The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is trying to block the closure of Chicago's “empty” and “underperforming” public schools, despite experts calling for them to be closed or consolidated, Illinois nonprofit Wirepoint reported Monday.
Many of Chicago's public schools are facing a variety of problems, including steep enrollment declines, financial difficulties and “empty” schools, according to a Chicago Board of Education report. Wire pointsWhile experts have called for the district to close or consolidate schools, the CTU opposes potential closures and instead urges the district to hire more employees, Wirepoints reported.
“If the union truly believes these staff are necessary to improve student achievement, it should approve closures and consolidations so districts can more easily provide the support staff needed for each school,” Wirepoint said in a report Monday. “Obviously, the CTU will not approve, as it would reduce union membership and power.”
A Wirepoints report on Monday found that declining enrollment was the primary factor behind the closure of 50 Chicago schools in 2013. Some have said Chicago Public Schools (CPS) should close or consolidate schools to “save capital expenditures,” but the CTU continues to oppose this, according to Wirepoints.
“CPS recently reported that only 323,000 students were enrolled in the school,” Wirepoint said in its Monday report, “a disastrous 26 percent decline over two decades.”
“The decline in enrollment was driven primarily by a 50 percent decline in black enrollment, a drop of approximately 115,000 students,” the report said. “The city's persistent crime rate and stagnant reading proficiency rates among black graduating students at nearly 10 percent no doubt contributed to the exodus.”
“CPS plans to spend $1 billion just to maintain and renovate its 20 vacant schools,” Wirepoints noted. “The district says it needs a massive total of $14.4 billion to address emergency building repairs and fully renovate all 522 of its public school buildings — nearly $5 billion more than the district's entire annual budget.”
The CTU has accused Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez of planning to consolidate or close schools in the district with low enrollment, calling it a “major obstacle to our collective success” even though Martinez has denied the allegations about his school closure plans. According to For Chalkbeat Chicago . The union has called for Martinez to resign as contract negotiations with the school district continue. post It will be available on the website from Sunday.
“CEO Martinez's plan for closures, cuts, consolidations and layoffs is a call to action,” the CTU said in a post. “In the coming weeks we must show strength and unity to win a transformative contract and put an end to the debate over balanced budgets at the expense of our students and school communities.”
“Our members know the district desperately needs a leader who will fight for the resources our students deserve, and CEO Martinez has lost our confidence,” the CTU continued in the post. “We need someone who can lead CPS toward equity, growth and opportunity, not a return to the harmful decisions of the past. Our students and communities need a leader who will invest in the future of public education and prioritize Black and Brown neighborhoods, not leave them behind. We believe it's time for CEO Martinez to step down and be replaced with someone who will seize this historic opportunity to transform our schools.”
The teachers union backed Democratic former Mayor Brandon Johnson over fellow Democrat Lori Lightfoot in Chicago's mayoral race, in part because the CTU opposed reopening the district's schools during the pandemic until teachers were vaccinated. Some questioned the CTU's support, saying it was because Johnson was on the union's payroll. Report From March 2023, Illinois Policy Institute.
“Chronic absenteeism has been serious across the country since the pandemic, but it's even worse in Chicago,” said Hilary Gowins, senior vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute. Editorial “It hurts the future of our students and the well-being of our city,” it said in April.
According to data found in a Wirepoints report, the number of Chicago public school systems that are more than half empty has doubled in the past decade, and many Chicago public school students are unable to read or write at grade level. Report It is scheduled to be released by Wirepoints in July 2023.
“The deep connections Chicagoans have with their neighborhood schools should not be easily ignored,” Wirepoint said in a report Monday. “But neither should the long-term trends of families fleeing CPS, rising vacant school buildings, and declining literacy rates be ignored — not to mention higher taxes as the costs of mismanagement continue to rise.”
Reading comprehension is a major concern for Chicago Public Schools teachers, and many Chicago residents say they feel public school students are not learning enough. Report From the May Public Agenda.
“Simply put, Public Agenda's survey finds that Chicagoans believe the biggest problem with the city's public schools is that students are not achieving academically,” Public Agenda said in the report. “A majority of the city's residents, especially parents, believe the school system's primary goal should be to prepare students for college.” (Related article: Chicago schools lose $23 million in laptops, iPads)
“The biggest problem is the system isn't working,” Wirepoint president Ted Dabrowski told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Kids can't read. Kids can't do math.”
“I think Chicago parents and residents should be aware of the fact that Child Protective Services is spending $30,000 per child, and most of these children, like the overwhelming majority of children, are illiterate,” Dabrowski told DCNF. “And everyone should know that, and everyone should step up to try to do something about it. You know, closing schools is just the beginning, it's not the real solution. Really, we need to stick to literacy, and we need to give parents the option to attend schools other than public schools.”
“I think what's most concerning when we look at the data on student achievement in the district is how few students meet grade-level standards in reading and math each year,” a policy analyst with the Illinois Policy Institute said. Hannah Schmidt told DCNF, “The spring 2023 data is the most recent testing data released by the Illinois State Board of Education on student achievement. On the 2023 test, only 26% of Chicago third through eighth graders were reading at grade level.”
CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 21: A school bus parks at the Alltown Bus Service yard on the first day of class in Chicago Public Schools on August 21, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education released a five-year strategic plan outlining proposals to invest in the district and improve student achievement over the next five years,” Schmidt told DCNF. “But one of the big things that caught our eye in the plan is the discussion of how to redefine student success in the district. This is really interesting because we're seeing an increase in the percentage of students not meeting proficiency in reading and math, and the district doesn't seem to be taking responsibility.”
The CTU declined to comment to the DCNF.
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