In an effort at shared sacrifice, Chicago Public Schools is asking teachers to pay more for their pensions.
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“Today marks a return to financial stability for the coming school year”, CPS CEO Forrest Claypool, who promised no financial gimmicks, said Monday.
The school district is banking on teachers agreeing to relinquish 7 percent of their earnings over two years to devote to pensions.
“Without absolute certainty on our labor costs, we have to make, and do make, rational assumptions”, said Claypool, according to the Tribune.
It’s a teachers contract similar to one that Chicago Teachers Union members rejected in 2016, and it’s leaving a bad taste in CTU president Karen Lewis’ mouth. “I think it’s fair to assume that the Chicago Teachers Union will understand that potential framework is still a fair framework to deal with”.
“If they impose a pay cut, we will move to strike”, Lewis said. “Cutting our pay is unacceptable”, Lewis said.
The union membership of about 27,000 teachers and support personnel went on strike for about a week in September 2012, keeping about 400,000 students out of the classroom.
As part of a six-month IL budget deal finalized in June, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-led legislature agreed to steer $215 million on a one-time basis to CPS for its pension costs on the condition that lawmakers finalize a statewide pension-reform package by January. Many Chicago homeowners are still reeling from the largest city property tax increase in history for police and firefighter pensions.
He said the district will not need to take out loans to keep school doors open next year – but adds part of the budget puzzle for 2017 relies on a piece that involves ongoing and sometimes contentious negotiations.
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The Chicago Board of Education, whose members, like Claypool, were appointed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, is expected to vote on the budget later this month.
