Ed Reform Committee To Consider Teacher Strike Ban
Tomorrow kicks off Illinois' latest battle over school reform. Members of the Illinois House Special Committee on Education Reform, formed just weeks ago, will convene in Aurora on Thursday and Friday for two legislative hearings, both of which are expected to be controversial.
Last week, we reviewed some of the topics members are likely to discuss, including changes to teacher tenure rules and performance evaluations. In a characteristically useful primer, Catalyst Chicago got its hands on the "confidential draft" bill now circulating among the members. According to their reporting, the right for teachers to strike is also on the table. "The proposal," the magazine notes, "does not outlaw teacher strikes, but it puts in place a process that would appear to make them almost impossible." Champions of strike bans like Advance Illinois, Stand for Children, and the Tribune argue that it would "stop teachers union leaders from holding kids hostage to their bargaining demands." Teachers
