEO, Local 6297, was ruled out of order.  Pres. Montgomery informed the 6297 delegate that its wording would conflict with the AFT constitution and by-laws.  Local 6297 is the union of graduate employees at the UIC campus in Chicago.  This is a small local with high turnover since most members graduate and move on in six years or less.  This would give their local a reduced rate on the “pass throughs” to the IFT and AFT.  A similar proposal was made at the last IFT convention three years ago and I supported that at the time but it was voted down.  I would have supported this one, too, but having been ruled out of order a vote was never taken.

One speaker was CTU’s own Brandon Johnson, who is also a Cook County commissioner.  He plans to announce his decision to run for mayor of Chicago on Thursday, October 27.  

Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Illinois Speaker of the House, addressed the assembly.  He had served on a school board for 12 years, ten of which he was its president.  Among other things he said, “A strong middle class starts with unions”.  He said that it is important that everyone vote in favor of the Workers’ Rights Amendment on the ballot in November.

AFT President Randi Weingarten was there, too.  To back up her stressing the importance of unions in politics, she said the AFT will pledge $1 million to Brandon Johnson’s campaign for mayor.

The convention came to an end with numerous awards being given out to outstanding fighters for workers.  The last one, along with the 21st resolution that had passed, honored CTU’s Beatrice Lumpkin.  Bea is 104 years old as of August 3 and still growing strong!!

Book Review

Reds at the Blackboard: Communism, Civil Rights, and the NY City Teachers Union 

Book Review

by Jim Vail

Reds at the Blackboard is a book about the communists who ran the New York City Teachers Union until the US government purged its leaders and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) took control in the 1960's.

The book was written by Professor Clarence Taylor and published in 2011 the year after CORE became the new leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union.

A lot of what the NY Teachers Union fought for in the 20's and 30's for civil rights and against racism has shaped the ideology of the CTU leadership today.

The NY Teachers Union (TU) had an unofficial partnership with the American Communist Party and the Soviet Union which led to the huge purge by the United States government despite the union's historic fight against racism in the schools that had popular support. 

The TU led the fight to form community schools aligned with the black and Latinx parents and civil rights organizations to get more resources, fought to improve the working conditions for the teachers and campaigned for broader social concerns.

Core has organized several strikes to fight for these same issues today.

The author describes how the NY Board of Education fought against the TU and used the Red Squad and other undercover agents who worked with the board to bring down the union. 

The Teachers Union said its opposition to censorship and racism was opposed by "dangerous right-wing fanatics that wanted to take away the people's constitutionals rights."

Core is using the same playbook today denouncing right-wing Republican attacks on unions and public schools.

The strong public support for the TU v. the US government crack down (calling the TU an agency of a foreign power) revealed a power struggle between the two groups. The Soviet Union was the first government in history to declare its mission to oppose racism - a significant challenge to the US and other colonial powers who had enslaved and exploited their black and brown colonial subjects.

The communist teachers union in NY fought against racist textbooks that stressed the superiority of whites and the inferiority of blacks calling on the Board of Education to remove biased textbooks from its approved list. In 1951 the board removed eight offensive books from its curriculum thanks to the union's fight! 

The TU called out a vicious anti-labor publication called T-Model Tommy which was on the board's approved list for high schools. Tommy the hero in the book is a strike breaker portrayed in a positive light, while the strikers are depicted as "disreputable characters." The union said the book failed to discussed what caused the strike and only reinforced anti-union and anti-labor sentiment. They appealed to the parents who were workers and the labor unions, and the publisher agreed to remove the book.

They called for the ban of textbooks that contained racist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant passages and campaigned for the study of black history which would provide psychological protection against white racism.

This is a fight that Core continues to this day with its emphasis on Black Lives Matter.

When Mayor Rahm Emanuel was elected in 2011 he took direct aim at the CTU. He immediately rescinded the teacher's 4% raise in the last year of its contract claiming the city did not have the money. This infuriated the teachers enough to go on strike.

