Posted on 09/22/2012 6:40:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
The successful business leaders that sit on the Chicago Board of Education must have checked their brains at the door when they went into the negotiating room with the teachers union. How else could they possibly negotiate a contract that the school district can’t possibly afford?
Truth be told, if board member Penny Pritzker’s Hyatt Hotels operated that way, they’d be out of business. But, alas, this is government. They strike deals with unions and figure out how taxpayers will fund it later.
Reuters tells us:
“Chicago public school teachers returned to their classrooms on Wednesday but thorny questions remained over how Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the cash-strapped school system will pay for the tentative contract that ended a strike of more than a week.
“The three-year contract, which has an option for a fourth year and which awaits a ratification vote by the 29,000-member Chicago Teachers Union, calls for an average 17.6 percent pay raise over four years and some benefit improvements.
“Average teacher pay is now about $76,000 a year, according to the district, which pegged the annual cost of the new contract at $74 million a year, or $295 million over four years.
“The $5.16 billion fiscal 2013 budget approved by Chicago Board of Education last month closed a $665 million deficit by draining reserves and levying property taxes at a maximum rate, while also slashing administrative and operational spending.”
Let’s see: historically high pay, depleted reserves, maxed-out tax rates…so what does the board negotiate? A 17.6 percent raise and benefit improvements! Hyatt Hotels may go bankrupt operating that way, but this is government!
The likeliest solution would be to slim down the district, which would directly impact the Chicago Teachers Union’s dues intake. The district will most likely lay off teachers to cut costs and make up for the loss of student enrollment.
The district’s financial problems are compounded by the fact that its credit rating was recently downgraded, making it more expensive for the district to borrow money. The district’s draining of its reserves, huge pension costs and labor fight were blamed for that development.
The union’s strike accomplished precisely what it set out to do: get a sweetheart deal from a scared school board that checked its business brains at the door. That’s no way to run government and certainly no way to run schools.
its not enough they have the cream of the crop health care, insane summer vacations, every weekend off, every holiday off, along with Christmas break and an extra day with Thanksgiving, and spring break....
this is why people are turned off by teachers.....they don't teach...
Nothing to do with test scores. It’s about redistribution of wealth. The idea was first fostered about 35-40 years ago with the concept of Megalopolis, then defined as the unbroken urban/suburban areas from D.C. to Boston. The 60s saw white flight and the growth of the burbs and urban problems too great for the financial resources of cities. Regionalization, starting with school systems, done through federal judicial fiat (see Yonkers and Judge Sand) would be a starting point, followed by the creation of area school districts and the dissolution of local suburban districts. Other areas of govt would follow in this expansion of power over local communities.
Two things brought it to a halt. One was the potential for violent opposition(see Boston busing)because of a variety of reasons, racism, fear of crime,desire to control your kids’ education, desire not to return to the control of the machine you left by moving out and two, was the Black power movement which sought to give black neighborhoods and communities control over their schools and other operations of city govt due to a belief that such govt being white controlled was either racist or unconcerned with problems in black communities. .( see Altschuler Community Control, 1970)
But if you read the goals of the Progressive Chicago machine Obama springs from you will see that regionalization and redistribution are promine In the late 60s and early 70s it was hoped local/state Progressive politics could persuade voters to accept this readjustment of govt boundaries, but now they see the control of the federal courts and bureaucracy as an opportunity to return to these goals.
a guy called into Dave Ramsey the other day...his teacher wife is going to be getting $3800 a month...and he wanted to know the best way to gouge the system even more....
“...how they’re going to pay for the new contract.”
Darn the taxpayers!!! More taxes ahead!!! (For the children you know.)
IMHO
There are a lot of them, so I am sure some went to private schools. Not all are in the Chicago area. Also, my contacts are now grandparents and I am no longer friends with them, due to politics. Things were different in the 60s/70s and even in the 80s, especially in more affluent areas.
You’re right. It is just very frustrating to see perfectly healthy 55 year olds retired, having two homes, tennis membership, new SUVs, and complaining about contributing more to their healthcare!
The fellow citizens will pay these extortionist goons.
“Chicago School Leaders Don’t Know How They’re Going to Pay for the New Contract!”
Here’s my two cents: Cut everything that is not mandated by law. All sports, music, clubs, extracurricular activites, everything but the core subjects. Lock the doors after the last bell. That’ll make a few teachers redundant who can then be let go. Then start on the admin staff.
Two words.
Reelect Obama.
Maybe for Senator, since the Jesse Jackson tribe is being run out of DC
Re: “One of the foundations of a civilized society is the respect for contracts.”
Another foundation is common sense.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.
If one views Chicago government as an ongoing criminal conspiracy - as I do - then one must draw the obvious conclusions and accept personal responsibility for being duped.
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