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Thursday, December 27, 2012

UPDATE: Where did Chicago’s African American teachers go? « Fred Klonsky

Where did Chicago’s African American teachers go? « Fred Klonsky:


Why should you care? The economic impact to the state’s economy cutting pension benefits.

nekritz
Representative Nekritz wants to cut pension benefits that bring economic benefit to her own district.
If you’re not a public employee who depends on their state pension to live on when you retire, why should you care about cuts in benefits.
The Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago has published the economic impact of CTFP pension benefits in each of the state’s House and Senate Districts.
Examples:
Representative Cynthia Soto
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $5.1 million.
Jobs created: 38
Representative Sarah Feigenholtz
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $32.5 million
Jobs created: 243
Representative Kelly Cassidy
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $22 million
Jobs created: 172
Representative Toni Berrios
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $7.5 million
Jobs created: 56
Representative Elaine Nekritz
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $17.2 million
Jobs created: 129
Representative Deborah Mell
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $6 million
Jobs created: 45
State Representative Dan Biss
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $40.8 million
Jobs created: 306
State Representative Robin Gabel
Economic impact of benefits to the district: $21.3 million
Jobs created: 159


Where did Chicago’s African American teachers go?

One of the things that many Chicagoan’s became aware of as a result of last Fall’s teacher strike was the decline in the number of African American teachers in the City.
I heard all kinds of numbers. But as tens of thousands of  wonderful young Chicago teachers marched down Clark Street, the change in the make-up of the CPS teaching staff from the 90s was stark.
Now, three CPS teachers are bringing the issue to court. Their legal claim is that the growth of turnarounds and school closings is racially deliberate and discriminatory.

Three Chicago Public Schools teachers who lost their jobs this year said in a lawsuit that the district’s process for “turnaround” schools is racially discriminatory because it targets West and South side campuses with a higher percentage of African-American teachers and staff.

The teachers, Donald L. Garrett Jr., Robert Green and Vivonell Brown Jr., are