Emanuel called the CTU a bunch of Trotskyites. The question many could ask is did he know the difference between the different socialist groups who helped form the original Core party.

The Communist Party was split after Soviet Union party leader Joseph Stalin purged many including the Revolutionary Leader Leon Trotsky who was exiled and developed his own following.

The International Socialist Organization or ISO (today disbanded) had many followers in the CTU. They followed the Trotsky line that called for an international revolution, denouncing the Stalin led Soviet State. Other CORE founders were members of various Trotsky-aligned socialist groups such as Socialist Alternative and Solidarity and Stalinist-Maoist groups such as Freedom Road and the Progressive Labor Party. There were others who were members of smaller offshoots of the American Communist Party.

Disagreements between the groups continue to this day, including whether socialist groups should support the Democrats or work outside the political system dominated by the two ruling parties. 

Board of Education

Unfair DNH Not Addressed at Chicago Board of Education Meeting

By Jim Vail

Stacy Council is fighting her unfair DNH.

Stacy Council who we profiled as a teacher who was unfairly placed on a Do Not Hire list by a vindictive principal was not able to sign up for the monthly Chicago Board of Education in September.

"The slots filled up in 30 seconds," she wrote in an email. "I can't seem to get in. I'll be trying again next month."

The next BOE meeting is Wednesday Oct. 26.

I decided to listen to the live streamed meeting to understand why she could not sign up for the meeting. What was so important that everyone quickly filled up the slots?

The public participation at last month's board meeting focused on two big topics. 

The first hot topic was the controversial proposed new high school to be built in Chinatown in the South Loop. Most speakers were against Mayor Lori Lightfoot's proposed new high school to be built on land that is supposed to be used to build public housing. The new school would stand on the former Ickes Housing Project that was torn down.

The second hot topic centered on a handful of Charter Schools who were all pleading to renew their 5 year charter contracts with the Board of Education. That would include the Urban Prep Boys Charter High School in Englewood that has had lots of problems, Acero Charter who were involved in many corrupt deals back when they were known as UNO and are currently in a contract fight with their staff and the University of Chicago Charter School where we heard stories that teachers were eased out of their positions after 5 years so that the school could keep its salaries low. The Lawndale Charter School also made presentation to renew their charter and Andrew Broyd from the Network of Charter Schools talked about violence among the youth. It was not quite clear what his point was.

All these speakers work with professional organizations that know how to quickly line up to speak out at the Board of Education meeting.

The last speaker was a parent who lambasted the Chicago Public Schools "inflated grade policy." She said her child received A's for Reading even though he did not understand anything he was reading. She claimed she has been fighting a long time to get special education services and she is on the verge of eviction as a single mother on the South Side.

Unlike past board presidents who liked to ham it up and argue with or praise various public speakers, Chicago Board President Miguel Del Valle, who doubles as Lightfoot's trustee on the Chicago Teachers Pension Board, said little to nothing after each speaker. He did indicate that the last parent speaker should speak with one of the Board people to address her concerns.

Stacy Council hopes that the third time is the charm to register to speak at next week's Board of Education meeting and ask why they will not remove her Do Not Hire mark that involved a situation where she was trying to simply enter her classroom to retrieve her coat on a cold winter night. She is an excellent teacher who has earned high marks, a success story from growing up in the Chicago public housing projects to become a role model in the African American community and yet she was been unfairly deemed a criminal.

WBEZ meanwhile previewed a military instructor who groomed, sexually abused and threatened a CPS student that was covered up, and while his 'commanding officer' in CPS was forced out, he was not placed on a Do Not Hire list.

Pension Election

CTPF Pension Election for Teacher Trustee

By Jim Vail

The Chicago Teachers Pension Election to elect two teacher trustees is currently running from Oct. 17 - Nov. 3. Teachers can vote online.

The four trustees running are CORE incumbents President Jeffery Blackwell and Jacquelyn Price-Ward, Members First Mary Esposito-Usterbowski and independent Cathy Cunningham-Yee.

