CPS parents: Some CTU contract demands would hurt children's education

As parents and grandparents of Chicago Public Schools students, we're watching with dismay as negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS drift away from our children's pressing needs.

We love our teachers and want them well-compensated and respected — but we also deserve respect. It's unfair for CTU or CPS to propose terms that ignore parents and our children's rights, diminishing our say in their education and potentially driving schools into financial ruin.

Most of all, we deserve to know if our children are learning and meeting essential milestones.

Only about one in three CPS students reads at grade level, less than one in five is at grade level in math, and over 40% were chronically absent last year —including more than half of high schoolers, all according to Illinois Report Card data for 2024. Students feel more disconnected from teachers and peers than before the pandemic.

As parents, we often hear about CTU labor negotiations, but rarely about a plan to address educational gaps and disparities — especially a plan that values parental input.

We are worried about the cost of the new agreement. If all of the CTU's demands are met, CPS says it will face a $2.9 billion deficit next school year. Fiscal mismanagement in San Francisco and Detroit helped lead to state intervention and cuts to school programs. We can’t allow Chicago to follow that path.

Instruction time, community schools, teacher ratings

The contract proposal also includes changes that could reduce instructional time, undermine accountability, and diminish parental involvement, all issues that directly affect our children's education.

While we understand CTU's push for more preparation time for elementary school teachers, it can’t come at the expense of our youngest children's instructional time. They need more learning opportunities, not fewer. More teacher preparation time is fine, but do not cut classroom time.

Expanding the Sustainable Community Schools program promises to enrich our schools with wraparound support for entire families. However, CTU must not have disproportionate influence in selecting partners. Their exclusive control excludes parents and school communities, undermining the purpose of community schools. Any expansion of community schools must come with a deliberate change in the partner selection process. Otherwise, this demand precludes collaboration, impedes our children’s well-being, and puts politics over progress.

We also question CTU's request to exempt these schools from assessments. Removing evaluations eliminates our ability to measure if our children's needs are met. Accountability is essential to ensure that programs effectively serve our students. We advocate for contract terms that hold all stakeholders — district officials, school leaders, and teachers — accountable for our students' success.

CTU also wants to lower standards for teachers to earn 'proficient' ratings when being evaluated, but with one in four teachers already not proficient and many students struggling, how does this help children? We support fair evaluations that will promote teacher growth, but the district needs measures to ensure quality instruction for our children.

The opportunity gap in test scores between Black and white students in reading and math has widened to its largest in years. Graduation rates are slipping, especially among Black students and students with special needs. Equally concerning is the erosion of our children's social-emotional well-being. What plan does CPS and CTU have to help our children recover academically and socially-emotionally, and to prepare them for careers that can improve household incomes and address economic disparities in our communities?

It's time for CPS and CTU to refocus on our children.

Transparency is critical. Families deserve comprehensive information about student performance. Every school should share data on student successes and challenges. This knowledge will empower us to support our children more effectively. Parents accept our role in our children's success, but we can't fulfill it when we lack a clear understanding of their progress.

Accountability must be at the heart of any new CTU contract. All parties should be committed to improving learning outcomes and creating environments kids want to experience daily. We challenge teachers to tie increased compensation to performance and student outcomes. 

We share the goal of better resources for teachers, but any agreement must be fiscally responsible. Jeopardizing the district's financial future helps no one. If the district fails, CPS families can’t simply walk away.

Our children have only one chance at their education. We urge CPS and CTU to set aside politics and focus on providing an equitable, high-quality education that equips our children to thrive.

Their futures—and the future of our city—depend on it.

Katrina Adams, Maria Owens, and Andrea Zayas are CPS parents and caregivers who serve on Kids First Chicago’s Parent Advisory Board.

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