We must continue to push for What’s in the contract: ‘If only we were bulletproof’: librarians by fighting budgeting Here’s a roadmap to what Elementary school students formulas that punish schools the strike won—and where confront the trauma of for hiring them PAGE 5 we need to head next PAGE 8 Chicago’s gun violence PAGE 11 CHICAGOUNIONTEACHER October–November 2019 ⁄ Volume 83 ⁄ Number 2

Also in this issue...

Our strike changed nursing in Chicago’s public schools, Victory. ending privatization and ensuring a nurse in every school PAGE 4

We cannot leave our LGBTQIA+ family behind at a time when we should be engaged alongside them in the fight for equal rights PAGE 6 CHICAGO UNION TEACHER CARROLL W. / 1901 AVENUE / CHICAGO, IL 60612

Meet the woman and union member who was the first person to say to the mayor, “Lori Lightfoot, get We have changed the conversation again. Teachers, on the right foot!” clinicians, librarians, nurses and PSRPs went on strike and PAGE 14 won critically needed resources for our schools, showing what is possible when we stand united, stand strong and stand together. That’s what it means to bargain for the common good—and succeed. PAGES 8 and 9 Organizing to build a more perfect union CTU’s organizing model speaks to those most harmed by top-down school governance.

BY BRANDON JOHNSON

or nearly 20 years, under mayoral control, Chicago Public Schools has pushed an aggressive corporate educational Fagenda under the guise of “reform.” This corporate agen- Passages teachers rally to announce a unanimous strike vote on Sept. 23, 2019. Photo: Erica Clark da has resulted in the overall disinvestment in neighborhood schools, the disproportionate dismissal of highly qualified Black educators and the privatization of public education. Until the Chicago Teachers Union’s collective voices were am- plified during the 2012 strike, most Americans had no idea of conditions in our schools or our vision for public education. The Passages strong! demonstration of unity by the Union exposed the true intent of the corporate elite and the politicians beholden to their ideology, which is to dismember public education and eradicate those who CTU members win yet another charter strike, stand to defend it. Despite the billions of dollars spent on propaganda by the this one after just four days on the picket line. enemies of public education and unions, the CTU continues to galvanize thousands across Chicago and inspire voices across the country to resist their destructive programs. As the third-largest educators’ local in the U.S., and as leading voices of truth and BY CTU COMMUNICATIONS learning and increases in pen- both bargain and strike over. justice, we have the opportunity to build a transformative union sion pick-ups for all workers. But it took an 11-day strike, that protects its members and advocates for the lives that rely strong picket line and Before the strike, wages at with more than 30,000 educa- upon our courage and love. militant direct action in Passages were as much as 30 tors and school staff flooding the “Any individual or group that would aspire to lead society must Adefense of students won percent lower than in tradition- streets, to convince the mayor to be ready to pay the costs of leadership,” wrote educator and activist Chicago Teachers Union mem- al, neighborhood public schools put her campaign promises for George S. Counts. The organizing model being carried out by our bers at Passages Charter School in Chicago, with paraprofession- equity and educational justice union has proven to be a fresh approach for the lives most negative- an agreement for improved wag- als earning poverty-level wages. in writing in an enforceable ly impacted by top-down governance. However, our efforts have not es, better working conditions “These are demands we’ve won in contract. been welcomed by those who thrive on the status quo. and protection for immigrant, every charter contract we’ve ne- Prior to the Passages strike, Rahm Emanuel’s deconstruction of public schools by execut- refugee and special education gotiated since December,” Baeh- classrooms were chronically un- ing the largest school closings in American history and laying off students after a four-day strike. rend added. der-resourced, leading to acute more than 3,000 school employees had everything to do with his Passages is located in Edge- The Union charter division levels of staff turnover that de- disdain for public accommodations, hostility towards workers water and managed by Asian staged the first strike against a stabilized the school community and his contempt for our righteous stance. Ripping apart poor Human Services, which has kept charter operator in U.S. histo- and robbed students of a quality communities and disrupting the professional lives of dedicated services at the school in short ry at the UNO/Acero network education. Many staff members souls is not only his admission to our high moral standing, but supply for years. CTU educators in December, and the first were earning less than $35,000 his attempt to punish us for unveiling his nature. came close to striking school multi-employer charter strike a year. The mayor of our city holds absolute power over our schools, management in May of 2017, but in the nation’s history in the Along with better wages, a and, quite frankly, our livelihoods. Our strikes and our fights, how- settled the school’s first contract, spring against Instituto, Pilsen key demand won in the strike ever, teach us that this control must be challenged by those who designed to improve learning Wellness and the Chicago High is sanctuary protection for the stand in opposition to their schemes. As a union, we are a trusted conditions for students and wag- School for the Arts. These work school’s mostly immigrant stu- body on education and on issues that promote social and economic es for educators, some of whom stoppages launched a wave of dent body. Close to 70 percent equality. As uncomfortable as it is at times, it is incumbent upon us earned as little as $25,000 a year militancy across the charter sec- are low-income, almost four in to embrace this responsibility, and protect, guide and lead the city at the time. That salary is just 10 tor that has raised standards for 10 have limited English skills toward an educational system that makes teaching and learning percent of the annual $250,000 all educators in Chicago, halted and the school has one of the worthwhile, and improves the lives of all communities. salary for Asian Human Services charter expansion and put the highest percentages of refugee We are witnessing a resurgence of activism across the country. CEO Craig Maki. school privatization agenda on students in CPS. Our position on the front lines does not always provide us with “We shut down a big-ticket its heels. Baehrend noted that victo- the most favorable view, which is the price of leading. Our union management fundraiser on a The strike also ramped up ries in the CTU’s charter strikes has nevertheless changed the conversation and given meaning Thursday and within 24 hours we pressure on Chicago Public helped pave the way for victo- to what all students deserve. As labor and as working families of won every major demand in a ten- Schools and Mayor Lori Light- ries at the bargaining table with Chicago, we must demand true forms of engagement to improve tative agreement that will protect foot, who, until the last days of CPS. our schools, demand full funding and staffing for our schools, our educators and their students,” the Union’s recent 11-day strike, “CPS would have had a hard and putting human needs before profit. said Chris Baehrend, chair of the refused to agree to major con- time explaining why students Our schools are run by competitive market schemes that do CTU charter division. tract demands won by charter and educators in privately run nothing to improve education. Our curriculum is narrowed down The new Passages contract teachers. While CPS refused charters deserve class size limits to test preparation, and parent and teacher voices are being muf- includes enforceable sanctuary to negotiate over enforceable and better clinician-to-student fled. As the ruling class moves to carry out its project to roll back protection for the school’s over- class size limits and guaranteed ratios, but the 300,000 mostly social and equality protections, retirement benefits, government whelmingly immigrant and ref- staffing, charter educators be- Black and Brown students in regulations and all tax-supported public services that could fur- ugee student population, wage gan winning those demands in district-run schools don’t,” he ther fatten their pockets, we must organize and fight back to parity with CPS educators in their contracts starting last De- said. “We are fighting for a com- build a more perfect union. district-run schools, prep time cember. mon set of demands around eq- to give paraprofessionals an These are all issues that uity and justice for all students. Brandon Johnson is a CTU organizer and Cook County Board Com- opportunity to collaborate with charter schools and every oth- “And we are winning that missioner representing the 1st District. teachers to support student er school district in Illinois can fight.”

2  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher CHICAGO We’re not UNION TEACHER done yet EDITED BY THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ∕ Sisters and Brothers, of attracting and retaining experienced Elana Jacobs, Brandon Johnson, Joan Chicago Teachers Union members teachers and support staff. Jones, Dennis Kosuth, Nick Limbeck, last week voted overwhelmingly to rat- Our goal in negotiations was to ben- Alan Maass, Greg Michie, Debby Pope, ify their contract with Chicago Public efit every student and embed those bet- Dr. Monique Redeaux-Smith, Leslie Westerberg Schools, following an 11-day strike ter conditions in writing, in an enforce- grounded in the struggle for equity and able contract. Kindergarteners will no CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ∕ educational justice. longer be forced into classes of 40 or Laura Boeche, Erica Clark, Erik de Haan, While a linchpin in our bargaining more. Every school will have a school Howard Heath, Laura Phillips, Ronnie was the demand to lift our paraprofes- nurse, every day. Children who must Reese, Sarah-Ji, Unicorn Riot sionals out of poverty, this was not a cope with poverty and trauma will

ADVERTISING MANAGER ∕ Lupe Coyle strike solely about wages and benefits. have a social worker to talk to. Schools We returned to our school communities can begin to rebuild devastated special DESIGN AND PRODUCTION ∕ Eric Ruder with the same pay increase that was on education services for our most vulner- the table before our strike. able students. CPS will not be allowed We fought, instead, to shift CPS to dismantle 20 sustainable commu- the OFFICERS policy away from a relentless agenda nity schools, where shared leadership Jesse Sharkey ∕ PRESIDENT of austerity and privatization toward among students, parents, educators president’s Stacy Davis Gates ∕ VICE PRESIDENT real student needs, and, by extension, and community groups support those Christel Williams Hayes ∕ RECORDING SECRETARY the needs of the neighborhoods our schools’ ability to truly serve the sur- message Maria Moreno ∕ FINANCIAL SECRETARY school communities anchor. We fought rounding neighborhood. The Chicago Union Teacher is for the common good of students, and There is, however, much more to do. published eight times a year (three CPS must now — for the first time in We must reverse the most harmful ele- times a year in print). The Chicago decades — invest in the bare minimum: ments of “education reform” in Chicago, Union Teacher is the official publication a nurse in every school every day; social from the wildly inequitable practice of of the Chicago Teachers Union, which workers and counselors; and manage- student-based budgeting to the racist is the exclusive bargaining agent able class sizes, especially in schools school ranking system. We must end for teachers, counselors, librarians, with urgent needs. competition schemes that hurt students clinicians and paraprofessional and These minimums are critical for by driving a lethal cycle of defunding school-related personnel in the Chicago CPS’ overwhelmingly low-income black and displacement from neighborhood Public Schools. and Latino students and their families. schools while charter operators profit. Chicago Teachers Union • Local 1 • Our strike forced CPS to invest hun- These destructive measures emerged American Federation of Teachers, dreds of millions of additional dollars during decades of mayoral control — AFL-CIO. into schools, an investment that will control that has undermined account- yield returns for Chicago for years to ability, transparency and responsible Chicagoans The Chicago Union Teacher is come. education policy, and forced our union affiliated with the International Labor Our city faces an existential crisis. to strike to simply win what children must have the Communications Association and the The City of Big Shoulders is, increas- should already have. AFT Communications Network. ingly, shouldering out the working class Under City Hall rule, CPS bureau- right to elect people who are the backbone of our crats have pursued the costly privatiza- Chicago Teachers Union affiliations their school include the Chicago Federation richly diverse neighborhoods. Public tion of information management, nurs- of Labor (CFL), the Illinois State investment prioritizes tax breaks and ing and custodial services, undermining board. Teachers Federation of Labor-Congress of tax-increment financing subsidies for neighborhood schools and putting the Industrial Organizations (ISFL-CIO), wealthy corporations, rather than real district’s finances in peril. CEOs have must have the the American Federation of Labor- economic development that benefits cut special education services instead Congress of Industrial Organizations the residents of lower-income neigh- of stewarding their growth, admitted to right to bargain (AFL-CIO), the Illinois Federation borhoods. Meanwhile, City Hall has starving schools of money before closing of Teachers (IFT) and the American failed to address a critical and growing them, resigned for ethics violations, and on staffing and Federation of Teachers (AFT). shortage of affordable housing. gone to prison for steering CPS business These distorted policies compound to former employers. class size. years of austerity in public schools and Those mayoral operatives are gone, 1901 WEST CARROLL AVENUE escalate a massive hemorrhaging of but the policies they pushed persist. To CHICAGO, IL 60612 families — particularly black families finally put an end to them, Chicagoans TELEPHONE: — from our city, an exodus that hurts must have the same right that every 312-329-9100 our city’s public revenue stream, vi- other voter in the state has: the right GENERAL E-MAIL: brancy and its very sustainability. to elect a representative school board. [email protected] This was originally printed Families care deeply about their And CPS educators must have the same in the Chicago Sun-Times ADVERTISING E-MAIL: children’s schools. Better-resourced rights as every other educator in the [email protected] on Nov. 19, 2019. schools give families a powerful incen- state: to bargain on critical issues like WWW.CTULOCAL1.ORG tive to stay in Chicago. Educators also staffing and class size. care deeply about their school com- We aim to change those policies. munities. Better working and learning Our students, our families and our conditions allow CPS to do a better job city’s future depend on it.

