Board Refuses to Change Direction on Staff Cuts, Even if CTU Finds Waste
Yesterday's budget talks between the Board of Education and the CTU leadership with the 34-member rank-and-file negotiating team left many questions unanswered. However, the Board made one thing clear: no matter how much waste the CTU finds in the CPS budget, they don't want to hear about it. They are too invested in keeping the status quo with their non-classroom spending habits that they are willing to raise class sizes and cut off services for our students.
The Board's lawyers claimed that jobs can be saved if CTU members agreed to "contract modifications"-concessions by another name. However, they refused to guarantee that those "modifications" would stave off staff cuts.
The Board's lawyer, James Franczek, asserted:
- Deficit discussions should be separate from contract concession talk.
- Nothing but contract concessions can save jobs, even if the CTU finds enough wasteful spending to plug the deficit.
- CPS will not agree to protect staffing levels, even if CTU agrees to all concessions.
Prior to the meeting, the CTU held a press conference where reporters asked President Lewis about possible concessions. She told them that she refused to use the "c-word." The CTU maintains that negotiating should be done face-to-face, and not in the media. Yesterday, the CTU forced the Board to meet face-to-face with thirty-four rank-and-file members, exposing their malfeasance.
Although the next meeting has not been scheduled, this discussion is far from over.
The CTU Officers would like to thank the members of the negotiating team who made this possible.
| Beverly Allebach Lois Ashford Mike Baldwin Finola Burrell Carol Caref Jim Cavallero Lisa Dimberg Suzanne Dunne Sara Echevarria Mary Edmonds |
Bernie Eshoo Maureen Forte Sheila Frazier Norine Gutekanst Susan Hickey Gloria Higgins Rivanna Jihan Jose Jiminez Jen Johnson |
Lois Jones Joe Mcdermott Adria Mitchell Cielo Munoz Gina O'connor Al Ramirez Jay Rehak Francie Reizen |
Annette Rizzo John Silva Eric Skalinder Betty Smith Pam Touras Keith Vandermeulen Arlene Williams Crystal Williams |
