'Morning Shift' #1: Teachers strike

September 10, 2012

View the story "'Morning Shift' #1: Teachers strike" on Storify'Morning Shift' #1: Teachers strikeMonday on our show it's all about the teacher's strike.Storified by · Mon, Sep 10 2012 08:36:16Motorists honk their support of #cpsstrike on Western and Wilson.wbezchicago

Negotiations between ChicagoPublic Schools and the teachers’ union failed to meet the deadline last night.Teachers are heading to the picket lines this morning, for the first time in 25years. The Morning Shift examines what happened and what lies ahead. Tojoin the conversation, call 312.923.9239 or tweet using #MorningShift.

RT @cshepherd: We're taking ur calls about the teachers strike-are you teacher, a parent, a non-union employee? Tell us: 312-923-9239 @wbezNatalie Y MooreWBEZ's Linda Lutton shared the details of the strike with Lisa Labuz:Chicago teachers strike after talks fail, 9/10/12, 6 am hour by WBEZWBEZ's Linda Lutton speaks with Lisa Labuz about how the Chicago Teacher's Union ended up striking and what's to come.And Becky Vevea stopped by James Blaine Elementary School:An update from James Blaine Elementary School, 9/10/12, 7 am hour by WBEZWBEZ's Becky Vevea reports from Blaine Elementary on the North Side, where she says the mood is lively but teacher's say they'd rather be...Vevea tells Morning Shift that at Blaine and Burley recognize that they are well-resourced but this is a show of solidarity. They say they "have a big fight going on and this is bigger than us."Both schools had a couple parents picketing; one parent was a stay at home mom, so for her, back up plans weren't an issue. She said she asked her kids if they wanted to see their teachers and so they headed out.@WBEZ Why does no one talk about the racial dimensions of the teachers strike? Our CPS schools are segregated and resourced accordingly.ChristianChicago School Board President Vitale: We will start negotiating again this morning at 10 am.Financially, I think we're there. I've made it clear there's no more money. I think they understand that financially there's not much more they can do.Things we can't and won't do: We "need to have principals to have authority to hire people in their buildings" [and] we've "made it easier for displaced teachers to interview [at these schools]."
Vevea: Is there any movement on class sizes?
Vitale: No. And I think we have an agreement on this; we've said we'd keep the same class size
We agree with [the teachers] on air conditioning: the problem is, that's a very expensive proposition. There's only so much money we have. If we're going to spend it on air conditioning we can't spend it on people. It's irresponsible [for CTU] to say that [new evaluations could result in 6,000 teachers losing their jobs within two years.]@WBEZ Becaue Vitale knows that kids learn better in hot, stuffy classrooms. #bs #ctu #teachersstrikeBill Vaccaro.@WBEZ It's this "either/or" mentality that's holding us from valuable education. Not books vs. recess or small classes vs. nurses.Ben Kovacs#cpsstrike on Western and WilsonA fun and beautiful way to animate your photosChip Mitchell was on scene early at John Marshall High School:The outlook from John Marshall High School, 9/10/12, 7 am hour by WBEZWBEZ's Chip Mitchell reports from John Marshall High School on Chicago's West Side where there's a half day of activities schedule for st...On evaluations: Vevea: I think they're a little terrified because they think it's all going to go back to their student test scores.Linda Lenz of Catalyst Chicago: When you start talking about the intricacies of appealing and evaluation via principal [people] glaze over.Includes test scores as validated by state law. But it's moderate compared to other states.Mash reporter Khalil Beckwith on air w/@WBEZ right now talking #CPS strike. Tune in to 91.5FM or http://wbez.org to listen.The MashOn the online evaluation training of principals:
Vevea: They're online because, as I've been told, they're not getting the financial resources for in-person training.
Beckwith: Most of [my fellow students] just like the week off. They're also very supportive of the teachers.
@WBEZ #teachersarepracticallyvolunteersErik StonikasSarabia: The issues here seem to be: how you teach and how you judge whether a teacher is doing the right job, is the union ready to make certain changesLenz: The state has required new teacher evaluations that depends on student growth. But it's unclear to me what else CTU wants done with this teacher evaluation system.What do you do with teachers who teach subjects that aren't tested? This is a big national, philosophical issue. This parent on @WBEZ is so spot on: "It comes down to who you trust, Rahm or the teachers who are there every day."Hafsa ArainContent from Chicago teachers strikeChicago teachers strike

Alderman Howard B. Brookins, chairman of the Black Caucus, 21st ward: I absolutely was one of the 30 alderman [who signed a letter asking to postpone the strike].It seems like as an outsider and a parent, we could have come to a resolution and worked things out.There were a lot of grumblings about what was going on with respect to this situation and we just haven't been able to get it together.Zev Eigen of Northwestern Law School: I find it troubling that the focus is on public sector unions but...that really doesn't have much to do with the conversation on private sector unions.The issue as far I can tell is almost entirely about job security.I'm concerned that in the public eye the distinction between public sector unions and private sector unions is not clear.
Lenz: I think the big issue here is trust. There appears to be very little trust between the teacher's union and the administration. And how do you rebuild that trust after this strike?
Teacher: The broader issue that pulls us all together and might explain why you're hearing so many different things is teacher voice, community voice, student voice: you get these disconnects where you get good ideas coming from the top that are complete disasters in the implementation level.We need to go on strike to look out for student's needs in the long run.@WBEZ Top pay amongst large cities for teachers. 15% below national average for graduation rates. Shortest school day in nation.Jeff Smith@WBEZ Yes being a teacher is hard..but it's hard everywhere. What makes CPS unique in its problems? Poverty rate?Jeff Smith@WBEZ I think trust began to break long ago. Maybe it started when the mayor tried to go around/break the contract around a year ago.ElenaSounds right to me! @hafsaarain: parent on @WBEZ is spot on: "It comes down to who you trust, Rahm or the teachers who are there every day."Alana Kinarsky