In solidarity,

Jesse Sharkey

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  3 Power concedes nothing without a demand Schools only have a nurse onsite every day if a student is diagnosed with a condition requiring daily nursing services. The 2019 CTU strike The author (second from right) picketing with other CTU nurses and citywide members changed that. at Chicago Public Schools offices during 2019 teachers strike. (Photo submitted by author)

BY DENNIS KOSUTH Agencies on their way out the door Consider the bond built with get a nurse in their school every day if one The state of nursing in our schools has a teacher over the course of of the students gets diagnosed with a con- colleague of mine came to the pick- been in rough shape for a while. The Chi- dition requiring daily nursing services. et lines at 42 W. Madison with the cago Teachers Union Education Policy De- a year in a classroom. Then An unfortunate and stressful event, such Asame sign she had made for the partment wrote an article in February of as a young person being diagnosed with 2012 strike. It outlined the cost of various 2016 that outlined Chicago Public Schools’ imagine how a student would diabetes, perversely becomes a boon to a medication and ended by stating that hav- long-term addiction to outside agencies school because their condition brings a daily nurse to that community. ing a nurse for every school is priceless. A that provide nursing services to students. feel having one stranger after While on the picket line, I overheard nurse in every school every day may not The District claimed it has been impossi- a disturbing story that underlined the have been a new slogan this contract cycle, ble for them to find nurses to work in CPS, another work with them on importance of having a nurse administer but significant gains towards that were but somehow these private companies medication. A non-nurse gave a student made when this demand was centered. have been able to locate these supposedly their medical issue. medication, but forgot to document the Slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick hidden workers, and make profits while dose because they were overburdened with Douglass once began a speech with the doing so. It is estimated that between 180- many other tasks. Later in the day, another words: “if there is no struggle, there is no 220 of these agency nurses are working in staff member noticed that the student was progress… Power concedes nothing with- CPS schools. If the Tentative Agreement is okay to have a seemingly endless rotation dysregulated, asked if they had their meds out a demand. It never did and it never is ratified, these agency nurses will largely of individuals cycling through a student’s and the student said “no.” Since there was will.” This quote is applicable to our most be phased out over the next five years, and life, especially when it is regarding some- no documentation of the dose, the student recent strike, and in particular to the or- replaced with CPS-employed nurses. thing as important as their health? received a second pill. This made the stu- ganizing to get more nurses. This demand The significance of weaning CPS off of Another common complaint was poor dent so sick, they had to spend the night has been around for some time, but get- these temp-worker companies is worth em- communication. The agency would some- under observation in a hospital. ting our entire union oriented around it phasizing. CPS’ dependence on them has was years in the making. times fail to let the school know that a nurse This contract puts in writing that the not been good for schools, students or nurs- would be absent, and the school would be Board will hire additional nurses every es themselves. These organizations also do left scrambling to find out how to meet the year over the next five years, increasing not provide health care benefits. One nurse student’s health needs. the total number of CPS nurses over the I worked with last year had to quit her job CPS’ solution to the myriad complaints SY 19-20 number of full-time nurse posi- because she developed a medical condition about RCM Technologies—which for tions by 250. This will effectively bring us for which she needed benefits. Imagine many years was the sole supplier of agen- much closer to the ultimate goal of hav- that—a provider of health care services had cy nurses—was to expand the number of ing a full-time nurse in every school, every no access to health care herself. agencies, and increase the budget for these day. In fact, the contract language states Parents of students with medical con- companies by $26 million. But it was never that “By no later than July 30, 2023, the ditions have long been filling complaints a good plan to cede the oversight of a key BOARD will assign at least one full-time about the quality of care provided. Nu- facet of a schools’ operation to an outside nurse to each school in the District.” Prior merous articles discussing this topic have organization. Bringing direct manage- to the strike, the Board’s negotiators still been published over the past year. Many ment and control of nursing services un- refused to commit to increased nurse staff- reported on the lack of continuity in care, der CPS should significantly improve the ing in the contract, and asked our bargain- where schools and individual students delivery of care for all parties involved. ing team to trust CPS. We now will have a would see dozens of different nurses over strong platform on which we can keep CPS A nurse in every school every day the course of the year. accountable and continue to build upon. Consider the important relationships Our demand was not some radical no- that are built with a teacher over the course tion that only exists in socialist Sweden. Dennis Kosuth is a certified school nurse at of a year in a classroom. Then imagine how Simply walk across the borders of Chicago Chicago Public Schools and a member of the a student would feel having one stranger to Evanston or Lincolnwood, and a nurse CTU rank-and-file bargaining team. Read after another work with them on whatever in every school every day can be found. the full article at www.ctulocal1.org/chicago- their medical issue is. Of course, this work That this has not already been the stan- union-teacher/2019/11/power-concedes- is being done by a qualified licensed pro- dard for students in this city is a shame. nothing-without-a-demand/. fessional, but why should we accept that it In our upside down world, schools only

4  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher On back order: More librarians in CPS It’s natural for some to assume that libraries are rooms filled with books, and the job of a school librarian is simply to scan books in and out. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

BY LESLIE WESTERBERG More often than not, once a librarian is removed, so is a The author and her dog, Milo, on the Nixon Elementary picket line during the 2019 teachers strike. Photo: Laura Boeche Day 11: I wish we could have library. I had a sixth-grade stu- done better by the kiddos, but dent recently transfer in from a this city loves them a whole lot nearby elementary school, and I deeming one position as more skills, allowing students to tinker Many of us CPS librarians less than we do. asked him whether his old school important than another. with various tools and find their have been collaborating with one had a library or librarian. He Approximately 275,000 stu- particular technology niche. Li- another to find ways to show the —My Instagram post from said they had a library with no dents in Chicago are missing brarians hold master’s degrees in public, the Board of Ed and our October 31, 2019 librarian, but they only visited the instruction and experiences library and information science. CPS colleagues the importance it once in a while and they could that a school librarian and li- We teach research and infor- of school libraries and librari- s a longtime Chicago not take books home. Other brary provide. My students visit mation literacy skills, which are ans. We have our own Facebook Public Schools librarian, schools are “getting by” with par- our library once per six-day cy- especially critical in this era of group where we’ve shared ideas, I really do wish we could A ent volunteers who run the book cle. We have a collection of more “fake news.” We curate our book and we’ve created the Twitter have done better by our students. checkout system on a volunteer than 11,500 books to browse. We and eBook collections based on hashtag #CPSNeedsLibrarians. While I will be voting “yes” to basis. But it’s doubtful that these have the latest in the “Dog Man” the interests of students and We’ve also taken videos of stu- our Tentative Agreement (TA), libraries have budgets to develop and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” se- school curriculum. dents, parents and faculty who it’s with some sadness—not be- the collection. This also creates ries. We have more than 1,000 Our TA mentions librarians, have highlighted amazing in- cause the union and the bargain- a divide as some schools have graphic novels for students. We which is an improvement from structional experiences due to ing team didn’t vigorously fight parents with the time and orga- have a wide variety of non-fiction the last contract, but we need to having a school librarian. for more librarians, but because nizing to volunteer to check out texts that align with classroom increase the number of positions So our fight is far from over. If this city does not value school li- books, while others do not. instruction and/or pique the and stop the cuts. There were we are able to restore our collec- braries or librarians. It’s a shame Scarce resources create a interest of students who want approximately 450 librarians in tive bargaining rights to include that CPS is so resistant to the sense of competition among to learn about topics they find CPS in 2013. We are now down staffing and working conditions, idea that every school needs a li- schools, and even among col- intriguing. We have more than to 108 librarians, largely due to then we may have a chance to re- brarian, especially since Mayor leagues. Some of our own CTU 3,000 picture books to engage student-based budgeting (SBB). build CPS libraries in the future. Lori Lightfoot promised one per members have questioned the young readers and ignite a love The TA gives 120 schools the In the meantime, however, con- school in her campaign educa- need for librarians and libraries. of reading in their formative opportunity to choose from a li- sider talking to your school’s Lo- tion platform. Perhaps that’s because they have years. Classroom libraries sim- brarian, restorative justice coor- cal School Council, families and Our West Side students de- never worked in a school with a ply cannot compete with school dinator or additional counselor administration about how your serve the same resources that librarian, or maybe it’s because of libraries because they should not over the next five years, but we school could benefit, or is current- students receive in Oak Park, concern that there’s only so much compete. They both serve very must continue to push for librar- ly benefiting from having a school which is merely a few miles of the budget pie to go around. different purposes. ians through the fight against librarian. Tweet using the hashtag away. Yet zip code determines a Both are understandable, but I It’s natural for some to as- SBB. That policy began the steep #CPSNeedsLibrarians. Encourage lot. One determination is wheth- wouldn’t expect parent volun- sume that libraries are rooms decline in school librarians, and colleagues interested in school li- er students have a school library teers to take over on days when filled with books, and the job if we can get rid of it, and replace brarianship to go into the field with a certified librarian. There a nurse isn’t present, nor should of a school librarian is simply it with the state’s evidence-based because we need more CPS librar- are approximately 108 school anyone wonder if a parent volun- to scan books in and out. That funding (EBF) model, I think we ians! We—the few remaining CPS librarians in 514 district-run teer could take the place of a first couldn’t be further from the have a chance to get our librari- librarians—cannot do this alone. schools, so there are more than grade classroom teacher. So, why truth. Beyond books, our library ans back. EBF calls for a librari- We need your help, too! 400 schools (about 80 percent) should anyone question the need has a MakerSpace filled with all an for every 450 elementary and without a librarian. Nine out of for librarians in school libraries? sorts of STEM resources (but- every 600 high school students. Leslie Westerberg is a CTU delegate 10 majority African-American Scarce resources force educators ton makers, robotics and 3-D Even doubling those numbers and the librarian at Nixon Elemen- schools have no librarian. to be pitted against one another, printers), and we teach STEM would be an improvement. tary School.

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  5 From hunger strike to labor strike For some detached observers, the CTU strike was a case of bad behavior. For those of us who inherited this struggle, we understood immediately what drove the struggle.

