Posts tagged Pedro Martinez
Chicago school board OKs $139M to fund new teacher contract, launches equity initiatives
April 27, 2025 // “We’re doing everything we can to shield as much as we can, as we plan for the upcoming budget season,” said Ben Felton, the district’s chief talent officer, in a presentation touting the CPS teacher recruitment process to board members. “But maintaining staffing levels will require additional revenue, and there’s no disillusionment around that.” To address disparities that persist between Black students and other student groups in terms of discipline, academic achievement and access to rigorous academic courses and extracurricular activities, the school board passed a resolution codifying its Black Student Achievement Committee, chaired by board member Jitu Brown, of District 6, on the city’s West Side.
Chicago teachers vote on deal to bring average salary to over $114,000 per year
April 12, 2025 // “It’s estimated to cost around $1.5 billion, and Johnson has said he doesn’t have a plan yet to pay for it,” Smith told The Center Square. CPS teachers currently have an average salary of more than $93,000 per year. If they approve the tentative agreement, the number would rise to $114,429 by the end of the contract. Smith said teachers can expect to pay more in dues to CTU. “When government unions like Chicago Teachers Union are advocating for higher salaries for teachers and for other school employees, what they are really advocating for is a higher dues amount coming from that employee, because every time they score a win in the raise category, that means they are also going to be taking more money out of that person’s paycheck,” Smith said.
CTU contract: Union’s tentative agreement with CPS will cost $1.5 billion; how will the city pay?
April 3, 2025 // The Civic Federation weighed in on the budget back-and-forth Tuesday. "That's the million-dollar question — or rather, the hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars question," the Civic Federation sad in a statement. "As of now, we don't have any further insight into how CPS plans to pay for the contract beyond the first year." Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about that $175 million pension payment. "The contract is paid for by a separate entity of government, the Chicago Public Schools. And that, in part, is the responsibility of the CEO to be able to come up with mechanisms to be able to satisfy that," said Mayor Johnson. Martinez's suggestion to cover the pension payment is a tax levy.
Chicago Teachers Union favorability down to 29% amidst potential strike
February 9, 2025 // New polling shows 3-in-5 Chicago voters have an unfavorable view of the Chicago Teachers Union. More than 55% said they would be less likely to vote for someone who accepts CTU donations.
Chicago Teachers Union spent $1.74M trying to take over Chicago school board
November 14, 2024 // The Chicago Teachers Union took over City Hall when it bankrolled former union operative Brandon Johnson’s way into the mayor’s office in 2023. Then the union went after the first elected members of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. It endorsed 10 candidates and funneled $1.74 million into their races, according to records with the Illinois State Board of Elections. CTU only got four of them elected, and one of those faced no opposition.
Chicago Teachers Union urges city to end TIF districts, send $1 billion in funds to Chicago Public Schools
October 10, 2024 // TIF districts essentially freeze property taxes collected from a specific area, with the extra tax money generated from improved property values going to a fund intended to support development projects in blighted communities. But critics of TIF districts have said they amount to slush funds for elected officials to subsidize real estate developers without properly addressing the needs of low-income communities. CTU officials said their plan to sweep TIF funds back to CPS would help the district avoid mass program and personnel cuts, but it doesn't end there. They also said it would prevent school closures and staff furloughs, all of which they insist are currently on the table under CPS CEO Pedro Martinez's leadership.
Commentary: Brandon Johnson Makes Sure the Fix Is In for the Chicago Teachers Union
October 10, 2024 // Among the terms the CTU is demanding — and which Mayor Brandon Johnson is supporting — is that the city, already wildly overburdened with unmeetable pension obligations, assume $175 million more of the responsibility for the pensions of non-teachers in the CPS system. How to pay for it? The idea was to force Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to take out a high-interest $300 million loan to fund it for a year and then just pray for Governor J. B. Pritzker to toss the city some money next time around because “now they have to.”
Entire Chicago school board to resign over teachers union dispute with Dem mayor Brandon Johnson
October 7, 2024 // “With the shift to a hybrid elected and appointed Board forthcoming, current Board members and Mayor Johnson understand that laying a strong foundation for the shift is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in Chicago Public Schools,” the statement added. The powerful Chicago Teachers Union said in its own statement that the resignations are the “latest instability caused by the CEO in our district.
A Chicago Teachers Union dictate has kept students in masks despite the statewide mandate being lifted.
March 7, 2022 // Chicago Public Schools’ top administrator told parents a mask-optional model for students and staff is coming soon. A Chicago Teachers Union dictate has kept students in masks despite the statewide mandate being lifted.