4 ms·

Chicago Public Schools cancels classes after union votes to go virtual

21 points by lando2319 5y ago

rdtwo 5y ago
What a disaster. Not even a week heads up just a sudden f-you to all the parents. If you live in Chicago and aren’t looking to bail you are doing it wrong it’s a huge fail city.
- blitzar 5y ago
  If you live in Chicago and can afford to bail, your kids don't go to Chicago Public Schools.
  - rdtwo 5y ago
    True, anyone that has any decent means is probably doing private school or lives in the burbs because the public government system is so failed.
- toomuchtodo 5y ago
  It’s a great city if you don’t have kids and are of means. It absolutely is a terrible place if you’re poor and rely on public services that aren’t transportation (CTA, Metra), which are pretty good. Besides the cold winters and the nosediving budget/pension situation, it’s one of my favorite places.
shishy 5y ago
Learning might actually be better virtually than in person given the current situation -- there is a crazy amount of teacher / substitute teacher shortage (staffing issue) due to them being out because of exposure / symptoms. Plus kids constantly being out for the same reason leads to a lot of disruption within in-person education. I think part of what contributes is that the city is still using the 10-day quarantine guideline instead of the updated shorter one from the CDC? Still it seems to have been handled rather poorly but, easy for me to judge from the outside... must be hectic internally especially since it was just the holiday season.
- eggy 5y ago
  Virtual doesn't work the way they have implemented it. If the same problems exist that you list: "teacher/substitute teacher shortage (staffing issue)" they don't assign, permit, and administer the virtual classes and assignments for the same reasons. The few teachers who are out ill, and try to do so, are fewer than you think. At least here in NY.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
encoderer 5y ago
The people of Chicago have an elected body that should be making these choices. Instead a teachers union holds the city hostage. I grew up in a UAW family and I’ve always supported unions but teachers unions need to be treated like other essential services: Public sector employees that are not entitled to strike.
- Hermitian909 5y ago
  Conversely, I find the notion of outlawing striking for anything other than military or law enforcement officers absolutely abhorrent. Strikes are the only real tool unions have and it's not like teachers are living in the lap of luxury. These people are frightened and don't want to be forced to put their health at risk, I think stopping them from asserting that right would be a gross violation of their rights.
  - encoderer 5y ago
    If you work for the public sector your collective bargaining is against.. the “union” of voters who pay you. This is no way to run a society. “It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” - George meany
    - Hermitian909 5y ago
      > If you work for the public sector your collective bargaining is against.. the “union” of voters who pay you. I'd first note that politicians and government bureaucracy is a very large layer of indirection between the public and the government employees. Second, how does that justify unsafe working conditions for employees that have not been granted any special powers? I know teachers who are afraid that these policies will kill them or someone they love. This danger is not part of the job description, there was no warning that "if you or your loved ones are immunocompromised you may be asked to put them in harms way for the good of society". > “It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” - George meany This doesn't seem to match the empirical evidence. Public sector unions across the world have done it fairly successfully for over a century. In countries that didn't gut private sector unions it's not like public employees have a much sweeter deal than everyone else, just a decent standard of living.
Reichhardt 5y ago
At what point do we declare Chicago a failed city? Hopefully the next Republican administration will stop feeding Illinois funds and just allow them to go bankrupt - and begin the process of rebuilding.

21 points by lando2319 5y ago

What a disaster. Not even a week heads up just a sudden f-you to all the parents. If you live in Chicago and aren’t looking to bail you are doing it wrong it’s a huge fail city.

blitzar 5y ago
If you live in Chicago and can afford to bail, your kids don't go to Chicago Public Schools.
- rdtwo 5y ago
  True, anyone that has any decent means is probably doing private school or lives in the burbs because the public government system is so failed.
toomuchtodo 5y ago
It’s a great city if you don’t have kids and are of means. It absolutely is a terrible place if you’re poor and rely on public services that aren’t transportation (CTA, Metra), which are pretty good. Besides the cold winters and the nosediving budget/pension situation, it’s one of my favorite places.

shishy 5y ago

Learning might actually be better virtually than in person given the current situation -- there is a crazy amount of teacher / substitute teacher shortage (staffing issue) due to them being out because of exposure / symptoms. Plus kids constantly being out for the same reason leads to a lot of disruption within in-person education. I think part of what contributes is that the city is still using the 10-day quarantine guideline instead of the updated shorter one from the CDC? Still it seems to have been handled rather poorly but, easy for me to judge from the outside... must be hectic internally especially since it was just the holiday season.

eggy 5y ago
Virtual doesn't work the way they have implemented it. If the same problems exist that you list: "teacher/substitute teacher shortage (staffing issue)" they don't assign, permit, and administer the virtual classes and assignments for the same reasons. The few teachers who are out ill, and try to do so, are fewer than you think. At least here in NY.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

encoderer 5y ago

The people of Chicago have an elected body that should be making these choices. Instead a teachers union holds the city hostage. I grew up in a UAW family and I’ve always supported unions but teachers unions need to be treated like other essential services: Public sector employees that are not entitled to strike.

Hermitian909 5y ago
Conversely, I find the notion of outlawing striking for anything other than military or law enforcement officers absolutely abhorrent. Strikes are the only real tool unions have and it's not like teachers are living in the lap of luxury. These people are frightened and don't want to be forced to put their health at risk, I think stopping them from asserting that right would be a gross violation of their rights.
- encoderer 5y ago
  If you work for the public sector your collective bargaining is against.. the “union” of voters who pay you. This is no way to run a society. “It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” - George meany
  - Hermitian909 5y ago
    > If you work for the public sector your collective bargaining is against.. the “union” of voters who pay you. I'd first note that politicians and government bureaucracy is a very large layer of indirection between the public and the government employees. Second, how does that justify unsafe working conditions for employees that have not been granted any special powers? I know teachers who are afraid that these policies will kill them or someone they love. This danger is not part of the job description, there was no warning that "if you or your loved ones are immunocompromised you may be asked to put them in harms way for the good of society". > “It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” - George meany This doesn't seem to match the empirical evidence. Public sector unions across the world have done it fairly successfully for over a century. In countries that didn't gut private sector unions it's not like public employees have a much sweeter deal than everyone else, just a decent standard of living.

Reichhardt 5y ago

At what point do we declare Chicago a failed city? Hopefully the next Republican administration will stop feeding Illinois funds and just allow them to go bankrupt - and begin the process of rebuilding.