BY DR. MONIQUE REDEAUX SMITH were filing federal lawsuits against Chi- cago Public Schools for racial discrimina- n day three of a citywide educa- tion. These young people essentially sacri- tors’ strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot ficed a “normal,” final year of high school. Strike rally at the Thompson Center, Oct. 23, 2019. (Photo: Ronnie Reese) Oand Chicago Public Schools CEO The sacrifice of those Dyett students, Janice Jackson wrote a letter requesting though, is not unique. Unfortunately, that members of the Chicago Teachers it is the reality of many Black youth on stunt, or a gimmick or temper tantrum. the so-called “proper” channels to address Union go back to work—without a con- the South and West sides of the city. And Some characterized the hunger strike for these issues—have failed working class tract agreement being reached—while while Lightfoot and Jackson’s letter ex- Dyett in similar terms. For those who did people of color. These institutions have negotiations continued at the bargaining pressed concern for the student athletes not inherit this struggle, it is easy to ex- not only failed to create equity, they have table. They highlighted that while signif- who were missing competitions during amine this strike from an isolated, ahis- intentionally perpetuated and exacerbat- icant movement had been made, keeping this work stoppage, the CTU’s contract torical perspective. But those who are not ed inequity, inequality and injustice. But students out of school was causing unnec- demands were an expression of love and well-versed in our oppression have no right as our history proves, these impediments essary hardship and sacrifice for students concern for the hundreds of thousands to critique our resistance. This labor strike have never deterred our pursuit of justice. and their families. of Black youth whose entire experience was the manifestation of struggle that pre- The CTU recognized both the history It is no coincidence that the day after of school consists of overcrowded class- dates the CTU’s demand for a fair contract. and the gravity of the moment. It was not their letter, a CTU/SEIU rally was held rooms, school closings and sparse resourc- It pre-dates Lori Lightfoot or Rahm Eman- simply the fight for more clinicians, the at Dyett High School on Chicago’s South es. But like their ancestors before them, uel. The denial of a quality educational ex- fight against overcrowded classrooms or Side. Dyett is both a physical and symbol- these youth and their communities have perience for Black students must be placed the fight for increased wages and resourc- ic representation of sacrifice and struggle. never allowed their present conditions to within the centuries-long history of exclu- es. It was for what these things represent: The school is open as a result of the sac- deter them from envisioning—and fight- sion and marginalization of Black people the opportunity to live with decency and rifice of parents, students and commu- ing for—something better. in this country and in this city. As CTU VP dignity. This was not just “bargaining for nity members and allies who fought city Dyett was closed in 2014, but the Stacy Davis Gates has said, it was once il- the common good,” it was a fight for the politics to ensure that the community of fight was not over. After several town legal for Black people to learn to read and humanity of Black people, and a fight to Bronzeville did not lose its last public, hall meetings, letters and petitions to the write; in fact, even the attempt at litera- fulfill the most basic human needs of open enrollment high school. Parents Chicago Board of Education and CPS, sit- cy was punishable by death. When Black Black and Brown children and families. and grandparents sacrificed their time ins and arrests, a group of twelve parents, people were finally granted the “privilege” This strike, like the fight for Dyett, was and energy to engage in a process that grandparents and community organizers of formal education, they were never privy about disrupting a system that has never was not just about halting the school’s vowed that they would refrain from eating to the resources, access or opportunities of prioritized the needs of Black children. It closure, but about creating a collective in order to realize the community’s vision their white peers. Instead, their complaints was about disrupting the normalization of and transformative vision of an education of Walter H. Dyett High School. and outcries against economic and educa- inequity. It was an opportunity to demon- village that centered and prioritized their I participated in that 34-day hun- tional injustices were met with obstinate strate, concretely, the value of Black and children, their issues and their knowledge. ger strike for Dyett. Myself and 11 oth- refusal, indifference or pretend progress. Brown lives. It was an opportunity to el- They sacrificed their freedom and risked ers sacrificed our health and risked our It is in this historical context that we must evate our humanity, our inherent worth arrests during civil disobedience protests. lives because we recognized what the loss situate this current struggle for the schools and our deservedness. When the decision was made to phase of the last public, open enrollment high all our students deserve. This school year marks the fourth year out the school, despite it having won an school in Bronzeville would mean for the No amount of lesson planning by a of Dyett’s re-opening. It is the first time award for school excellence only a few future of that community. In a city that teacher can fully compensate for stu- that a neighborhood school closed by the years before, a handful of students chose has lost more than a quarter of a million dents who are hungry, homeless or trau- district has re-opened as a neighborhood to remain at the school rather than trans- Black residents in less than 20 years, and matized. Yet there are critics who argued school. The students who enrolled in fer, which would have facilitated its accel- in a community that has lost affordable that these proposals did not belong in a Dyett following its re-opening are now in erated closure. These students spent their housing, grocery stores and stood to lose teachers’ contract. Poverty, homelessness, their senior year. Their final year of high senior year of high school taking art and its last public high school, we understood violence and trauma are daily realities for school will be remarkably different than physical education courses online, despite that we weren’t just fighting the closing of many of our Black and Brown students their peers of only six years ago because of having a newly renovated, state-of-the-art one more school; we were fighting for our and the Black and Brown educators who the sacrifice and perseverance of people gymnasium. In Jim Crow-style fashion, survival, and for the right of working class serve and support them. So addressing who believed they were entitled to a qual- they were not even allowed to enter their Black people to live and exist in this city. the issues of affordable housing, lack of ity educational experience in their neigh- school building through the front doors. And that is what many critics of this sleep, and lack of access to counselors, borhood. While the community’s vision While other seniors spent their last movement do not understand. From their nurses and social workers were not only has not been fully realized, the fight for year of high school making prom and privileged vantage point, the work stop- germane, but imperative to negotiations. post-graduation plans, Dyett students page from CPS educators was a political Our legislative and political institutions— continued on next page 3

6  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher 2019 Chicago Pride Parade. (Photo: Howard Heath) Chicago’s LGBTQIA+ teachers and staff strike for a more equitable community ucation funding. People often ask form promising full school staff- of them being LGBTQIA+-iden- Educators fought for their lives why we were fighting for things ing of nurses, counselors and tified. On the campaign trail, such as affordable housing and librarians, in addition to other Lightfoot promised to support while Mayor Lori Lightfoot refused wraparound services for schools, issues that directly correspond- affordable housing and expand to support the community she especially when all the talk we ed to Chicago Teachers Union homeless services, but since Au- heard from Mayor Lori Lightfoot contract demands. But in a stark gust, the mayor has been at odds promised to protect. was about “real dough,” and “ful- departure from these campaign with the Bring Chicago Home Co- some” and “robust” compensation promises, Lightfoot said in the alition that advocated for home- packages. But, I am proud to an- early days of the strike, “There less solutions by using funds from swer it is because we care about is not some unlimited pool of a high-end real estate tax. BY ELANA JACOBS and counselors, on top of their our students and their families. money that we can [use to] fund Where does that leave required teaching duties. In an education system where everything in the CTU wish LGBTQIA+ students and the t is critical that educators and As a middle school science, LGBTQIA+-identified teachers list,” and suggested that teachers broader LGBTQIA+ commu- youth feel safe in their school special education and English are more likely to be fired for abandon the strike and return to nity? Statistically, for working Icommunities, and the Chicago as a Second Language teach- speaking up, I see our diversity as work without a contract. class LGBTQIA+ people, it leaves Teachers Union has been inte- er at Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and our strength. LGBTQIA+ teach- This disconnect broke the them struggling to make ends gral in the fight for their future. Science Academy on Chicago’s ers are more likely to have empa- hearts of many of her LGBTQIA+ meet and achieve social mobili- As a queer teacher in Chicago Northwest Side, I have known thy, understand disadvantage and allies in the school district. Yet, ty when we should be protecting Public Schools, I have worked in educators struggle with their appreciate advocacy. That is why when we looked closer, it seemed and engaging them. schools where anti-gay slurs were queer identities at school—both I strongly advocate for creating to be part of a larger pattern of Lori Lightfoot is part of our shrugged off by school admin- as victims and as protectors. It is more pathways for LGBTQIA+ unfulfilled campaign promises family as a member of the queer istrators, and in schools where the courage of these LGBTQIA+ people to go into education. It is that disproportionately affect- community. And as family, we LGBTQIA+ safe space stickers teachers, staff and students that my hope is that LGBTQIA+ stu- ed the city’s LGBTQIA+ pop- have to support each other, but were in every classroom. There inspires me as one of the 30,000 dents see us and see real life ex- ulation. Earlier this year in the we also have to call out family we are critical conversations that brave Chicago teachers and staff amples of how speaking up really report, “When the Rainbow is love and hold them accountable. need to happen in the commu- who went on strike. We were does make a difference—and it Not Enough: LGBTQIA+ Voices My call is to Lori Lightfoot to nity to stop bullying and protect fighting to implement contract really does get better. in the 2019 Black Census,” more remember her campaign prom- LGBTQIA+ students regardless language that adds equity to While we marched in the than 90 percent of respondents ises going forward. We settled of their zip code. Many of these LGBTQIA+ health care concerns, streets, however, we LGBTQIA+ identified wages as the biggest our strike in spite of the mayor’s conversations, however, remain makes bilingual education a pri- teachers faced a surprising op- problem in their community. efforts, not because of them. Our difficult to prioritize when ority, increases funding for home- ponent that many of us, includ- Many studies have discussed how union’s work created contract teachers have to do the job of li- less students, demands sanctuary ing me, helped usher in. Mayor more than 16,000 CPS students language that will make Chica- brarians, nurses, social workers schools and increases special ed- Lightfoot was elected on a plat- are homeless, with the majority go neighborhoods stronger and more equitably resourced. For LGBTQIA+ workers and fami- lies, I certainly hope the mayor continued from previous page 5 racial injustice and disinvestment. They are re-focus our priorities and reset our moral does the same. a demonstration that a quality education for compass. And the outcome represents op- Dyett High School demonstrated that an- Black and Brown children is possible, not portunities that we cannot afford to lose, and Elana Jacobs (author) is a middle other reality is indeed possible for Black and through privatization, but through invest- ones that will be worth all the sacrifice it took school science, special education Brown communities. ment and authentic community engagement. to get there. and ESL teacher at Dr. Jorge Prieto In 2016, the CTU was able to bargain We will not undo 400 years of oppression Math and Science Academy. Joan for $10 million to fund the creation of 20 in a three- to five-year CTU contract. But we Monique Redeaux-Smith is a Chicago educator Jones, the Executive Director of The Sustainable Community Schools across the can help illuminate a new path. This con- who worked in CPS as a middle school teacher National LGBTQIA+ Workers Cen- city. These schools, modeled after the com- tract fight was an opportunity to reject the for more than 11 years. She was a Dyett hunger ter and a current Atlantic Fellow munity’s proposal for Dyett, are designed to status quo; it was a demand for a more just striker and currently works for the Illinois Fed- for Social and Economic Equity at serve as anchors within communities that and humane future for working class Black eration of Teachers and serves on the CTU-CPS the London School of Economics, have been negatively impacted by years of and Brown people. It was an opportunity to Sustainable Community Schools Taskforce. also contributed to this story.

