Chicago School Board Votes To Shutter 50 Public Schools

[RGinWA 816]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/School-Board-Votes-to-close-49-schools-208547131.html

Although I am a proponent of organized labor, I am not however a supporter of the teachers union.

In my experience of being a single parent who's engaged in my children's education I've continually found the needs of the teachers and the union trumping the needs of the children. I'm not talking one incident, these teachers basically think they are untouchable.

Case in point is that recently my son had a teacher with anger issues. She continually lost her temper in class and I reported incident after incident regarding her behavior. These incidents were acknowledged by the principal and yet nothing could be done at the school level. They basically told me that their hands were tied by the teachers tenor in the union.

They need to have an educational system where the kids aren't treated as just a manufactured product with no real rights.

Its the exact wrong place to have a union in my opinion; because the long term impact on the child is so detrimental.

Charter schools aren't our saviors either. Any school needs involvement by the parents. Yet is a charter school I'm sure bad behavior and under performance by a teacher is easier to rectify. That's just not possible under the current public school system that has the teachers union to protect them.

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

now for the vj teachers to show up.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

That's not very modlike.

[Karee 4,190]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/School-Board-Votes-to-close-49-schools-208547131.html

Although I am a proponent of organized labor, I am not however a supporter of the teachers union.

In my experience of being a single parent who's engaged in my children's education I've continually found the needs of the teachers and the union trumping the needs of the children. I'm not talking one incident, these teachers basically think they are untouchable.

Case in point is that recently my son had a teacher with anger issues. She continually lost her temper in class and I reported incident after incident regarding her behavior. These incidents were acknowledged by the principal and yet nothing could be done at the school level. They basically told me that their hands were tied by the teachers tenor in the union.

They need to have an educational system where the kids aren't treated as just a manufactured product with no real rights.

Its the exact wrong place to have a union in my opinion; because the long term impact on the child is so detrimental.

Charter schools aren't our saviors either. Any school needs involvement by the parents. Yet is a charter school I'm sure bad behavior and under performance by a teacher is easier to rectify. That's just not possible under the current public school system that has the teachers union to protect them.

That's curious position you take. You have an issue with people slacking off and hiding behind the union when it comes to the education of your children. I wonder how you would feel if you were running a business and you had employees that were slacking off that you could not fire due to the union?

[Darnell 8,478]

I am SO HAPPY FOR CHICAGO, that this is happening.

It's a bad thing.

More bad things need to happen, and soon !

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

She's maintained the district has about 100,000 more seats than students...

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/School-Board-Votes-to-close-49-schools-208547131.html#ixzz2U4fv3FQy

If the schools are underutilized, then you have to close some of them. Seems pretty clear to me. Can't keep schools open if there are no kids that need to be taught.

[RGinWA 816]

That's curious position you take. You have an issue with people slacking off and hiding behind the union when it comes to the education of your children. I wonder how you would feel if you were running a business and you had employees that were slacking off that you could not fire due to the union?

I'm sure you believe every union person slacks off and in the real world, union members are fired all the time. Last year over 5 were fired where I'm employed and they have a huge bargaining unit. That doesn't happen with the teachers union.

[Karee 4,190]

I'm sure you believe every union person slacks off and in the real world, union members are fired all the time. Last year over 5 were fired where I'm employed and they have a huge bargaining unit. That doesn't happen with the teachers union.

Trust me I'm quite familiar with unions and how they work growing up in Michigan. Detroit specifically. I wonder what those unemployed union folks think of the UAW now that all their jobs are in southern states. Actually I know the answer to that since a large portion of them moved south when jobs did.

I was a union member myself in Michigan. I can type a few paragraphs of how jacked up it was.

[Darnell 8,478]

The Teacher Union in Chicago is a beast unto itself. IMO (and others, paid pundits, no less) nothing will be fixed properly in Chicago until the current 'system' is eradicated, in toto.

[BaBamSam 239]

I have a lot of opinions on teacher's unions coming from a family of teachers (and most of my opinions are not positive). Then again, I'm not very pro-union in many cases. But I work in one of the most unionized industries. Is this that thing called irony?

I highly recommend that people interested in the topic of public education and teacher unions sit down and watch "Waiting for Superman". It's a feature-length documentary that offers a lot of information and follows some really personal stories. It also spends a fair amount of time exploring the attempt to fix D.C. schools (which resulted in mass closings) a few years ago. Available on Netflix instant streaming.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I highly recommend that people interested in the topic of public education and teacher unions sit down and watch "Waiting for Superman".

That is a good documentary.

[Darnell 8,478]

Sam of BaBam - DC is bad. Chicago is 11 times worse.

I pray the system in Chicago implodes over the summer, and is replaced completely .

[spookyturtle 9,465]

They should close the schools until they have more guns.

[Darnell 8,478]

Summer's starting soon, Uncle Spookies.

I say pass out, to the students, about 60,000 guns with 120,000 cases of ammo next week, sit back and wait. Should make for an interesting summer.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Summer's starting soon, Uncle Spookies.

I say pass out, to the students, about 60,000 guns with 120,000 cases of ammo next week, sit back and wait. Should make for an interesting summer.

I'm with ya on this one.