(DailyVantage.com) – The Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) has set a number of specific demands it wants met, including additional funding for salaries and other benefits, as it entered negotiations with the Windy City’s public school system.
The CTU and the Chicago public school system currently operate under a contract, which is set to expire in June.
According to Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the CTU, the union is asking for as high as $50 billion for it to renew its contract with the public school system. Under current compensation rules, teachers in Chicago only get around $67,000 a year. But with the new rules the CTU is asking for, teachers may be eligible to receive salaries and benefits as high as $95,000 by 2028. On top of that, the CTU wants teachers to receive a 9% cost of living adjustment to their wages annually, as well as an additional $1,000 stipend per extra student a teacher is forced to take in more than what her contractual limit indicates. Moreover, the CTU is also asking that teachers be granted subsidies for both abortion care and certain fertility treatments. The union also wants annual training on current LGBTQ+ issues
The CTU’s demands also include benefits for migrants, with the union asking that taxpayer monies be funneled into a $2,000 payment to each migrant. The funds are supposed to be used to assist migrants in accessing schools, housing, mental health counseling, and securing transportation.
The demands come on the heels of reports of underperformance in many of Chicago’s public schools. Data indicates that less than a quarter, or 21%, of eighth-graders can be considered proficient in reading. The district also spends significantly more per student compared to other states, forking out as much as $21,000 per student. In contrast, census data indicates that the national average is $14,347 taxpayer dollars.
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