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  7 WINS

COMPENSATION have to be informed of what’s • IEP writing workload to be What’s in the in the principal’s budget for EL distributed equitably among • 16% raise—Year 1: 3%, Year 2: 3%, resources and materials special education teachers contract? Year 3: 3%, Year 4: 3.5%, Year 5: • Principals required to use 3.5% (17% compounded) CLASS SIZE (for details, see below) substitutes or release time to • Average PSRP pay increase of provide adequate time for special • Enforceable class size guarantees nearly 40% during the contract education duties to the extent • $35 million annually to reduce • Educational lanes for all PSRPs possible oversized classrooms K-12 across • Increases in salary grade for HSNs • SPED teachers last to be called to the district, prioritizing schools cover classes, IEP minutes lost are and LPNs serving the most vulnerable made up • Additional protections for VETERAN TEACHER PAY students • $2.5 million annual fund to reduce clinicians against untenured non- • Joint CTU/CPS Council with workload renewal • Veteran teachers (Step 14 and enforcement­ authority to reduce • Grievable if evaluator doesn’t use SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS above) receive additional $5 class sizes addendum million ($25 million over 5 years) • Substitutes who commit to work at EQUITY – schedule to be finalized prior to SPORTS least 3 days per week on average ratification • Sports Committee with an annual join Cadre and receive health • Directs resources to the neediest budget of $5 million (33% increase insurance schools for staffing and class size STAFFING in annual funding) for increases • Substitute teachers guaranteed relief Enforceable staffing increases by July to coaching stipends and new duty-free lunch 30, 2023: equipment/resources • Substitute handbook incorporated SANCTUARY SCHOOLS • A social worker in every school into the contract HEALTH CARE • Establishes ways that CPS must every day protect immigrant students SICK DAYS • A nurse in every school every day • No changes to benefits • Bars ICE entry to school buildings • 180 additional case managers • Reductions in co-pays for mental • Bank of sick days earned after July without a criminal court warrant health services and physical • .5–2.5 case managers at all 1, 2012, increased from 40 to 244 • Employees granted leave for therapy schools with 50 or more IEPs • The .8% increase in health care days for use and pension credit immigration matters • 120 additional positions for highest contribution rate imposed on REACH CHARTER SCHOOLS needs schools, incl. counselors, 1/1/19 rescinded as of 7/1/19, and restorative justice coordinators, then premiums rise by .25% in Year • No observations on student • Renews commitment to net zero and librarians 4 and .5% in Year 5 attendance days before and after increase in the number of Board- • Increases in dedicated ELPT Thanksgiving, winter and spring authorized charters, same limits on SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS program supports and stipends break number of enrolled students • 1 full-time homeless student • Guarantees $10 million annually coordinator in all schools with 75 for at least 20 schools for term of contract or more homeless students, 2 full- NO CHANGE time positions with 140 or more PRE-K STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO homeless students PREP TIME OTHER ISSUES • Mandates 10:1 child to teacher BILINGUAL EDUCATION ratio at all times • No change in current policy (CPS These policies also remain the same: initally wanted to reduce self- • Professional development for SUBCONTRACTING directed preps for elementary • Midyear transfer policy teachers of English Learners • Effective SY2020-21, a ban on teachers to three per week) • Pipeline: 50% reduced cost • Grading guidelines privatiza­tion for teacher clinicians, of tuition for bilingual or ESL PSRP clinicians, teacher assistants LENGTH OF CONTRACT • Assessment votes endorsement and librarians • 5 years (instead of 3 years) • Board and Union work together • Phase out of contract nurses to remove obstacles to parents of English Learners volunteering in SPECIAL EDUCATION GIVEBACKS schools • Development of IEPs made solely • Like on SPED, bilingual educators by the IEP team • None

The new class size provisions in Article 28 increase funding by 500% per year — to $35 mil- Understanding lion annually — to remedy oversize classrooms. A new Class Size Council has final, fully-en- forceable authority to implement class size remediation that must be followed by CPS and the new class size school principals, and to fund the necessary remedies. Special attention will also be given to provisions 20% of schools with high-need student populations for additional class size relief.

HOW OVERSIZE CLASSROOMS Any class size exceeding these limits is designated as an “oversized class” and ARE IDENTIFIED is eligible to receive funding to split the class and add a teacher, add a teacher CPS’ longstanding class size goals in assistant where there’s no capacity for a Article 28-1 are now class size limits second class, or other appropriate relief. (subject to increases or decreases in Class size relief will also be investigated different circumstances): for any class over the Article 28-1 limits Kindergarten: 28 students when an educator requests relief. 1st to 3rd grade: 28 students 4th to 8th grade: 31 students Class size relief will automatically be High school: 28 students triggered in every classroom in all CPS schools exceeding these class size upper

8  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher Make your contract count!

ongratulations to all on a contract implementation at a local plan (Continuous Improvement hard-fought strike! Now level, the discussion and resolution Work Plan) and the school budget. Ccomes the real nitty gritty of potentially grievable issues be- The PPLC can also do surveys of the of making sure we take advan- fore they become formal grievanc- school staff without prior authori- tage of our wins where it counts es, and taking preventative action zation from the principal. PPLC most—in our buildings. Meeting to avoid potential problems. Issues reports by the teacher LSC repre- the challenge of organizing for can include student dismissal pro- sentatives should be on the agenda strong contract enforcement in cedures; lesson plan deadlines; im- monthly at the LSC and the PPLC each school is at the heart of our plementing order of class coverage; can propose motions to the LSC. union power. CTU officers and new instructional programs; bulle- This is a crucial way to keep parents staff are here to help, but only tin board rules and testing sched- informed of the issues teachers are you and your colleagues can really ules; issues with substitute cov- facing, from lack of copying facil- make it happen. erage and missed preps, etc.; and ities, inadequate training on new Members felt empowered other quality-of-life issues such as curriculum, lack of support on dis- during the strike. Wonderful ac- microwaves and bathroom condi- ciplinary issues, etc. tions such as neighborhood rallies, tions. So in other words, almost parent outreach, joint visits to anything. Some recent victories in- LSC politicians’ offices and more were clude a school where the counselor The LSC is a legal body elected organized by member initiative. no longer provides any preps, and every two years by parents, staff Let’s not slide back into the “rut of another school where the principal and community members. It must routine” and discouragement. We was forced to rescind some restric- hold public meetings monthly. The can acknowledge that we deserved tive dress code regulations she had LSC is charged with approving even more and things are not go- said were “non-negotiable.” What the school-based academic plan, ing to be perfect, but we can’t af- are some of your triumphs in con- making sure the budget is spent ford to let that keep us from fight- tract enforcement? Email commu- on these democratically deter- ing for what we actually can do to [email protected] with your mined priorities, evaluating the make things better for ourselves, story and help inspire others! contract principal and their prac- our colleagues and our students. tices annually, and selecting or re- This strike surely showed us that PPLC newing the contract principal. A without a fight, we gain nothing. The PPLC is a state-mandat- strong LSC can be a way to draw Where do we go from here? ed committee, established by the in parents as allies in getting the We have three major tools School Reform Act in 1988. The things you need to improve teach- available to help delegates and principal should call a meeting at ing and learning. It can also give members enforce the contract the beginning of the school year them voice in making the school a at school: Professional Problems where all licensed personnel (oth- real part of the community. Committee (PPC), Professional er than the principal) can run for Organizing to have a strong Personnel Leadership Commit- membership on the committee, union school may seem like a lot tee (PPLC) and the Local School which is headed by the two teacher of work. And it isn’t always easy. Council (LSC). representatives on the LSC, or, if Come to a CTU Delegates and School Leaders Conference (dates the body chooses, by one of them. If PPC available soon). Find out what is- yours has not been elected or hasn’t sues your staff really feels passion- The PPC is the committee most met, there is no time like the pres- ate about by talking to them. You directly linked to enforcing our ent to make sure that it happens. probably learned a lot about your contract. Headed by the school Principals often want to supplant co-workers on the picket line. Pick delegate, the PPC includes two to the PPLC with their own hand- an issue that matters to your daily four additional members elected by picked Instructional Leadership life in the building. Let us help you all CTU members at the school. It Team but, Illinois law requires a build a campaign to win. Contact should meet monthly on a regular PPLC and gives it some important your organizer and/or field rep schedule to consider issues brought duties. The principal must give the if you need help getting started. up by the staff or the principal. PPLC the opportunity to consider Whose schools? Our schools! Let’s Discussion and results should be and make recommendations on make it real. shared with union members reg- issues pertaining to curriculum, ularly. This committee is about pedagogy, the school improvement —Debby Pope

limits (subject to increases or decreases in deadlocks. CPS will not control this provide class size relief for all classrooms different circumstances): Council and cannot refuse to implement its exceeding the upper class size limits and remedies. for the 20% of high needs classrooms. Kindergarten: 32 students (4 over limit) 1st to 3rd grade: 32 students (4 over limit) The Council has full and final authority We do not know today how many 4th to 8th grade: 35 students (4 over limit) to order class size relief. It has the power classrooms exceeding the Article 28-1 High school: 35 students (7 over limit) to direct principals not to place too limits but under the oversized class limits many students into a class. CPS has also can be remedied with $35 million annually. The Class Size Council will also initiate separately agreed to work with principals investigations to provide relief in the 20% of of non-neighborhood schools to limit We expect that the new Class Size high needs schools. enrollment and lower class sizes. We Council’s authority to direct principals, and believe these steps will, over time, reduce CPS’ commitment to reinforce class size goals, will reduce the Council’s caseload JOINT CLASS SIZE ASSESSMENT COUNCIL the number of oversize classes within the district that require class size relief. over the course of the contract and thereby allow the Council to reach more oversized A new Council, with enforceable authority, classrooms every year. replaces the old class size committee. It is HOW FAR WILL $35 MILLION GO TO composed of 12 members — six selected RELIEVE OVERSIZE CLASSROOMS? by CTU and six by CPS. A neutral 13th member will also be mutually selected We are confident that the $35 million to cast a deciding vote in the event of annual class size fund will be sufficient to

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  9 A history of Chicago’s (un)elected

Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle (un)representative stands in solidarity with special education workers on strike and signs pledge of support for SPED contract demands on Oct. 26, school board 2019. (Photo: Unicorn Riot)

Elected representative school board (ERSB) November on the ballot in more than 300 precincts Strike breathes new life into 2012 across the city, earning nearly 90 percent voter support. ERSB, bargaining rights bill February ERSB on ballot in 37 wards, again earning 2015 nearly 90 percent voter support.

HB4268 introduced by Rep. Rob Martwick, August Mass mobilization needed to beat City Hall in historic which includes regional representation and 2015 strike, but movement needed for upcoming fights in parent and community board members. Springfield and against potential school closings. October Elected school board for Chicago City 2015 Colleges introduced.

Town hall meetings across city to talk with Fall community members about the elected BY CTU COMMUNICATIONS members. The Chicago Board of The CTU is part of the Grass- 2015 Education, which oversees a $7 roots Education Movement school board bill for CPS. ayor Lori Lightfoot cam- billion taxpayer-funded budget, (GEM), a broad-based com- paigned on support for is completely controlled by the munity coalition that has been HB557, a new bill, is introduced by Rep. Man elected school board mayor of Chicago. organizing and lobbying for an Martwick to address feedback from for Chicago. But just days after HB 2267 would change that. elected school board since 2011, community members and elected officials. her election, she pulled a page The bill calls for creation of an after a round of school closings February Increases board membership to 21 out of Rahm Emanuel’s playbook Elected Representative School hit communities on the South 2016 (including citywide elected board president), and worked behind the scenes to Board (ERSB) for Chicago by and West sides. Another round creates 20 representative districts derail an elected school board 2023. The measure, sponsored of devastating closings, the consistent with voting rights act, brings bill that had passed the Illinois by Rep. Rob Martwick, would most ever in the country, hit 50 voting and candidacy requirements in line House for the third time. elect one school board member schools in those same communi- with school boards in rest of state. After more than 30,000 Chi- in 20 districts and one board ties again in 2013. Both rounds cago Teachers Union and SEIU member citywide, for a 21-mem- of closings were rubber stamped March 3, First passage of ERSB in House with 110-4 73 members hit the streets for an ber board. by the mayor’s handpicked Board 2016 vote. Bill stalled in Senate. 11-day strike in October, Senate Lightfoot has criticized this of Education. President John Cullerton gave provision, claiming the size of The coalition has run two Spring Another ERSB bill, HB1774, introduced by new life to the measure Chica- the board is unwieldly, but she non-binding ERSB referenda 2017 Rep. Martwick. goans have been demanding for failed to offer any alternatives, that garnered nearly 90 per- years. preferring instead to squash the cent of the vote. GEM also has HB1774 passes the House with 105-9 vote, In a stunning and embar- bill the same way her predecessor held multiple town hall forums, and is amended in the Senate to reduce May 25, rassing setback for the mayor, did. marches and rallies, and helped number of board members to 15 and 2017 as a sea of red- and purple-clad The number of seats on the pass a bill out of the House three include map changes. strikers flooded downtown and board is critical to providing times, only to see the measure targeted seats of financial pow- true representation for all of stalled in the Senate at the be- Amended bill passes out of Senate at the May 31, er like Sterling Bay, both Culler- Chicago’s diverse communities. hest of Emanuel and, now, Light- 11th hour, but poison pill amendment stalls ton and Illinois House Speaker A large board means districts foot. 2017 the bill in the House. Michael Madigan issued state- will be smaller, making it easi- Cullerton’s pledge during the ments pledging to bring the er for parents and community strike also commits to reviving Spring New ERSB bill, HB2267, introduced by Rep. elected school board bill up for members to run for seats with- HB 2775, which would restore 2019 Martwick. Same version as 2017. consideration when the legisla- out needing millions to do it. full bargaining rights to CTU, ture convenes in the spring. Reducing the size of the board, rights denied to the Union since April 2, Lori Lightfoot, who campaigned in support Senate Democrats said in a as Lightfoot wants, actually 1995, when the legislature gave 2019 of ERSB, is elected mayor. statement: “Every student in would empower the wealthy to control of CPS to Mayor Richard Chicago deserves a high quality influence school board races and M. Daley. Lightfoot also forced House passes HB2267 by vote of 110-2. April 4, neighborhood public school and continue their destructive reign the derailment of that bill in the Mayor Lightfoot announces her opposition 2019 every voter in the city deserves a over our district. spring, but the power and unity to bill and forces it to stall in the Senate. direct say in school governance. “We’re done with the rich peo- of our strike overcame those ma- In the upcoming spring session, ple in this town controlling what neuvers. May 31, Legislative session ends without any Senate the General Assembly will fully happens in our schools,” CTU The CTU will work to hold 2019 action on ERSB. consider two bills to align school Vice President Stacy Davis Gates Springfield leadership to its governance in Chicago with said. “We want a democratically word, but it will take a mass More than 30,000 CTU and SEIU 73 Oct. 17, all other school districts in the elected school board that’s ac- mobilization of all members, educators and school staff begin their 2019 state.” countable to the parents, edu- parents and community allies to 11-day strike. Chicago is the only city in Il- cators and students the schools win. The spring legislative ses- linois, and one of only a handful serve, not the wealthy bankers sion starts Jan. 7. Begin calling Senate President John Cullerton announces Oct. 30, in the nation, that does not have who think they know what’s best your state senator today and call ERSB will get “full consideration” in spring 2019 the fundamental democratic for low-income Black and Brown weekly until we ensure passage legislative session. right to elect its school board folks.” of these historic bills.

