The November 2007 issue of Substance:
Thousands working without full pay while union quietly complains
The CTU (Chicago Teachers Union) House of Delegates met at Plumbers Hall, 1340 West Washington Blvd., on October 3, 2007, after a tumultuous month during which stunned delegates witnessed their union chiefs ramrod through, by any means possible, a sweetheart deal of a contract for the mayor. Continue story...
Corruption of foundation-supported "reform" publications proves independence has to be rooted in grass roots financing
Groups that once provided a critical look at Chicago (and the nation's) "school reform" activities have witnessed their funding evaporate for opposing the corporate party line. Continue story...
Recess and physical education are essential to children's development
Advocate of recess for grade school children continues to speak out at October 24 Chicago Board of education meeting. Continue story...
All-Saints Day anti-war protest results in backlash
“Boneheaded” was the word heard most often from parents, students, and anti-war activists who turned out, nearly 200 strong, for the November 7 meeting of the Board of Education of J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 in Cicero, Illinois. Continue story...
RTAC chief warns retirees to be ready to lobby against attacks on defined benefit pension plans
More than 1,000 retired teachers filled the ballroom at the Palmer House on October 4, 2007 for the annual RTAC (Retired Teachers Association of Chicago) luncheon and election of officers. Continue story...
Sister Grim
It was the day — or maybe the second day — after report-card pickup. The bi-ennial event had been messier than ewe-sual in the City of Chicaaago, which was located, as always, in the Sorry Cheapskate State of Ill - A Noise. Read Grim's Fairly Tale...
New York City teachers union (the UFT) agrees to huge merit pay program
In an agreement that will have repercussions nationally, the nation’s largest teacher union local recently agreed to a huge merit pay program. Continue story...
Hooked on Phonics gunmen violated CPS policy on private security gunmen
The placing of armed private security guards on school grounds during a media event to promote the controversial “Hooked on Phonics” program on August 31, 2007, was a violation of CPS weapons policies, according to officials in the CPS Department of School Security and Safety. Continue story...
BoardWatch
A recap of the October 2007 Chicago Board of Education meeting. Continue story...
The school closing scam
Michelle Navarre, "Director of Academics" at Polaris Charter School, speaks at a media event held on October 9, 2007. Photo by George Schmidt.
Chicago has closed more than 40 schools since 2001 under 'No Child Left Behind', remodeling many into charter schools. Continue story...
Austin Freedom Riders continue demand for high school for all Austin area kids
Members of the Austin Freedom Riders at the corner of North Ave and Cicero on a Saturday morning in October, campaigning for the return of the school.
Photo by George Schmidt.
They call themselves the “Freedom Riders.” Every Saturday for the past four months, they’ve fanned out across Chicago’s West Side with petitions and leaflets, demanding that the Chicago Board of Education reverse its discrimination against their community and create a general high school that any Austin child can attend. Continue story...
Chicago Teachers Union conspicuously absent -- again
From the 'L' platform at Wells and Jackson, overlooking the October 27, 2007 anti-war march in Chicago. The CTU was notably absent. Photo by George Schmidt
Although we didn’t attend the rally in Union Park prior to the main October 27 anti-war march, I was able to photograph virtually every block of the march itself either along the line of march or from the “L” platform at Wells and Jackson. Continue story...
Teacher cuts, 'position closings' hit Chicago's general high schools hardest
Public protests hit three Chicago high schools in early October after the Board of Education fired teachers from those schools because of what the Board said was an insufficient number of students in the schools to justify the teachers’ position. Continue story...