According to one pension election insider, this is the first time an active teacher is running as an independent in the pension election.

It helps to have a caucus finance a candidate because mailers can cost between $10k to $20k.

Historically the Chicago Teachers Union would endorse the pension candidates and then send out the mailers to all the teachers. Former CTU Presidents Debbie Lynch (PACT) and Marilyn Stewart (UPC) would have the Executive Board endorse candidates and then they would make speeches to the House of Delegates who would in turn vote on their endorsement.

This changed when Teacher Trustee candidate Pam Touras said the union should endorse all candidates running for the pension board.

Today a caucus will endorse its candidate or they can run independently.

Members First Mary Usterbowski ran in the last CTU President election against CORE's Stacy Davis Gates and lost. She also previously ran in a teacher pension election and lost to current teacher trustees Tina Padilla (CORE) and Phil Weiss (MF).

Like politicians who switch political hats, union office seekers are no different. Cathy Cunningham-Yee also ran and lost in the last teacher trustee pension election on the CORE ticket. However, she is now running as an independent. Tina Padilla switched parties and is now with the REAL caucus, although she is not running in this election.

President Jeffery Blackwell has battled with CORE despite his endorsement. He spoke out against former House Speaker Michael Madigan forcing the pension fund to hire one of his lobbyists. The powerful speaker who the CTU had close ties with was forced out and is currently under indictment for corruption. 

Blackwell also made a memorable speech a few years ago in which he lambasted the fund for harboring a 'cabal of evil' and accused the fund of racism. He teamed up with Members First Phil Weiss to pass a motion to censure three female minority trustees, two of whom were also endorsed by CORE, Tina Padilla and Gervaise Clay.

Price-Ward voted in favor of the censure that ultimately went nowhere and the lawyer who helped draft it is no longer working at the pension fund. 

An interesting twist in this election is the race for principal trustee. Ravenswood Elementary School Principal Nicholas Guerrero is running against incumbent Jerry Travlos, who is no longer a principal but works in a network office as an administrator.

Travlos is a network deputy chief who is a part of the old Greek contingent. He replaced a Greek principal trustee, while Guerrero is a member of the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education and the Latino Leadership Pipeline.

Guerrero claims on his bio to be one of the youngest principals in Chicago Public School history, and was hired in 2013. That means he is a part of the Tier 2 hires after 2011 who receive a much lesser pension in which they cannot retire with full benefits from CPS until they reach age 67.

The CTU has started a Tier 2 pension committee to study the problem that would mandate changing the state law that was passed when the ruling multi-millionaire forces were demanding drastic cuts to state pensions.

CORE and MF trustees teamed up to vote against continuing a forensic audit until Second City Teachers wrote a story, CPS board member Dwayne Truss who spoke in favor of tabling the audit motion until he was ousted and CTPF Director Carlton Lenoir convened a special meeting that afterwards resulted in a unanimous vote in favor to continue a forensic audit.

CTU Mayor Endorsement

House of Delegates Endorse Brandon Johnson for Mayor

By Jim Vail

The CTU did not endorse U.S. Rep Chuy Garcia.

The Chicago Teachers Union endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson to be Mayor of Chicago.

The question on many minds was why wouldn't the CTU wait to see if beloved Congressman Chuy Garcia will enter the race for mayor. He leads the pack of opponents who has the most name recognition to defeat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Retiree delegate and former PACT official Lou Pyster said at the House of Delegates meeting last week that the bottom line is the the union wants to win the election. Winning has always been paramount in the CTU's strategy to back progressive politicians who will support the Teachers Union political agenda.

That winning strategy has resulted in successful legislation being passed, such as restoring collective bargaining rights, passing an elected school board bill, restoring the pension levy, and adding a schools closing and charter moratorium to save the public schools.

Chuy Garcia was once the darling of the Chicago Teachers Union. The union backed him in 2015 to run against Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel who closed over 50 schools and went to war against the CTU. They gave at least half a million dollars to the Garcia campaign that forced Emanuel to a run-off that he eventually won.