10  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher ‘If only we were bulletproof’ Elementary school students in Chicago confront the trauma of gun violence far too often.

BY GREG MICHIE ered my students even more was the way the deaths of young people in their com- sk a room full of eighth graders munity were routinely shrugged off by what they like about their Back of mainstream media. When a 20-year-old Athe Yards neighborhood and you’ll was shot to death that December, online get a wide-ranging cascade of answers: news coverage consisted only of a couple the close bonds they feel with neighbors, of sentences of bare facts: his name, age, cumbia rhythms blasting from apartment the block where he was killed and the time windows, summer festivals, programs at of death. Students, several of whom knew Holy Cross Church, street vendors and the the victim, wondered out loud why all lives tacos at Internacional. But if you ask what didn’t have the same value. they don’t like, a single topic will echo Exploring gun violence in my media time and again: gun violence. class had the potential to trigger old pain Gun violence has long been a reality and reopen emotional wounds, and I in the neighborhood. The frequency of it wasn’t sure I’d built up enough trust with (Photo: Laura Phillips) tends to ebb and flow, but it never seems the students to navigate that, having just to be far from the minds of young people returned to CPS after years of teaching growing up there. A couple of weeks be- college. Besides, the problem and its caus- go’s streets. Undercover videos showed him. I knew him since I was three years fore school started one year, Leo, a rising es sometimes seemed so vast and complex, how loopholes in gun laws made it easy old. And … it just felt bad. I never thought eighth grader was shot at close range not I worried that spending time studying to obtain a weapon without an identifi- it would be my last goodbye, like that.” far from his family’s apartment. Thank- them might just leave us all feeling more cation check. A Chicago Tribune website Leo, too, remembers the violent death fully, he survived, but it was a reminder overwhelmed and helpless. Wouldn’t it be that tracked crime statistics by commu- of someone close to him—an older cousin to all the kids who knew him—and his better to close tight the door of the class- nity allowed students to see connections who he said he considered a role model. “I teachers, too—of how random and sudden room and try to forget about the fear of between violent crime and other factors: still feel like I’m lost,” he admitted. In the such incidents can be. A few weeks into shootings for seven hours each day? per capita income, education level and second half of the piece, they recount the the year, a student scrawled the words “If It was tempting, but ultimately, I de- overcrowded housing. First-person nar- day Leo got shot. Leo said that as his leg only we were bulletproof” onto a white- cided that doing so would be like teach- ratives and song lyrics brought to the went numb, all he could think about was board in large, red letters. ing about the solar system while a wildfire surface emotional trauma that often ac- his strained relationship with his father It wasn’t just Back of the Yards. Gun raged nearby. Gun violence was important companies gun violence. and that he might never have a chance to violence in a number of Chicago neigh- for us to explore in this course because For the unit’s final project, I wanted to repair it. borhoods, along with the city’s escalating it was personal and hit close to home. I give kids a choice in how to express what Leo and Rudy both ignored the causes murder rate, had garnered national at- believed my eighth graders could benefit they’d learned, so I laid out a menu of pos- of violence, which was one of the central tention. In an interview on CBS Evening not only from looking at the issue and its sible options: videos, written essays, poet- themes of our study, to focus solely on News earlier that year, Mayor Rahm underlying causes more methodically, but ry, interviews and comics. One student’s their own experiences and how they felt Emanuel put the blame squarely on “gang- also benefit from the opportunity to share essay, for example, looked at four poten- about them. In that sense, it was less an bangers” and their supposed lack of val- their stories and express their feelings. tial contributing causes to community vi- assessment of their learning than an ele- ues. “Who raised you?” Emanuel asked, as Over the next three weeks, we im- olence—segregation, economic inequality, gy to lost loved ones, and, perhaps, to lost if speaking to a hypothetical gang mem- mersed ourselves in the issue from a mul- miseducation, availability of guns—and innocence. Some might consider that a ber. “How were you raised?” titude of perspectives. A guest speaker proposed strategies to address them. squandering of valuable learning time or It was a simplistic and bigoted analy- helped students identify the root causes Much of the other work, especially those say that school is not the place for such sis—a slap in the face to parents in gang- of gangs and gang-related violence. An students who chose to write poems or raw reflection on fear and loss and regret. plagued areas that completely ignored the online article gave added insight into how comics, was more narrative and personal. But if not in the classroom, then where? root causes of the violence. But what both- guns get from suburban shops to Chica- One of the most moving pieces was Where do young people go to process or “How We See Violence,” created by Leo, share such pain and trauma? the student who had been shot a couple of If schools really care about the social weeks before the school year began, and and emotional well-being of our students, Rudy, a friend who had been with him at our efforts to address that cannot be lim- the time. Both had, at times, been reluc- ited to counseling sessions or after-school tant or unfocused participants in other groups—as useful as those can be. It needs projects we had done in media class, but to happen in classrooms, too. It begins this one garnered their full effort and at- with creating spaces for students to be tention. They interviewed each other, as seen and heard, even when it is painful, well as two other eighth grade boys, and even when it is a departure from the dis- edited together clips with a bare piano trict curriculum and even when it cannot soundtrack underneath their voices. be easily scored or measured. “I lost my friend,” Rudy said in the vid- eo. “He was 16. He got shot twice—once Greg Michie teaches seventh and eighth grade through the chest, once through the heart. in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. I seen him on the floor, and when the cops This piece is adapted from his new book, were putting him in the body bag, they “Same As It Never Was: Notes on a Teacher’s flipped him over, all bogus.” He pauses, Return to the Classroom,” and is reprinted The author, second from right, with Seward Elementary colleagues never once looking straight into the cam- from Chalkbeat Chicago. Join Michie for a at Lincoln Yards protest, Oct. 29, 2019. (Photo: Kim Goldbaum) era. “I felt bad because I grew up with book talk Dec. 18 at the CTU Center.

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  11 House of Delegates Meeting ∕ Lynch, Daniel G.; Williams, Carolyn S. ∕ NETWORK Cozette T.; Crockett, Nicole M.; Robinson, Chaunte E. SERVICE Ayala, Rosa B.; Bontempo, Benjamin Wednesday, September 4, 2019 6B Tyrpin, Bryan ∕ NETWORK 7A Rentz, Kathleen ∕ NETWORK 12B Bell, Wilma Z.; Johnson, Tequila; K.; Brackenridge, Darrell G.; Butler, Deborah; M. ∕ NETWORK 7B Ceballos, Marlena ∕ NETWORK Kidd, Tracey Y.; Kile, Carmen L. ∕ NETWORK 13A Calderon, Soledad; Campbell, Jacqueline E.; Cruz, Delegates not present: NETWORK 1A Clarke, 8A Carapia, Yesenia R.; Crall, Patrick; Rodriguez, Bobo, Jennifer L.; Gordon-Thompson, Latonya L.; Griselda; Davis, Barbara J.; Fells, Denise M.; Garcia, Deborah L.; Green, Laurie J.; Kleinhubert, Mary Armando ∕ NETWORK 8B Banasiak, Sally A.; Grant, Lorrie A.; Melton, Wilene M.; Whitehead, Bethsaida; Gonzalez, Maria A.; Henry, Kimberly; P. ∕ NETWORK 1B All Present ∕ NETWORK Magallanes, Lucero ∕ NETWORK 9A Logli, Liliana; Sheryl F. ∕ NETWORK 13B Carrethers, Loreal S.; Johnson-Harper, Luwanda; Jordan, Sherry; McIntosh, 1C Baar-Ledford, Sara D.; O’Donnell, James M.; Smith, Tara Y. ∕ NETWORK 9B Banks, Lindsey L.; Fattore, Maribeth A.; Janacek, Gregory; Lee, Tyrone Erica; Riesco, Julieta; Smith, Shakita; Trice, Jeanine; Wehbeh, Jenine ∕ NETWORK 2A Gladney, Maxine; Horton, Kawana T.; Olson, Genni L. ∕ NETWORK T.; McKinney, LaConya ∕ NETWORK 14 Hecht, Williams, Robert L. ∕ CITY-WIDE Brown-Sutton, Wynn, Kathryn E. ∕ NETWORK 2B Hernandez, 10A Horn, Jennifer M.; Jameson-Hardy, Jacqueline; Emily L.; Hopp, Stacy; Lang, Nicholas; Ochoa, Victor; Jereece M.; Carter, Cathaline G.; Christensen, William Wilson ∕ NETWORK 3A Arroyo, Judith; Milano, O’Malley, Margaret M.; Scollard, Ashley L.; Zaturski, Palomino Villamonte, Walter; Zaluba, Elizabeth M. ∕ E.; Daniels, Theresa D.; Douglas Johnson, Cheryl D.; Dena M. ∕ NETWORK 3B Anderson, Grace A.; Steven A. ∕ NETWORK 10B Kelly, Laura M.; NETWORK 15 Ford-France, Phyllis Y.; Grauer, Brian Hennen, Jared P.; McGregor, Margaret E.; Schecter, Crowder, Sharon D.; Del Monico, Kathleen M. ∕ Linehan, Joseph A.; McDevitt, Julie A.; Mirkiewicz, M.; Greenberg-Reizen, Francine D.; Harris, Stephanie Jeff M.; Toro, Theresa L.; Tuffs, Sara E.; Walsh, NETWORK 4A Ryan, Phyllis A.; Zoldan, Sara R. Brittany E.; Morris, Valerie L.; Sullivan, Kathleen M.; J.; Roberson, Gerald ∕ NETWORK 16 Cover, Marc Anita M. ∕ CTUA1 Crooks, Andrew M.; Horwitz, ∕ NETWORK 4B Baker, Jessica A.; Lopez, Brian K.; Zachary, Terri L. ∕ NETWORK 10C Murphy, Erin A.; E.; Cybulski, Nicholas A.; Daniels, Rochelle L.; Michelle R.; Jones, Sarah C.; Loafmann, Paul R.; Ocasio, Wanda E.; Schroeder, Zach ∕ NETWORK 4C O’Connor, Elizabeth A.; Spangler, Jessica; Vinezeano, Druckmiller, Hannah; Garcia Hermida, Katina V.; Staples, Bradley; Thomas, Meghan B. ∕ CTUA2 Manata, Amy K. ∕ NEWORK 5A Amaya, Luis A.; Michele T. ∕ NETWORK 11A Chatman-Walls, Knowles-West, Kristine E. ∕ NETWORK 17 Collins, Anfossi, Sabrina; Brooks, James; Ferri, Enrico G.; Anderson, Emily L.; Cerda, Brian; Gaiser, Jacqueline Carolyn D.; Cleary, Anne T.; Henderson, Theresa Darrin A.; Collins, Sarah J.; Pincham, Robert E.; Platt, Foley, Seamus; Martinez, Marines; Michael, Nicholas; M.; Greco-Serwa, Sandra M.; Hudson, Jessie J. ∕ M. ∕ NETWORK 11B Clay, Jamila K.; Gorski- Mallory D.; Riouse, Nicole D. ∕ AUSL SOUTH Jarrell, Robinson, Natasha; Rodriguez, Tlaloc; Salgado- NETWORK 5B Claiborne, Kisha L.; Jasutis, Susan Caine, Renee M.; Holmes, Davina ∕ NETWORK Ashley N. ∕ AUSL WEST Herod-Purham, Sharon Romo, Myrna; Schmidt, Katie; Tolentino, Juan; Van M. ∕ NETWORK 6A Bertoni-Mancine, Arlene M.; 11C Davis, Victoria M. ∕ NETWORK 12A Carter, D.; Redmond, La’Tina ∕ CITY-WIDE CAREER Herik, Andrew; Wallek, Bradley J.

