What S Changed And What Hasn T Since The Last Teachers Strike

    More than four years have passed since Chicago’s last teachers’ strike, but in many ways it seems as if time has stood still, what with teachers recently voting to authorize another strike as soon as October 11.



    Now that I’m sufficiently depressed about the state of things, let’s break them down, starting with the mayor’s fabrication.



    If you add the cost of living raises to the step and lane hikes, then, yes, the mayor’s offering teachers a 13 percent raise.



    Counterbalancing these raises is the mayor’s proposal to have teachers make a greater contribution to their pension and health care plans.



    Now you know why teachers laugh derisively when you ask them about the mayor’s supposed pay hike.



    Charter school boosters used to brag of waiting lists filled with thousands of kids begging to get in. But if charters are still desperate to recruit from the ranks of CPS, it looks like those waiting lists are about as real as Emanuel’s 13 percent raise.