YEAR IN REVIEW ∕ DUE PROCESS ∕ SOCIAL WORK IN CPS ∕ RIGHTING THE WRONGS ChicagoUnionTeacherjune 2016 / vol. 79 / number 8 ChicagoUnionTeacher AROUND THE UNION 5 President’s Message 6 Letters of Solidarity: Dear CTU, We Stand With You! CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT 14 Does Due Process Matter When a ‘Bad’ Teacher in Mistreated? MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 17 A Life Saved–And a Cautionary Tale 17 State Board of Ed Licensure Information 18 I’m Tired of Injustice Caused by the City’s Mismanagement ANNUAL STUDENT ART SHOWCASE 22 Young Artist Awards 2016 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 30 CTU Research: Righting CPS Wrongs 32 CTU Organizing: Power in Numbers YEAR IN REVIEW ∕ DUE PROCESS ∕ SOCIAL WORK IN CPS ∕ RIGHTING CPS WRONGS 36 Our Year, Our Union: Th e Year in Pictures ChicagoUnionTeacherjune 2016 / vol. 79 / number 8 RESEARCH 40 Social Workers and Psychologists Decry Conditions in Chicago Schools TEACHER EVALUATION 44 Calling on Charlotte Danielson to Rethink Her Rethinking EVENTS 48 CTU Joins Canadian, Mexican Teachers in Solidarity Against Repression BOOKS 50 Th e Life of a Freedom Fighter ▲ COMMENTARY Cover illustration: Latisia Clavien, 50 Why Does CPS CEO Forrest Claypool Th ink He’s Above the Law? Jordan Elementary IN CLOSING 54 Delegates Not Present 55 In Memoriam ChicagoUnionTeacher EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ∕ Stephanie A. Gadlin ASSOCIATE EDITOR ∕ Ronnie Reese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ∕ Susan Hickey, LCSW, Jennifer Johnson, Joey McDermott, Timothy Meegan, Jackson Potter, Ronnie Reese, Walter Taylor CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ∕ Zbigniew Bzdak, Nathan Goldbaum, Jamie Link, Debra Loch, Tonya Werner-Martin, Jose Osorio, Jackson Potter, Ronnie Reese, Sarah-Ji, Bob Simpson ADVERTISING MANAGER ∕ April Stigger GRAPHIC DESIGN ∕ PRODUCTION ∕ Eric Ruder OFFICERS Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT ∕ PRESIDENT Jesse Sharkey ∕ VICE PRESIDENT Kristine Mayle ∕ FINANCIAL SECRETARY Michael Brunson ∕ RECORDING SECRETARY Th e Chicago Union Teacher is published eight times a year in September, October/November, December, January, February, March, April, May/June. Th e Chicago Union Teacher is the offi cial publication of the Chicago Teachers Union, which is the exclusive bargaining agent for teachers, counselors, librarians, clinicians and paraprofessional and school-related personnel in the Chicago Public Schools. Chicago Teachers Union • Local 1 • American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Th e Chicago Union Teacher is affi liated with the International Labor Communications Association and the AFT Communications Network. Chicago Teachers Union affi liations include the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), the Illinois State Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (ISFL-CIO), the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 222 MERCHANDISE MART PLAZA SUITE NO. 400 CHICAGO, IL 60654-1016 TELEPHONE: 312-329-9100 E-MAIL: [email protected] (GENERAL) [email protected] (ADVERTISING) WWW.CTUNET.COM THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Sisters and Brothers, is has been a year of ups and downs, a state budget. Chicago’s mayor wants and while the rhetoric between some of educators to take a 7 percent pay cut, and our elected offi cials has ramped up over endure skyrocketing health care costs, the past few weeks, your union has taken increased class sizes and further charter this time to refl ect and plan for the future. expansion, but does not want to tax his We’ve had quite the busy spring—on a wealthy business cronies. His handpicked number of fronts—and wanted to give our CPS CEO has hit students and parents members time to fi nish the year strong, with the threat of CPS not opening school despite the uncertainty that faces our dis- doors next fall. To say we are in crisis mode trict as we head into the summer. would be an understatement. In reading the collection of letters in But let us be clear, Chicago represents this issue from national American Feder- the wealthiest part of Illinois with over two- ation of Teachers affi liates, however, it is thirds of the state’s gross state domestic apparent that our fi ght for school funding, product, which means we can save our- a fair contract and the city our students selves. Solutions will come when the mayor and their families deserve is one that we and city leaders go after much-needed rev- share with thousands of others. In the time enue. is is the only way we will be able that our leadership team has been in offi ce, to win a good contract that supports great on our schools, we are shifting many nar- you have pushed the Chicago Teachers schools in all of our communities. We know ratives