House of Delegates Meeting ∕ NETWORK 7A; Rentz, Kathleen M. ∕ NETWORK 7B Johnson, Tequila; Kidd, Tracey Y.; Kile, Carmen L. ∕ R. ∕ CITY-WIDE CAREER SERVICE Bontempo, Wednesday, October 2, 2019 Ceballos, Marlena ∕ NETWORK 8A Carapia, Yesenia NETWORK 13A Bobo, Jennifer L.; Gleeson, Carrie M.; Benjamin K.; Brackenridge, Darrell G.; Butler, Deborah; R.; McGrath, Sarah C. ∕ NETWORK 8B Banasiak, Grant, Lorrie A.; Holmes, Deborah L.; Walton, Jennifer Campbell, Jacqueline E.; Cruz, Griselda; Fells, Denise Delegates not present: NETWORK 1A Clarke, Sally A.; Magallanes, Lucero; Mosqueda, Michael J.; R.; Wright, Kajuan ∕ NETWORK 13B Carrethers, M.; Garcia, Bethsaida; Gonzalez, Maria A.; Henry, Deborah L.; Green, Laurie J.; Kleinhubert, Mary P.; Suarez Nieto, Jessica ∕ NETWORK 9A All Present ∕ Loreal S.; Janacek, Gregory; Lee, Tyrone T.; McKinney, Kimberly; Johnson-Harper, Luwanda; Jordan, Sherry; Nykiel-Donlin, Jennifer S. ∕ NETWORK 1B Cooley, NETWORK 9B Horton, Kawana T. ∕ NETWORK 10A LaConya; Schmitt, Mary T. ∕ NETWORK 14 Lang, Riesco, Julieta; Smith, Shakita; Trice, Jeanine; Williams, Amy K. ∕ NETWORK 1C Baar-Ledford, Sara D.; Horn, Jennifer M.; O’Malley, Margaret M.; Scollard, Nicholas; Ochoa, Victor; Palomino Villamonte, Walter Robert L. ∕ CITY-WIDE Ali, Jamillah; Braddock, Dillon, Barbara K. ∕ NETWORK 2A Williams, Isaac Ashley L. ∕ NETWORK 10B Frangella, Carla A.; Kelly, ∕ NETWORK 15 Banda, Stephen; Grauer, Brian M.; Corey D.; Christensen, William E.; Daniels, Theresa H. ∕ NETWORK 2B All Present ∕ NETWORK Laura M. ∕ NETWORK 10C O’Connor, Elizabeth A.; Roberson, Gerald A. ∕ NETWORK 16 Cybulski, D.; Hennen, Jared P. ∕ CTUA1 Byrnes, Megan S.; 3A Arroyo, Judith ∕ NETWORK 3B All Present ∕ Spangler, Jessica; Vinezeano, Michele T. ∕ NETWORK Nicholas A.; Druckmiller, Hannah; Moten, Latonya ∕ Crooks, Andrew M.; Thomas, Meghan B. ∕ CTUA2 NETWORK 4A Ryan, Phyllis A. ∕ NETWORK 4B 11A Cleary, Anne T.; Henderson, Theresa M. ∕ NETWORK 17 Collins, Darrin A.; Collins, Sarah J.; Adams, Hugh M.; Anfossi, Sabrina; Brooks, James; All Present ∕ NETWORK 4C All Present ∕ NEWORK NETWORK 11B Clay, Jamila K.; Gorski-Caine, Renee Davenport, Adam; Platt, Mallory D.; Riouse, Nicole D.; Ferri, Enrico G.; Foley, Seamus; Holmes Jr., Claude; 5A Gaiser, Jacqueline M.; Grayer, Barbara A.; Greco- M.; Holmes, Davina ∕ NETWORK 11C All Present Styler, Kenneth D. ∕ AUSL SOUTH Armstrong-Shaffer, Marin, Roy; Martinez, Marines; Michael, Nicholas; Serwa, Sandra M. ∕ NETWORK 5B Cottrell, Susan L.; ∕ NETWORK 12A Crockett, Nicole M.; Robinson, Denita N.; Major, Sandra; Pardo, Jonathan M.; Snow, Robinson, Natasha; Salgado-Romo, Myrna; Van Herik, Thrash, Rasheeda M. ∕ NETWORK 6A All Present ∕ Chaunte E.; Simpson, Andrea ∕ NETWORK 12B Bell, Amanda L.; AUSL WEST; Herod Jones, Sharon D.; Andrew; Vargas, Valerie; Willert, Keith S. NETWORK 6B Dziedzic, Edward J.; Tyrpin, Bryan; Wilma Z.; Coleman-Mathus, Janice L.; Farmer, Yvette; Pope, Bryan M.; Redmond, La’Tina; Waters, Cynthia

House of Delegates Meeting ∕ Banasiak, Sally A.; Mosqueda, Michael J. ∕ NETWORK 15 Cole, Maximilian A.; Grauer, Brian M.; Kass, L. ∕ CITY-WIDE Boughton, Patricia A.; Chistensen, Wednesday, October 16, 2019 9A All Present ∕ NETWORK 9B All Present ∕ Lillian H.; Walach, Erin ∕ NETWORK 16 Alicea, William E.; Cochrane, Christine M.; Douglas Johnson, NETWORK 10A Horn, Jennifer M.; O’Malley, Anita Y.; Cybulski, Nicholas A.; Daniels, Rochelle Cheryl D.; Hennen, Jared P.; Howell, Brenda; Delegates not present: NETWORK 1A Green, Margaret M. ∕ NETWORK 10B Linehan, Joseph A.; L.; Druckmiller, Hannah; Moore, Cheryl D.; Moten, McGregor, Margaret E.; Ramirez Odell, Helen M.; Laurie J. ∕ NETWORK 1B McLennon, Tasmie S.; McDevitt, Julie A.; Mirkiewicz, Brittany E.; Sullivan, Latonya ∕ NETWORK 17 Collins, Darrin A.; Collins, Schecter, Jeff M.; Tuffs, Sara E. ∕ CTUA1 Buffington, Pappas, Liza R. ∕ NETWORK 1C Baar-Ledford, Kathleen M. ∕ NETWORK 10C Murphy, Erin A.; Sarah J.; Miller, Martin; Platt, Mallory D.; Riouse, Brigid; Byrnes, Megan S.; Chrystal, Erica; Crooks, Sara D.; O’Donnell, James M.; Watson, Gretchen C. O’Connor, Elizabeth A.; Spangler, Jessica; Vinezeano, Nicole D.; Styler, Kenneth D. ∕ AUSL SOUTH Andrew M.; Fosses, Vasiliki I.; Horwitz, Michelle ∕ NETWORK 2A Gladney, Maxine; Vander Pluym, Michele T. ∕ NETWORK 11A Cleary, Anne T.; Armstrong-Shaffer, Denita N.; Lawson, Lanaye T.; R.; Jones, Sarah C.; Kalisky, Jean; Rouke, Bethany Luke D. ∕ NETWORK 2B All Present ∕ NETWORK Henderson, Theresa M. ∕ NETWORK 11B Clay, Pardo, Jonathan M.; Thompson, Robin K. ∕ AUSL K.; Staples, Bradley; Thomas, Meghan B.; Wax Trost, 3A Arroyo, Judith ∕ NETWORK 3B Anderson, Tracy Jamila K.; Gorski-Caine, Renee M.; Holmes, Davina WEST Pope, Bryan M.; Water, Cynthia R. ∕ CITY- Joanna ∕ CTUA2 Adams, Hugh M.; Anfossi, Sabrina; L.; DelMonico, Kathleen M. ∕ NETWORK 4A Ryan, ∕ NETWORK 11C Ward, Jacquelyn ∕ NETWORK WIDE CAREER SERVICE Ayala, Rosa B.; Blanchard, Berner, Indalia C.; Brooks, James; Carlson, Matthew; Phyllis A. ∕ NETWORK 4B All Present ∕ NETWORK 12A Crockett, Nicole M.; Everett, Tamarra Y.; Patricia L.; Bontempo, Benjamin K.; Brackenridge, Ferri, Enrico G.; Foley, Seamus; Hicks, Mona F.; 4C All Present ∕ NEWORK 5A Gaiser, Jacqueline Simpson, Allyson; Simpson, Andrea ∕ NETWORK Darrell G.; Butler, Deborah; Campbell, Jacqueline E.; Hudson, Vaeshan; Marin, Roy; Martinez, Marines; M. ; Grayer, Barbara A.; Josephs, Donyielle A. ∕ 12B Bell, Wilma Z.; Farmer, Yvette; Kidd, Tracey Y.; Coty, Sharon; Cousins, Willie M.; Cruz, Griselda; Michael, Nicholas; Robinson, Natasha; Rousakis, NETWORK 5B Killingsworth, Yevette ∕ NETWORK Kile, Carmen L. ∕ NETWORK 13A Bobo, Jennifer L. Davis, Barbara J.; Fells, Denise M.; Garcia, Bethsaida; Nicole A.; Salgado-Romo, Myrna; Scott-Rudnick, 6A All Present ∕ NETWORK 6B Foust, Randi L. ∕ ∕ NETWORK 13B Castelan, Belen; Lee, Tyrone T.; Gonzalez, Maria A.; Henry, Kimberly; Johnson- Michael; Tabbara, Omar S.; Van Herik, Andrew; NETWORK 7A Rentz, Kathleen M. ∕ NETWORK Schmitt, Mary T. ∕ NETWORK 14 Lang, Nicholas; Harper, Luwanda; Jordan, Sherry; McIntosh, Erica; Vargas, Valerie; Wallin, Benjamin; Willert, Keith S. 7B All Present ∕ NETWORK 8A Carapia, Yesenia R.; Marshall, David M.; Palomino Villamonte, Walter; Monarrez, Carmen; Riesco, Julieta; Sanders, Sheneice Copp, Laura A.; Matuska, Lisa M. ∕ NETWORK 8B Rittmeyer, Robert W.; Roscoe, Jennifer ∕ NETWORK L.; Smith, Shakita; Trice, Jeanine; Williams, Robert

