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Teachers Want a Mayor with New Policies

By  Linda Lutton
   
Teachers Want a Mayor with New Policies

(WBEZ/Linda Lutton)

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The Chicago Teachers Union is going to weigh in on the city’s upcoming mayoral race, something it hasn’t done since 1989. The union wants candidates to turn away from policies begun under Mayor Richard Daley.

RELATED: What’s Next for Chicago Schools Without Daley

This election is a high stakes one for teachers: Chicago ‘s mayor controls the city’s public schools—naming every school board member and the system’s CEO. Union president Karen Lewis says the CTU will support a candidate who’s willing to listen more to teachers and parents.

LEWIS: I think the opportunity is to throw the weight of 30,000 members and their families and students and teachers. I mean, we’re looking at maybe 800,000 people we could affect on some level.

Lewis wants the district to stop shutting down schools for low performance, and back off the creation of charter schools.

The CTU is also lobbying state lawmakers to strip Chicago ‘s mayor of control over schools. The union wants an elected school board.

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