Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/category/catalyst/page/3/)
Eleven communities across the state are testing out strategies to enroll more high-needs children in early learning programs. Some of the best ideas will be scaled up throughout Illinois. But the state’s budget crisis could hinder progress.
The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates voted to cancel the planned May elections, granting President Karen Lewis and her slate from the Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators an automatic re-election.
Thousands of Chicago Teachers Union members took to the streets on April 1 for a one-day strike. Meanwhile, school district officials insist the strike was illegal and are seeking an injunction to prevent future actions of this kind.
A running, interactive timeline tracks the key progress — and setbacks — in contract negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Board of Education, as well provides some historical context.
Chicago Public Schools is suing to block the state charter school commission from keeping open three struggling schools the School Board earlier voted to close. It’s likely the schools will be able to stay open as the cases wind their way through court.
The House of Delegates votes today on whether teachers will go on a one-day strike on April 1. Some educators say they’ll go to work that day regardless of what delegates decide.
The School Board will vote on contracts for Grow Your Own, Teach For America and the Golden Apple Foundation to recruit and train a diverse pool of teachers for hard-to-fill positions, including special and bilingual education, and in high-needs schools.
Chicago Public Schools is seeking to recoup money spent on the crooked SUPES contract and other penalties under a state law that allows government agencies to sue individuals who commit fraud against them.
The city is trying to unsnarl the tangle of rules governing preschool enrollment and funding that have long created barriers to participation, especially for low-income children.
In a major about-face, Chicago Public Schools officials announced they would delay ending the pension pickup for teachers. But union officials say an end to the payment in the future would still constitute an unfair labor practice.