House of Delegates Meeting ∕ Moreno, Karin K.; Rentz, Kathleen M. ∕ NETWORK Gleeson, Carrie M.; Grant, Lorrie A.; Walton, Jennifer Cruz, Griselda; Fells, Denise M.; Garcia, Bethsaida; Tuesday, October 29, 2019 7B All Present ∕ NETWORK 8A Matuska, Lisa M. R.; Wright, Kajuan ∕ NETWORK 13B Carrethers, Gonzalez, Maria A.; Henry, Kimberly; Jordan, Sherry; ∕ NETWORK 8B Banasiak, Sally A. ∕ NETWORK Loreal S.; Koslowski, Mary V. ∕ NETWORK 14 Lozoya, Maria C.; Riesco, Julieta; Smith, Shakita; Delegates not present: NETWORK 1A All Present 9A All Present ∕ NETWORK 9B Olson, Genni L. Palomino Villamonte, Walter ∕ NETWORK 15 Cole, Trice, Jeanine; Watson, Kimberly A.; Woods, Sabrina ∕ NETWORK 1B All Present ∕ NETWORK 1C ∕ NETWORK 10A Horn, Jennifer M.; O’Malley, Maximilian A.; Grauer, Brian M.; Kass, Lillian H.; A. ∕ CITY-WIDE Ali, Jamillah M.; Brent, Charlotte; O’Donnell, James M. ∕ NETWORK 2A Gladney, Margaret M. ∕ NETWORK 10B Linehan, Joseph Walach, Erin ∕ NETWORK 16 Byrnes, Christopher Brown-Shareef, Reniya L.; Carter, Cathaline G.; Maxine; Wright, Nancy L. ∕ NETWORK 2B Pedersen, A.; McDevitt, Julie A.; McKay, Megan J.; Tobias, M.; Daniels, Rochelle L.; Druckmiller, Hannah; Kutz, Christensen, William E.; Cochrane, Christine M.; Christian E. ∕ NETWORK 3A Gonzalez, Roxana; Kimberly N. ∕ NETWORK 10C O’Connor, Elizabeth Erik D.; Mathews, De’Meica A. ∕ NETWORK 17 Daniels, Theresa D.; Esposito-Usterbowski, Mary; Meracle, Kenneth D. ∕ NETWORK 3B Montanez, A.; Spangler, Jessica ∕ NETWORK 11A Mitchell, Collins, Darrin A.; Collins, Sarah J.; Platt, Mallory Foley, Mary E.; Green, Burma S.; Hennen, Jared; Jones, Rene R. ∕ NETWORK 4A All Present ∕ NETWORK Susan C.; Theresa M. Henderson ∕ NETWORK D.; Riouse, Nicole D.; Styler, Kenneth D. ∕ AUSL Patricia A.; Lalagos, Thomas; Livingston, Stephen D.; 4B All Present ∕ NETWORK 4C All Present ∕ 11B Gorski-Caine, Renee M.; McNeal, Susie E. ∕ SOUTH Chan-McShane, Joann L.; Sanders, Toya Nelson, Lois; Ramirez Odell, Helen M.; Reilly, Mary NEWORK 5A Hudson, Jessie J.; Grayer, Barbara A. NETWORK 11C Triplett, Kevin L. ∕ NETWORK C. ∕ AUSL WEST Pope, Bryan M. ∕ CITY-WIDE Sharon; Scott, Ceclia D.; Steward, Drunita; White, ∕ NETWORK 5B Watson, Joyce; Williams, Lekisch 12A Sabbath, Natalie; Simpson, Allyson L.; Simpson, CAREER SERVICE Bontempo, Benjamin K.; Leandres; Wilson, Roberta M. ∕ NETWORK 6A D’Addario, Paul T.; Smith, Mary Andrea ∕ NETWORK 12B Bell, Wilma Z.; Kidd, Brackenridge, Darrell G.; Butler, Deborah; Campbell, A. ∕ NETWORK 6B Jean, Alicia R. ∕ NETWORK 7A Tracey Y.; Kile, Carmen L. ∕ NETWORK 13A Jacqueline E.; Casimir, Jacqueline; Coty, Sharon;

House of Delegates Meeting ∕ All Present ∕ NETWORK 7A Rentz, Kathleen M. ∕ Quentin ∕ NETWORK 14 Kimbrue, Hayley A.; Reid, Sherry; Lozoya, Maria C.; Riesco, Julieta; Smith, Wednesday, October 30, 2019 NETWORK 7B All Present ∕ NETWORK 8A Martinez, Kimberly M.; Vanover, Daniel L. ∕ NETWORK 15 Cole, Shakita; Stamps, Sharon D.; Trice, Jeanine; Vaughn, Teresa; Matuska, Lisa M. ∕ NETWORK 8B All Present Maximilian A.; Grauer, Brian M.; Kass, Lillian H. ∕ Lanedra J.; Watson, Kimberly A.; Woods, Sabrina A. ∕ Delegates not present: NETWORK 1A All Present ∕ NETWORK 9A Smith, Tara Y. ∕ NETWORK 9B NETWORK 16 Druckmiller, Hannah ∕ NETWORK CITY-WIDE Ali, Jamillah M.; Boughton, Patricia A.; ∕ NETWORK 1B All Present ∕ NETWORK 1C Burrell, Curtis A. ∕ NETWORK 10A All Present ∕ 17 Collins, Darrin A.; Collins, Sarah J.; Platt, Mallory Carter, Cathaline G.; Christensen, William E.; Cochrane, All Present ∕ NETWORK 2A Gladney, Maxine ∕ NETWORK 10B McDevitt, Julie A. ∕ NETWORK D.; Riouse, Nicole D. ∕ AUSL SOUTH Chan-McShane, Christine; Daniels, Theresa D.; Foley, Mary E.; Green, NETWORK 2B Pedersen, Christian E. ∕ NETWORK 10C Spangler, Jessica ∕ NETWORK 11A Eigenbrode, Joann L.; Sanders, Toya C. ∕ AUSL WEST All Present ∕ Burma S.; Heath, Howard L.; Hennen, Jared P.; Lalagos, 3A Meracle, Kenneth D. ∕ NETWORK 3B All Present Jonathan; Henderson, Theresa M. ∕ NETWORK 11B CITY-WIDE CAREER SERVICE Bontempo, Benjamin Thomas; Lewis, John W.; McIntosh, Erica; Nelson, Lois; ∕ NETWORK 4A All Present ∕ NETWORK 4B All Gorski-Caine, Renee M.; McNeal, Susie E. ∕ NETWORK K.; Brackenridge, Darrell G.; Butler, Deborah; Campbell, Reilly, Mary Sharon; Schecter, Jeff M.; Scott, Cecelia D.; Present ∕ NETWORK 4C All Present ∕ NEWORK 11C All Present ∕ NETWORK 12A Carter, Launder Jacqueline E.; Casimir, Jacqueline; Coty, Sharon; Cousins, Steward, Drunita 5A Alexandroff, Pam; Hudson, Jessie J. ∕ NETWORK F. ∕ NETWORK 12B Bell, Wilma Z.; Kidd, Tracey Y.; Willie M.; Cruz, Griselda; Dabney-Parker, Sherri L.; 5B Smith, Edie M. ∕ NETWORK 6A Smith, Mary A.; Kile, Carmen L. ∕ NETWORK 13A Walton, Jennifer R. Fells, Denise M.; Garcia, Bethsaida; Gonzalez, Maria Sweeney, Jonathan M.; Waller, Eric ∕ NETWORK 6B ∕ NETWORK 13B Koslowski, Mary V.; Washington, A.; Henry, Kimberly; Johnson, Bonnie R.; Jordan,

12  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher ‘Lori Lightfoot, get on the right foot!’ Meet the woman whose words you’ve chanted hundreds of times.

Evelyn Davis-West at the CTU SEIU art build on Oct. BY ALAN MAASS poured out 5, 2019. (Photo: Joe Brusky) of the temple f you were one of the 700 people who for the first jammed into the Chicago Temple for the of many marches around City Hall, those and for the students they teach and care bought on the Southwest Side to hand in a Ipre-strike rally on Indigenous Peoples words were echoing around the streets in for. “We were heard,” she says. “We did resume and tell them they had a substitute Day, you already know Evelyn Davis-West. the most popular chant of the day: “Lori gain the respect that was overdue.” teacher in the neighborhood. After three She’s the Service Employees Internation- Lightfoot, get on the right foot!” Respect was the heart of the matter for weeks subbing, Marquette West hired her al Union (SEIU) Local 73 member who Davis-West says the slogan first came Local 73. The average annual salary for as a full-time second-grade teacher. bounded out of her seat, jogged through the to her when she was waiting outside CTU SEIU members at CPS before their new After five years in the classroom, Da- other speakers to get to the microphone, headquarters for the September 24 rally contract was at a level classified by the fed- vis-West left teaching to start a fami- and brought the crowd to its feet. with presidential candidate Bernie Sand- eral government as “very low income” for ly. She had a son, Paul, and a daughter, “I come today to stand tall for all,” Da- ers. A fellow SEIU member was making a family of two living in the Chicago area. Egypt, and when the time came, they vis-West began. “And I come today to let posters and handed her a marker to help: Plus there was the day-to-day reality went to another nearby CPS school: Wil- CPS know: Enough is enough. You’re gon- “He said, ‘Come on, Evelyn, write some- of being overworked for those “ramen liam Bishop Owen. na respect our existence, or you’re gonna thing down,’” she remembers. “And I was noodle” wages. “As SECAs, we just want Once Egypt started going to kindergar- expect our resistance.” like: What can I write, what can I write?” to do our jobs,” says Davis-West. “The job ten full time, Davis-West returned to CPS, Davis-West, a special education class- To her, the phrase summed up educa- that we got hired for was to be with the this time as support staff. She was a bus room assistant (SECA) at William Bishop tors’ feelings toward a mayor who “had most vulnerable children who had these aide first and then became a SECA at Ker- Owen Scholastic Academy, talked about made so many promises during her cam- various disabilities. But instead, at ‘prin- shaw Elementary School. That job lasted a the issues that had brought Local 73 to paigning.” Now in office, Lightfoot was cipal’s discretion,’ they had us doing recess year until Kershaw shut its doors as part of the brink of its first-ever strike in Chica- badmouthing the CTU and SEIU pro- and lunch monitoring, they had us doing Rahm Emanuel’s mass school closures. go Public Schools alongside the Chicago posals she had advocated as a candidate. bulletin boards and clerical work, had us Davis-West went into the sub pool un- Teachers Union. Students, she said, “need Davis-West repeated the slogan in an in- taking kids to the bus, had us putting mail til she was offered a full-time position as us to hold their hands, to make them feel terview with WGN News a week and a half in mailboxes.” a hospice SECA for a child suffering from safe. But we have to be in our right minds, later, and by the time the strike took place, “We want to see equality for the chil- brain cancer who had told the Make-A- and we can’t be in our right mind on this the national media were regularly quoting it dren—that’s why we’re employed,” she Wish Foundation that her wish was to ramen noodle budget they’ve got us on.” to explain the bitterness that union mem- says. “We want to see them get their fair go to school with her friend. The school Finally, Davis-West sent her message bers felt toward a mayor with a reputation share. And some of them, they’re not. was William Bishop Owen, the same one to City Hall: “It’s time for Mayor Light- as a reformer. They’re getting lost by the wayside.” her own children attended, and she re- foot to get on the right foot and negotiate Davis-West says she was proud to mained there as a full-time SECA. Today, Of, by, and for CPS a fair contract now.” By the time the crowd “stand tall” for her fellow union members Davis-West is on leave to work for Local Davis-West had a lifetime of experi- 73 as a field organizer. Evelyn Davis West speaks before the crowd at Chicago ence to draw on when she started teaching So does she think Lori Lightfoot finally Temple for the CTU SEIU Indigenous Peoples Day rally Lightfoot how to tell the right foot from got on the right foot? “It took her eleven on Oct. 14, 2019. (Photo: Sarah-Ji) the wrong foot. She’s a CPS graduate and days, but she did—because the power of now a CPS parent; she was a teacher and the people was stronger than the people CTU member, later a bus aide and now a in power.” SECA in Local 73. Davis-West says SEIU members feel Born in Arkansas, Davis-West moved “relief to no longer have to be on those with her family to Chicago at age seven. ramen noodle wages.” But she says she’s She had attended three CPS schools by the hearing from some that CPS administra- time she graduated from Richard T. Crane tors are still using “principal’s discretion” High School on the West Side in 1988. to pull SECAs away from their assigned Tellingly, two of those schools are shut students to do other duties like recess and down today, and the third, Crane, barely bus monitoring. escaped being closed in 2011 before be- “I keep telling my members: Keep that coming a medical preparatory high school. tentative agreement in a folder with you Davis-West went to college at the Uni- at all times,” she says. “Refer to that. Give versity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an his- the principals a copy of that. Then after torically Black university, earning a bach- that, if it’s still not being honored, then elor’s degree in English, theater and mass that’s when we’re going to have to take communications. When she returned to bigger steps about why we’re still being Chicago, she looked for a teaching job and disrespected. was hired a couple miles down the street Sounds like a new slogan in the mak- from her alma mater as a provisional kin- ing: “Hey Lightfoot, stay on your toes; dergarten teacher at George Leland Ele- honor the contract before our anger mentary School. grows.” Later, after stints at several other schools, she walked over to the elementary Alan Maass is a writer for The Nation, Jaco- school two blocks away from the home she bin, Truthout and other publications.

