Teachers Union Organizes 'Walk-In' Protests Over CPS Budget Cuts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students, parents, and teachers at nearly 200 schools across Chicago were staging a series of "walk-in" demonstrations, to protest budget cuts by the Chicago Public Schools.
The Chicago Teachers Union said the protests are part of a national demonstration to show support for public schools.
Supporters will meet before school to rally and show unity before walking into the building together, and then breaking up so students can go to class.
The CTU said the walk-ins show the collective power of the community. The protest is designed to show Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Board of Education that the teachers' union and its supporters will act together to protect teachers' jobs and the educational opportunities of students.
Protesters want the mayor and CPS Chief Executive Officer Forrest Claypool to find sources of funding that force the wealthy pay to makeup the system's budget gaps.
"Why you make swap deals with banks, why you protect developers with TIFs, why you pass property taxes for everyone else except the schools, and we can't fund our schools. They have to fund the schools, or else we're going to start doing permanent damage to the public education system, and they're going to provoke a strike,"CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said.
Kelly High School senior Evelyn Solis was among about 75 students, parents, and teachers taking part in a walk-in at her school at Archer and California avenues.
"I love it how Kelly is like a huge family, you know? If it wasn't for the teachers and staff, I wouldn't have been a straight A student. I wouldn't know how important my education can be, and how it can affect my future," she said.
The walk-ins are part of a nationwide protest demanding more money for public education. In Chicago, where CPS recently imposed $120 million in budget cuts, the movement takes on added importance.
Sharkey said the union hopes to send two messages to CPS.
"That we're united to defend our schools, and that the cuts that they're talking about making right now are unacceptable. We're taking a hard stand against them, and we'll make a show of force in favor of educational justice. The second point is that they have to fund our schools," he said.
The union has said the district's $725 million borrowing plan – with an 8.5 percent interest rate – is a travesty that only lines the pockets of banks, while hitting taxpayers with the bill.
CPS officials said the district continues to negotiate with the teachers' union on a new contract, and the protests just takes the focus off those talks. The district said they believe the CTU essentially is using parents and students as pawns in their contract negotiation fight.
District officials said part of the budget problem lies with the state funding formula. With more than 400,000 students, the Chicago Public Schools make up more than 20 percent of the state's student population. Despite that, less than 15 percent of the state's education money goes to CPS.
In response, CPS spokesperson Emily Bittner said in a statment, "Along with our parents, teachers and students, we want the same thing: equal funding for our schools so that we can protect classrooms, prevent additional painful cuts and continue the remarkable academic progress our students are making. As we face a $1.1 billion deficit next year, we will continue to bargain in good faith with the CTU to reach a final, fair contract agreement and work to secure equal funding for Chicago students from the state."