By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
(From WGN Chicago, May 23rd, 2012)
Stand for Children, an Oregon-based education reform group that helped pass legislation last year that makes it harder for the Chicago Teachers Union to strike, today joined another reform-driven organization from out of town to urge the union and Chicago Public Schools to continue negotiating and put aside talk of a strike.
Stand’s Chicago director Juan Jose Gonzalez called the union’s polling of members on board proposals within the last month as “disingenuous.”
“What we were pushing for (with the state education reform law) was a transparent process. We want that process to be fulfilled and both sides to act in good faith,” said Gonzalez, speaking at a press conference before the district’s monthly board meeting.
He was joined by parents who are members of his group and officials with Democrats for Education Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group that came to Chicago four months ago.
Issues in the contract talks are now before a three-member panel that is expected to make recommendations on contract proposals in mid July. It’s the first step in a lengthy process required under the new law before the union can stage a walkout.
With 1,400 teachers set to retire in June, the union has been considering whether to conduct a strike vote before the panel’s findings are in.
Reform groups that passed the legislation say the new law’s intent was the vote should not take place until the panel is done with its recommendation and the last best offers of both sides are made public.
The two reform groups have started petitions calling on both sides to continue negotiations.