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  13 (Photo: Sarah-Ji)

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14  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher Climate catastrophe Our youth are emerging as leaders in the climate change movement. Let’s join them.

(Photo: Erik de Haan)

BY NICK LIMBECK deep depression and refused to eat, talk push some into despair. What can any of a school-wide Earth Day event. Use the or go to school. She couldn’t understand us do with a problem so immense? Thun- recent news to strike up a conversation n September 20, millions of young how nothing was being done to solve this berg and millions of young people see no with a colleague and get the ball rolling. people staged a worldwide strike horrific problem. other choice but to band together to de- • Start a climate education working Oto demand government action on Instead of solutions big enough to mand government solutions on the scale group in your school, union or district. climate change. The New York Times re- address the problem, she only heard the necessary to solve the problem. For many, Search out professional development on ported, “Rarely, if ever, has the modern common refrain: reduce, reuse, recycle. that means calling for a Green New Deal. teaching climate change and climate jus- world witnessed a youth movement so At that time, she was diagnosed with As- Our students deserve to understand tice. Ask the important questions: What large and wide, spanning across societies perger’s Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive what Thunberg has learned. They have are people doing to fight for a just transi- rich and poor, tied together by a common disorder and selective mutism. Neverthe- the right to know what is at stake right tion to a carbon-free future? What are the if inchoate sense of rage.” less, in August, 2018, at age 15, Thunberg now and how they can join with others public policies we need to make it happen? Something unprecedented is happen- began protesting outside the Swedish to solve this crisis before it is too late. To How can we make sure all teachers feel ing among the world’s young people. They Parliament. By November of that year, people young and old around the world, equipped to teach about the climate prob- have found a newfound power that has yet her School Strike for Climate had spread Thunberg is a climate hero. But it was only lem and discuss solutions? to be fully realized. But they can’t do it to 112 countries involving an estimated 1.4 once she found a way to take action that • Push for laws to put comprehensive cli- alone. They need adult allies and their million people. Since then, her movement she was able to overcome her depression mate education in every school. Work with teachers should be the first to join them. has continued to grow, with the most re- and transform her personal adversities your union to push for legislation and dis- After all, teachers have gone through a cent strike ballooning to an estimated 4 into strengths. It is our job to teach our trict policies that mandate climate educa- similar experience finding their voice in million participants. students about the crisis, but also to teach tion across grades and subjects. a wave of strikes for public education that Part of Thunberg’s appeal is that she them what they can do about it. • Support substantive climate legislation. have rocked the country and teachers fearlessly speaks truth to power. In one Imagine a unit that engages students In Illinois, it’s the Clean Energy Jobs Act, should be teaching about climate change. of her speeches ahead of the recent Unit- by studying the life of Thunberg and oth- a bill for 100 percent renewable energy in With only a few years left, the time is ed Nations Climate Action Summit, she er inspiring youth leaders like Isra Hirsi, the state, decarbonizing the electric grid now for educators to follow their students’ patiently explained that if we continue the 16-year-old daughter of U.S. Con- by 2030. Climate solutions are big! Learn lead and figure out how to help carry their our current level of CO2 emissions, we gresswoman Ilhan Omar and director of about the Green New Deal and get your message into the classrooms, the streets will likely reach a tipping point by 2030, U.S. Youth Climate Strike and a leading union behind it! and the halls of power. This starts with making it impossible to undo a climate organizer of the recent mobilizations. • Make a plan with your union for the taking the time to learn about this historic catastrophe. Most of us have heard about Students can watch their videos, analyze next time students mobilize for climate movement, how it started and what it is what this catastrophe will entail: devas- their speeches and grapple with the data justice. What can we do to call on districts fighting for. tating flooding, hurricanes, droughts and they deploy. to follow New York and Chicago and allow It began with a young girl from Sweden wildfires that will lead to mass extinc- A number of texts have come out that students to protest without the threat of could come in handy, in- punishment? How can we get districts cluding Thunberg’s book, to offer teachers timely lessons and re- “No One Is Too Small to sources that would actually support and Make a Difference” and encourage our students’ decisions to take “Greta Thunberg Climate action? Can we do field trips to the next Crisis: A Play.” Also avail- climate rally? able in Spanish, “La historia • Connect climate justice to the fight for de Greta: ¡No eres demasia- racial and economic justice. As public do pequeño para hacer co- school teachers, we are already active in sas grandes! La biografía no efforts for educational equity, and justice oficial de Greta Thunberg.” for immigrants and communities of color. By learning about these Look beyond the school walls and you will young activists making his- find that people are also coming togeth- tory, students will explore er to fight against big polluters that are what needs to be done to endangering many working class com- stop climate change, but munities of color. These fights are directly also the qualities that en- linked to the fight for climate justice, and able youth to be such effec- bring the people most impacted by envi- tive leaders for the climate. ronmental degradation into the struggle In Thunberg’s case, students for a climate solution. could explore how having a Teachers have always put their heart disability might actually and soul into developing the next gener- be an extraordinary asset. ation. That passion has led us to rise up These are the types of dis- across the country to improve conditions cussions that move kids in our nation’s public schools. We’ve found from climate despair toward that when we take to the streets and speak action for climate justice. directly to the public with one clear voice, Here are some more meaningful change is possible. Surely, this (Photo: Illinois Youth Climate Strike) ideas for how teachers can newfound power can be leveraged for cli- join the movement for cli- mate justice. Our future and the future of named Greta Thunberg, who was not will- tions, widespread crop failure, famine, mate justice: our young people depend on it. ing to wait any longer to take action for millions of climate refugees and unantici- • Try planning a few lessons on climate climate justice. She describes in her TED pated military conflicts around the world. change and climate justice for your stu- Nick Limbeck is a bilingual fourth grade talk that after learning about the climate Recognizing that many of these effects dents. With a little help from the Inter- teacher in Chicago and an executive board crisis at the age of eight, she fell into a are beginning to take shape already can net, this could lead to a unit of study or member of the CTU.

Chicago Union Teacher ∕ October–November 2019  15 Quest Center Professional Learning Restorative. Relevant. Reflective.

QUEST CENTER

facilitation professional learning opportunity is aligned to the CPS • Collaboration with a cohort of other CPS teachers Framework for Teaching Components: 4a, 4d and 4e. going through the NBC process • Preparation for rigorous content knowledge Assessment Center exercises National Board Certification – • Individual coaching and mentoring by CPS National Creating a Trauma Sensitive Board Certified Teachers 2020-22 Cohort • Assistance with writing required for the National Learning Environment Board portfolio 15 ISBE PD Hours and 1 CPS Lane Placement Credit Attend the Monday, December 16th Informational • 7-day (required) Summer Institute (1st two weeks in Meeting August, 2020 and 2021) This 3-session hybrid course examines how teachers • 36 Graduate Credits/Optional Master’s degree can support and nurture their students’ emotional Recruitment has begun for the 2020–22 Nurturing • 15 CPS Lane Placement Credits well-being before, during, and after traumatic Teacher Leadership cohort. • Membership in the most highly regarded professional events in order to mitigate the impact of complex Nurturing Teacher Leadership learning community childhood trauma. Many of our students have been • Paid coaching roles upon achieving National Board exposed to multiple tragic events, often of an invasive, The CPS/CTU’s 2-year FREE professional development Certification interpersonal nature. This course helps teachers learn and candidate support program, prepares CPS • Joining the ranks of more than 2200 current CPS to deal with the wide-ranging, long-term impact of teachers, counselors, and librarians for National Board National Board Certified Teachers, including former this exposure that often results in grief and depression, Certification (NBC). If you will have completed at least CTU President, Karen GJ Lewis, and 3 years of teaching in your certificate area by June, adversely affecting their students’ learning and social/ • Becoming a better teacher! 2020, you qualify to participate in NBC and earn this emotional well-being. advanced certification, the highest credential a teacher For more information, contact Lynn Cherkasky-Davis This course will focus on: can achieve, as well as: at 312 329 6274 or [email protected] • identifying psychological and behavioral symptoms of • advance on the CPS salary scale complex childhood trauma, • fulfil your state re-licensure requirements To learn more and to register for the 12/16/2019 meeting go to CTUF.org/NTL • the role of the teacher after a traumatic event, • earn an annual $2200+ pensionable stipend • how to develop support systems and safe spaces for • receive contractual and other leadership opportunities students to cope with grief, including 1st consideration for Consulting Teacher • teacher self-care to prevent secondary traumatic and Framework Specialist roles stress, and • qualify for a full scholarship Burn-out First Aid • the impact school and community culture has had on • earn an optional Master’s Degree and/or graduate celebrating life to manage grief associated with death and CPS Lane Placement salary credits 3 ISBE PD Hours or loss. • attain the ISBE NBPTS Master Certification During this PD discussions will be had on the symptoms Endorsement exempting you from half the required and warning signs of burn-out, as well as some This offering will support teachers in creating a safe ISBE PD hours preventative measures to keep you healthy and inspired. and supportive environment in which students feel nurtured, not only to learn, but also to express their Benefits When your main tool and instrument for your work is yourself, it’s no wonder our work can be impacted feelings. Participants will receive the CPS Crisis Nurturing Teacher Leadership boasts a 94% by cumulative stress, emotional fatigue, and sense of Management Manual. They also will work with the achievement rate, twice the national average. It helplessness. This workshop will feature assessment instructor to produce their own Classroom Crisis Plan. includes: tools, lessons from the field, and participatory examples This course is aligned with the CPS Framework for • Weekly Professional Development and small group for collective and individual self-care practices. This Teaching Components 1b, 2a, 2d, 4d, and 4e

GO TO THE QUEST CENTER WEBSITE FOR PRICING OPTIONS, DATES, TIMES AND TO REGISTER. ctuf.org/questcenter

(Photos: Sarah-Ji)

16  October–November 2019 ∕ Chicago Union Teacher