Chicago teacher’s strike a symbol of problem

The Island Now

You have heard it so many times before: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result .

Why do we still continuously look to Obama’s home state of Illinois for any advise whatsoever? Can anyone explain to me why we should ask Chicago’s Mayor Rohm Emanuel, Senator Dick Durbin or Governor Pat Quinn  for any help? 

Now that Chicago’s  25,000 teachers are out on strike, all the specific issues are finally out in the open for the entire country to see: 

The average Chicago school teacher makes $71,000 dollars a year plus $15,000 dollars in benefits for a total package of $86,000. Don’t forget, that’s the average teacher. Many make a great deal more. Compare that with the average, medium household income for a Chicago working family. They make only $47,000.

In today’s day and age, the  union is still requesting a 29 percent pay increase over two years. The average  Chicago teacher works only 1,039 instructional hours per year. That’s one half of Chicago’s private worker . 

Chicago’s fabulous  school system ran a $700 million dollar deficit. In three years they will then owe $3 billion dollars. 

In Chicago’s long-standing  tradition of rewarding every teacher, regardless of their job performance, the city even offered the teachers a 16 percent raise. How philanthropic with tax-payers money.

And now, the time has come to examine the teacher’s record. How  successful have they been? Chicago has a  student graduation rate of only 55 percent.  For every 100 high-school freshmen, only six actually attain a 4-year college degree. If you are Latino or African-American,  only three out of a hundred, get a college degree.

Besides the huge salary increase, the teachers are also striking for the following issues: 

a) They want the teacher’s  evaluation system  not to include student test scores . I don’t blame them since practically all their students are not quite responding to their special” teaching techniques. and 

b) when teaching positions open up, teachers who were previously let go, even those judged incompetent , must be first in line to be rehired. 

My father was a NYC school teacher and principal for 45 years, my wife was a teacher as well, my mom was a school secretary. I taught dentistry for 20 years. 

 I find the behavior of these educators”  a total embarrassment and very, very disgraceful.

 

Dr Stephen Morris 

North Hills

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