Central States

Despite heated negotiations that have taken up most of the summer months, Chicago schools did open on time with a full day of school. The teacher’s union failed to file a10-day intent-to-strike by the deadline that would initiate a strike prior to the first school day. However, the sigh of relief breathed by parents, politicians, and members of the school board did not last long. The intent-to-strike was filed a few days later, which puts a walk-out day for teachers on September 10 if a compromise is not found shortly. If CPS teachers pick up the pickets, kids in Chicago schools will get only about a week of education before the entire system grinds to a halt.

This video reports on the 2012 teachers' strike.

Points of Contention

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have met a total of 46 times in an effort to find a compromise both sides could swallow. A fact-finder was also brought in over the summer to find a solution to the conflict. The fact-finder told the Chicago Sun-Times that the relationship between the two sides was “toxic.” Some of the points of contention that have not been resolved include:

Teacher Recall: The Chicago Tribune reports that the union wants CPS to hire from a pool of teachers who have been laid off by the district, rather than allowing principals to hire

The first day of school for Chicago Public Schools is just weeks away, but a myriad of problems continues to plague the district and even threaten the ability of schools to open on schedule. With ongoing conflict between school leaders and the teacher’s union, accusations of lying, and even a bond downgrade by Moodys’, CPS doesn’t look like a district getting ready to welcome students back to their schools. Will the problems be resolved by the looming August deadline?

Is a Strike Inevitable?

Disagreements between the teacher’s union and school administrators continue to heat up, and talks of a strike are concerning many in the Chicago school district. CBS News reports that a recent rejection of a fact finder’s recommendation fuels worries that teachers and school leaders will not be able to come to an agreement before the school year begins. The recommendation included a double-digit raise for district teachers, a move district officials have said they simply cannot afford.

The fact finder, Edwin Benn, made the recommendations after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on the proposed budget for the upcoming school year. The proposed $5.73 billion budget included a two-percent pay increase for teachers for the next school year, but the teacher’s union has said that amount is unacceptable. The Chicago Tribune reports that teachers booed the proposed budget when it was announced earlier this month.

The proposed budget also included a $665 million deficit, increased property taxes

Chicago teachers, frustrated with changes made by Mayor Rahm Emanuel that did not include input from the teachers’ union, have voted to strike this summer if contract negotiations do not take a positive turn. The vote comes in the midst of ongoing consideration of numerous contract issues, as a preliminary strike on Chicago school officials working to come to an agreement between administration and teachers. While the strike would not occur for another two months, it sends a significant message to Chicago school officials that teachers across the Windy City are not happy with the turns in public education taken over the past year.

Longer School Days, Less Pay at Heart of Conflict

According to the Huffington Post, Chicago teachers are unhappy with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to rescind four-percent teacher raises last year. The mayor then worked around the union to authorize increasing the length of the school day to seven hours, after his initial efforts to lengthen school hours were blocked by the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. Currently, Chicago public school students boast the shortest school day of any large school district in the country – with just five hours and 45 minutes currently spent in class.

The Chicago Teachers Union has stated that actual instruction time in Chicago schools is on par with other districts across the country. When the union wouldn’t work with Emanuel on lengthening the school day in light of reduced pay increases, the mayor went directly to

Most educators would agree that the proper amount of discipline is essential to a healthy learning environment. However, the means of achieving that discipline has been a debate that has raged for decades. The latest system implemented in Chicago charter schools is no exception. Students in these schools pay a hefty price – quite literally – for even the smallest infractions. And while charter school staff members believe that price has resulted in more orderly classrooms and higher student achievement, some parents and students think it borders on harassment.

The Charge for Rule-Breaking

The Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago has implemented a new discipline program that involves fining students for infractions of all kinds. Last year, when the system was first introduced, the Noble school system collected nearly $190,000 for rule-breaking that ranged from chewing gum to bringing a cell phone into class. The money raised went to pay for the after-school detention program and the dean of discipline position that oversees the program at all the Noble schools.

Students caught with shoes untied or shirts un-tucked, chewing gum, or using cell phones are given demerits for breaking the rules. For example, an untied shoelace is worth one demerit, while cell phone use costs four demerits. Students who receive four demerits in a two-week period are fined $5 and receive after-school detention. If a student gets a total of 12 demerits in a single school year, he must attend a behavior class over the

Bullying is a problem that can permeate every corner of a child’s life. While school districts across the country take a “no tolerance” stand on bullying, the reality is that many incidents go by without being adequately reported or punished. A non-profit group in Iowa hopes to change the situation through a website allowing parents, students, and faculty to report bullying right from home. The hope is that by making it easier for people to report bullying activities, fewer incidents will go unnoticed by those who can do something about them.

The Eychaner Foundation Introduces Online Reporting

The Eychaner Foundation is a non-profit group in Iowa that promotes tolerance and nondiscrimination among all Iowa residents. According to a report at Heartland Connection, the organization discovered that although Iowa law requires bullying incidents to be reported to the Iowa Department of Education, more than half of all state districts failed to report a single bullying episode during 2011.

“We know that is simply not true,” Michael Bowser, executive director for the Eychaner Foundation, told the Des Moines Register.

While the organization found many possible reasons why reporting was not done, those involved decided to find a solution rather than play the blame game. The foundation set out to make the reporting process as easy as possible for everyone involved in hopes of uncovering and dealing with more bullying problems in Iowa schools.

“Everything’s online for kids. Parents can go online and find their child’s lunch