Im sure others will say that cant be done, yet isnt that what you pay lawyers for? My personal start came in 2004, when Chicago Public Schools - under mayoral control and led by CEO Arne Duncan - sought to close dozens of traditional neighborhood schools as part of its Renaissance 2010 plan.My school, Senn High School, was slated to be turned into a military academy. He is backing his second-in-command, Stacy Davis Gates, in a May union leadership election. The caucus faces another challenge from the Members First Caucus, which has criticized CTU leaders for putting their own careers ahead of the needs of the unions 25,000 members and relying on work stoppages instead of collaborating with City Hall and Chicago Public Schools officials to achieve better working conditions. Sharkeys Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators will have the final say on whether Davis Gates will lead its slate in the upcoming election, union officials said. This May, the CTU can start building stronger relationships with community stakeholders and city leaders so we can deliver more for CTU members and better serve Chicagos students.. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey will not seek reelection after a tumultuous year negotiating re-openings with Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Heres what you should know about school bonds before you go to the ballot box. Read More CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 31: Chicago Teachers Union president Jesse Sharkey addresses the media at City Hall after the announcement of a deal to end an 11 day teachers strike on October 31, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. It was tough., Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. And while he thinks the challenges of COVID-19 have prompted CTU leaders to take tough stances, he says the need to stand firm predates the pandemic. This is despite a citywide infection rate of over 10 percent. But now, CTA is facing Coca Cola, Teach For America, Walmart and banks are the latest targets of Big Labor. We'll probably never know because the CTU officials continually make vague proclamations about what's wrong with the Chicago public school plan without evidence to back it up. During the Illinois spring legislative session, Chalkbeat Chicago will watch education issues that relate to funding, early childhood education, students with disabilities, support for school-aged migrants, mental health, and literacy. Nick Blumberg | February 8, 2022 8:29 pm. Im confident in Stacy Davis Gates both as our unions most effective spokesperson, this unions best strategist, and as a capable leader who will inspire this union and the city, Sharkey added. All educators, school workers, parents and students who support this initiative should join our Facebook groupand contact us today to establish local rank-and-file committees in your school and neighborhood. There are things Lightfoot could do to show whos boss. The Maine native and father of two taught social studies at Senn High School and Chicago Vocational Career Academy before being elected vice president of the union in 2010 alongside President Karen Lewis. She said she hears the concerns of teachers who are fearful for their health, just as I understand the concerns and fears of the day care workers, the factory workers, the health care workers, the grocery store and construction and transit and sanitation and other workers whose jobs do not allow them to work remotely and stay at home.. All rights reserved. The two are shown at a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Clergy Breakfast in Chicago in 2015. I suppose you could say that theres been remote learning in its place, but on the South and West sides where kids are being left behind, many students are not engaged online, as Jackson has acknowledged. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey speaks at Uplift Community High School in the Uptown neighborhood on January 12, 2021. A new report from Gov. "Jesse Sharkey's announcement is an acknowledgment that now is the time to bring new leadership to our union. Sharkey acknowledged the difficulties of the job, both politically and personally. I am also mad at him because were already in an election cycle and I dont want this to be politicized because Jesse doesnt deserve that, she added. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said that the mayor's opposition remote learning is a "talking point" during a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Soon-to-be 2023 Chicago mayoral candidate Duncan was the U.S. Secretary of Education, and also the architect of Renaissance 2010, which allowed a wave of privatizers and education reformers to close nearly 100 traditional neighborhood schools while opening 100 charter schools.We had seen the joy of teaching fall under attack by moneyed interests and corporate hacks, and we wanted to protect schools and honor classrooms by making our union more responsive and more effective. You cant always get to the school board meeting. Most hypocritically, she will tell you that its just a coincidence that she abandoned New York City in 2012 for East Hampton, a very wealthy community on Long Islands south shore, thusavoiding paying $30,000 in city income taxes. Describing himself as more of a pragmatic, traditional trade unionist, he once said he worried about following on the heels of the charismatic Lewis. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. After serving out the term as acting president starting in October 2014, Sharkey was re-elected president in 2019. In a lengthy statement, Sharkey thanked . We expect students and staff to be in school on Monday, she said. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey sits back down after speaking at a Chicago Board of Education meeting in which COVID-19, union matters and various related issues were discussed on Jan. 26, 2022. CTU President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates share a hug after announcing on Oct. 30, 2019, that they'd reached a tentative deal with Mayor Lori LIghtfoot to end the two-week teachers strike. A membership vote on a resolution to stop teaching in person until the omicron surge subsided or the district agreed to more stringent protocols was held on a Wednesday evening, with families waiting until 11 p.m. to find out the outcome. After 12 years as one of the primary faces of the Chicago Teachers Union, Jesse Sharkey is returning to the classroom. Schools were being wracked by closures, by corporate de-form education reform that made students and our school communities into targets and objects of derision, and we felt like we needed to form a unified coalition between parents, students, and educators and take back some of that power, Sharkey said. The same guy whod put out a ridiculous interpretive dance video of union teachers dancing sad modern dance solo pieces to explain how they feel about things. The other (left) shoe has dropped. "Our union will remain a force, and our dogged defense of public schools and the willingness to speak truth to power are not going anywhere. Toolkit: Understanding School Bonds Every election cycle, school districts throughout California put school bond measures on the local ballot. He is backing his second-in-command, Stacy Davis Gates, in a May union leadership election. The entire nation saw what happened when downtown and the Near North Side were hit with that second wave of looting that she should have stopped. In an effort at damage control, Chambers, who at first defended her actions, issued a statement of contrition and announced she would step back from the CTU executive board, at least temporarily. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to providing the information families and educators need, but this kind of work isnt possible without your help. On December 31, Chicago news station WGN published social media posts by Chicago Teachers Union Area Vice President Sarah Chambers enjoying a vacation in Puerto Rico just days before thousands of teachers were forced back into dangerous school buildings under Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoots reopening plan. The next time you hear about the Red for Ed movement, please keep in mind that all too often this is not just a group of teachers trying to advance their profession. Maybe it's the $9 million CPS spent to put air purifiers in every room, the hospital-grade disinfectant sprayers at every school or the $3.5 million in soap and sanitizer dispensers in high-traffic areas that CTU doesn't think is up to snuff. He also noted what he sees as major CTU accomplishments during his time in leadership, like contracts establishing minimum staffing levels and maximum class sizes for schools, as well as a law changing the CPS board from appointed to elected. Teachers went on strike for two weeks in 2019 before reaching a deal for salary increases and class-size limits. His rebound downs Marian Catholic. It was time for me to do something different, Sharkey said. On Sunday, Chicago resident Arnold Herrera, a 19-year-old with no prior health problems, died of the disease. In 2012, Troy Senik wrote The Worst Union in America, a title he bestowed on the California Teachers Association. During his tenure, clashes with Lightfoot led to three school shutdowns in the past three years, starting with a two-week strike during 2019 contract talks when the union pressed for an ambitious slate of proposals, including smaller class sizes, that went well beyond salary and benefits issues. Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas are in a runoff to be Chicagos next mayor. Lee Sharkey passed away Oct. 18, after a brief battle with cancer. It was Sharkey and the CTU who endorsed Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for mayor and spent almost $300,000 to get her elected. Movements have to change as people change, with new leaders and new vision stepping to the fore.I will not be leaving the movement, the labor struggle or this union. Lee later taught at the University of Maine at Farmington, founded the Women Studies Program there, and served as senior editor of theBeloit Poetry Journal, one of the countrys oldest and most respected poetry magazines. Sharkey, 52, became acting president in 2014 while Lewis battled brain cancer. Part of my stepping down is out of confidence in her leadership ability, and that the CTU will continue to be in good hands.. Hes already the boss. Lifes a beach under the basket for Lemonts Miles Beachum. After 12 years as one of the primary faces of the Chicago Teachers Union, Jesse Sharkey is returning to the classroom. Like the CTU, the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the Oakland Education Association (OEA) and other unions have betrayed strikes, collaborated in the attacks on teachers and public education, and colluded in the murderous back-to-school policy. Chicago 2023 mayoral election: Former schools chief, teachers union organizer headed to runoff, In a tight mayoral race, Paul Vallas legacy as Chicago schools first CEO comes into focus, Gov. What was the point of the CTU dance video? 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