CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Members of the Chicago Teachers Union have set a Feb. 6 strike date for two charter schools run by Instituto del Progresso Latino: the Justice and Leadership Academy and the Health Sciences Academy.
Teachers, parents and union representatives gathered outside the board of education headquarters in the Loop.
Jen Conant, with the CTU, said they’re seeking equal pay for equal work.
“We need to offer educators pay that is commensurate to the rest of the district and to charter schools across the city, where we’ve negotiated equivalent pay. That’s how you recruit and retain educators, and Instituto needs to do the same in their buildings.”
Conant added that 23 cents of every dollar at Instituto-run schools is “going to management fees and rent to themselves.” Instead, she said that money should be going into classrooms.
The union said other issues include a lack of bilingual and special education support. There are 48 educators at the two schools, which are both located in Chicago’s Lower West Side neighborhood.
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