However, what happened next is perhaps a lesson in getting schooled by corrupt politics.

The Chuy Garcia phenomenon that the CTU helped engineer eventually went haywire. Garcia moved up the ladder and won a seat as Congressman and suddenly he no longer returned the union's calls.

CTU VP Jackson Potter told the delegates that Chuy is no longer a friend of this union.

"After the first run-off in the city's history he has fallen largely silent," Jackson told the delegates.

Jackson said Garcia stayed on the sidelines during their strikes and backed Mayor Lighfoot in the last election.

This reminds me of another politician that the CTU helped catapult to national success only to be shunned once he attained higher office.

President Barack Obama was an obscure state representative 20 years ago who got an endorsement from Chicago Teachers Union President Debbie Lynch. Suddenly his name became more pronounced and his star appeal shot up with the union's backing.

But fast forward to his getting elected the Democratic President in 2008. Despite the backing of many unions, President Obama did not institute the promised union card check which would have allowed workers to simply sign a card to become a union rather than hold elections that the bosses could manipulate.

The Obama education agenda became grossly anti-public education and anti-teachers unions when he implemented the Race to the Top program to privatize the public schools and blame the unions for "failing schools."

He now had to listen to the billionaires hell bent on destroying public education because they funded his campaign.

It appears the CTU strategy is to create another political superstar that they want to keep close to their chest. Brandon Johnson doubles as a full-time union organizer and a full-time Cook County Commissioner.

There are other commissioners who double as full-time lobbyists, and having a champion for union rights in the county government is certainly a plus for union workers.

But, should Brandon's star start to shoot up to the skies like President Obama, not to mention Chuy Garcia, the union will have to brace itself for what will come next.

Higher office, means needing more money. Money billionaires and multi-millionaires have to turn the agenda from pro-worker to pro-business/anti-union.

Plus, the mayor's role in running the schools is being diminished in Chicago with the new elected school board. The first school board will be entirely elected by voters in 2027.

It appears, however, that the CTU acknowledge this red flag in its endorsement resolution in which they stated, "Whereas that we do not seek (a) savior, and that it is the work of the many, not a single candidate, to organize and win such that new horizons - free lifelong care and education, housing and healthcare as a human right, clean air and water, replacing police and prisons with life affirming systems of care and justice are made possible."

Book Review

Book Review:  The Chicago Schools by Mary Herrick

Review by Jim Vail

Mary Herrick taught high school from 1922 to 1965 and was actively involved in the Chicago Teachers Union movement. She was president of the Federation of Women High School Teachers from 1933 to 1936 and served as VP of the American Federation of Teachers. She was also the first editor of the Chicago Union Teacher newspaper and today there is a CTU Scholarship named after her. She wrote a great history of the Chicago Public Schools called The Chicago Schools published in 1971.

What makes her book a great read is her research into how the schools first began in the early 1800s during the pioneer days when Chicago was only marshland along the Great Lake. She then details the dirty politics and the Chicago machine that used the schools to enrich themselves at the expense of the children’s education which was constantly being shortchanged because the union did not play politics.

She also details some incredible school superintendent stars who helped build up the public schools despite the challenges, including William Wells for which Wells High School is named after, and Ella Flagg, who also has an elementary school named after her.

The stories are engrossing and powerful. You would never expect that the leaders of the schools would have done so much to build up these schools when today it seems they only want to tear them down. Think Arne Duncan, who called the public schools failures and implemented the Turnaround model to fire everyone inside buildings mostly in impoverished neighborhoods, followed by a string of political appointees trashing the public schools and the union: Jean-Claude Brizard (Rahm’s first choice to lead Race to the Top), Barbara Byrd-Bennett (who went to prison after she closed a record 50 schools), and Forrest Claypool (a political hack from the Park District who tried to fire activist teachers).

The history of the Chicago schools is fascinating and powerful and we should know this history.