surrounding public education, and Union to the forefront in the war to defend that we cannot win a decent contract with- after a summer of rejuvenation for our public education, not only in the city of out winning revenue, so we are going after members—if not for our Organizing Chicago, but nationwide. As many of you the mayor, the governor, CPS and the pow- Department—will enter the 2016-2017 know, I have three questions that I always er elite to accomplish that goal. school year an even greater force. ask when faced with decisions surrounding roughout the summer and beyond, Join us Wednesday, June 22, as we the work we do—does it unite us, does it we will continue to advocate for our stu- march on city hall to call for progressive build our power and does it make us stron- dents and our members, examples of which revenue solutions for our city and public ger? e words of encouragement from you will fi nd in this issue of Chicago Union schools. Let us also welcome new CTU our union sisters and brothers around the Teacher, like our profi le of CTU delegate Financial Secretary Maria Moreno, who country embody all three of these ques- Omar Gonzalez of Burroughs Elementary will be joining us July 1. Maria, a citywide tions, and it is with that support that we School. We are changing the political land- speech-language pathologist and functional are emboldened in our eff orts, not just for scape through our work for an elected CTU vice president, will be replacing Kris- the betterment of Chicago Public Schools, school board in Chicago and a new school tine Mayle. Kristine has poured her heart but as an inspiration to all. funding formula. We are improving our into her job for the past six years, and as a We have now gone nearly one full year practice as educators by fi ghting back special education teacher in CPS, has a without a contract. CPS is broke by design. against the onslaught of high-stakes stan- large place in that heart for children who Illinois is fl at broke and being “governed” dardized tests and “no-win” systems of are most in need of resources. is passion by a stark-raving mad ideologue who teacher evaluation, as explained in this transferred into her amazing work for our thinks our city’s public schools are prisons, issue by CTU Teacher Evaluation Facili- union. She will be dearly missed. and has us approaching 400 days without tator Jennifer Johnson. Despite the attacks My best to you all for a great summer. In solidarity, Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT CHICAGO UNION TEACHER june 2016 5 LETTERS OF SOLIDARITY We Stand With You! ll eyes remain on the Chicago Teachers Union in our fight for a fair contract and the schools and city our students and their families deserve. Here are some words of Aencouragement and inspiration from our union sisters and brothers around the country. American funding of schools! We’ve got other professionals whose services Federation your back. are vital to the health of their of Teachers —Susan Youssofi, Senior communities. We are all in this together because we have a shared a n k y o u . a n k Associate, Digital Marketing, Share My Lesson goal, which is to improve the lives you for standing up and fi ghting of the people we serve. for what we know is right. ank you for forcing politicians in Chi- —Dan Montgomery, Illinois President, Illinois Federation cago, Springfi eld, and Washing- Federation ton, D.C. to pay attention to what of Teachers is going on in schools. ank you of Teachers for using your voice to stick up On behalf of Newark for your students, especially since the 103,000 mem- Teachers so many of them don’t have any- bers of the Illinois Federation of Union one else sticking up for them. Teachers—from Lake County to ank you for showing us all St. Clair County—we stand in e teachers’ aides what solidarity really means. solidarity with our sisters and and clerks of the Your fi ght is our fi ght—it’s the brothers in the Chicago Teachers Newark Teachers Union in New- fi ght to protect public education Union, who are now fi ghting for a ark, N.J. stand with you. as a public good. I want you to contract that will give the students know that the AFT is behind you of Chicago the best education pos- 100 percent, and—with apologies sible. is is never easy, and we St. Paul to all math teachers everywhere— applaud your eff orts toward com- Federation that goes double for me. I’m with mon sense reforms that will of Teachers you in this fi ght today, tomorrow improve the classroom experience e St. Paul Feder- and every day until we win. for the students of Chicago. ation of Teachers —Randi Weingarten, We stood tall and marched stands with the CTU as you con- President, American with you in September of 2012, tinue your fi ght for schools your Federation of Teachers and again on April 1st of 2016.