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Union, board of ed begin budget talksPosted By Rebecca Harris On Friday, July 23, 2010
In Finance and Budgets New Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis began talks with the Board of Education on Friday, and spoke of “forging a positive relationship with the Board of Education.”
But there was no absence of her usual fiery rhetoric. “Let’s end this annual ritual of crisis budgeting predicated on secret cuts, secret budget documents, and secret negotiations,” she said, and responded to a question about concessions by saying, “Don’t talk to me about the C-word.” She also noted a discrepancy between CEO Ron Huberman’s pledge not to raise elementary class sizes and this week’s layoffs of 600 teachers and staff at Track E, year-round elementary schools.
CPS faces a projected $370 million deficit.
The union requested budget documents July 2 but did not receive anything until Thursday evening, when CPS gave them an encrypted, unreadable flash drive, spokeswoman Liz Brown says. Once the union gets a copy of the proposed budget, the negotiators will examine expenses and revenues – particularly revenues from tax-increment financing districts, which Lewis said “rob our children” of education funding – for solutions to the budget crisis.
About 40 others joined Lewis and are slated to observe the budget talks. Brown said they include delegates, elected union officers, and members affiliated with other union caucuses.
Earlier in the week, the union had called for CPS officials to hold off on new hires until after they had a chance to engage in talks and review the budget. The union was especially
In Finance and Budgets New Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis began talks with the Board of Education on Friday, and spoke of “forging a positive relationship with the Board of Education.”
But there was no absence of her usual fiery rhetoric. “Let’s end this annual ritual of crisis budgeting predicated on secret cuts, secret budget documents, and secret negotiations,” she said, and responded to a question about concessions by saying, “Don’t talk to me about the C-word.” She also noted a discrepancy between CEO Ron Huberman’s pledge not to raise elementary class sizes and this week’s layoffs of 600 teachers and staff at Track E, year-round elementary schools.
CPS faces a projected $370 million deficit.
The union requested budget documents July 2 but did not receive anything until Thursday evening, when CPS gave them an encrypted, unreadable flash drive, spokeswoman Liz Brown says. Once the union gets a copy of the proposed budget, the negotiators will examine expenses and revenues – particularly revenues from tax-increment financing districts, which Lewis said “rob our children” of education funding – for solutions to the budget crisis.
About 40 others joined Lewis and are slated to observe the budget talks. Brown said they include delegates, elected union officers, and members affiliated with other union caucuses.
Earlier in the week, the union had called for CPS officials to hold off on new hires until after they had a chance to engage in talks and review the budget. The union was especially