However, where Herrick falls flat is when Mayor Richard J. Daley takes control of the Chicago Machine and his fight to keep the schools segregated and the union under heel. She writes very little critical analysis from 1950 - 1970. Perhaps being a union leader prevented her from using her research and analytical skills to paint an accurate picture of these years.

Here are some fascinating facts and information from her book which I still recommend all teachers and lovers of history and our city public schools to read:

-The first school building the city owned was at the corner of Madison and Dearborn built in 1845 with 843 students but 1,000 students were turned away.

-Chicago businessmen had no interest in the public schools in the beginning except for William Ogden (a Chicago mayor who helped build up Chicago via his speculation - has a school named after him!), John Wentworth (school named after him) and Richard Hamilton (school with his name as well).

-Chicago settlers were indifferent to education and benefited from child labor “schools always been an afterthought for most Chicagoans in money-making bustle”

-William Wells was one of the most effective administrators in the early history of the schools who had educated himself and fought to increase teachers' pay.

-In 1859 the average primary class size was 81 students, while in St. Louis it was 60 and NY 50. Some Chicago schools had 200 small children with one teacher in one room!

-First high school and first teachers training college was opened in 1859

-Superintendent Wells wanted to decrease corporal punishment and prevent military training during War. Teachers loved him!

-Mayor Wentworth in 1862 attacked the bankers who he called the robbers of school funds.

-In 1850s male high school teachers made 4x as much as female teachers

-In 1867 prisoners helped clean the schools.

-Prior to WWI German was taught in the public schools because Germans were one of the biggest immigrant groups.

-The gap between the rich and poor grew after the Chicago Fire of 1870 with ‘railroad kings and capitalist press’

-Another great Superintendent Albert Lane (Lane Tech High School) expanded vocational training, pensions for teachers after 8 years of service, and set up a teacher training college.

The Chicago Tribune was very hostile to working class public schools, arguing against ‘fads and frills, cut down on pie-making’ = to cut foreign language classes, music, art, etc. NY Times argued against teachers unions.

-1898 City mandated playgrounds for each school.

-1895 the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund set up with 1% teacher contributions

-1899 the school budget was based on property taxes. George Pullman of the Pullman Rail Car Co. paid no taxes.

-Chicago Tribune was ‘flagrant offender of school money’ was against re-evaluation of property and the Board of Ed said it lost $15 million because of the corrupt Tribune lease of property. Mayor Ed Dunne in 1905 appointed Activist Jane Addams as trustee to the Board of Education and wanted the Tribune lease deal declared illegal. Tribune engineered a lease deal until 1985 (sounds like the parking meters scam when an investment consortium bought meters at grossly undervalued price for 99 years to screw Chicago tax payers!).

-Press against Chicago Teachers Federation - first teachers union set up in 1890s - because “character and citizenship could not be taught by a teacher in a labor organization which taught hatred of other classes.” Tribune attacked CTF a lot when it urged the Board to re-evaluate its lease.

-CTF worked to elect mayors and aldermen. They supported Mayor Edward Dunne in 1905 who supported municipal ownership of utilities, stronger pensions and tenure and to re-evaluate school land leases.

-Chicago Teachers Federation felt Jane Addams sold out to businessmen. Carl Sandburg wrote book about leader Margaret Healy

-Teacher sick leave introduced in 1916.

-1925 debate between commercial training (vocational ed) v. classical training (academics) modeled on the German system.

-Corrupt Mayor Big Bill Thompson supported Loeb rule to prevent teachers from joining a union and 5,000 teachers protested at City Hall in 1915. Thompson had looted the schools from 1919-23 - non-existent companies got big contracts, principals got calls from board members to order unwanted equipment at quadrupled prices.

-In 1916 teachers got tenure after 3 years and recommended board trustees be elected to six year terms thanks to Chicago Federation of Teachers lobbying.

-In 1924 set up system of junior high schools 

-CTF Healy supported corrupt mafia mayor Thompson who ran on ending prohibition and pro-immigrant (alcohol) and anti British (teetotallers) and said schools should teach immigrant heroes like German, Irish and Polish in schools.