41% of Chicago public school teachers ‘chronically absent’ – still demand billions in raises
Chicago public school teachers continue to demand high raises – despite 41 percent of them being deemed “chronically absent” from work.
The Chicago Tribune editorial board recently criticized the Chicago Teachers Union, which continues to negotiate for a new contract. Initial versions had demanded free abortions, transgender surgeries, and even weight loss drugs.
State records show 41 percent missed 10 or more days of work during the 2023-24 school year, the Tribune reported. (This does not include summers and other generous paid days off, as the Tribune noted).
The demands would cost $10 billion in the next four years, according to an analysis.
“So it’s fair to ask as CTU continues to make outrageous demands of city and state taxpayers, what exactly are Chicagoans getting for the $30,000-per-student they are currently paying, the highest per-student investment in Illinois,” the board wrote. “Why is it that all we hear from CTU is demands for more, but we never hear anything from the union about what its members owe the taxpayers (and parents) of this city?”
The newspaper acknowledged the school district serves many low-income students. It has done a good job of encouraging students to be in the classroom and not skip school.
“As most of us have experienced in our lives at some point, a great teacher can make a monumentally positive difference in a child’s future,” the board wrote. “But to have that opportunity, teachers need to be present.”
“And in Chicago showing up is the least we should expect from our very well-compensated public-school educators,” the editorial board wrote.
The problem does not personally afflict union president Stacey Gates, who sends her son to a private school.
Gates has previously pushed back against criticism of the union’s lavish demands by blaming it on conservative racism.
The city of Chicago is almost, if not entirely, run by Democrats. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is a defund the police supporter and teachers union organizer.
“Conservatives don’t even want black children to be able to read,” she told local radio station WBBM in June.
She also claimed there is an “oath” conservatives take that includes opposing educating racial minorities.
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