CTU Speaks!

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros bring a crew into the studio from the We Care New Teachers/Clinicians Coaching and Mentoring Program, which is a union-led, CTU initiative in partnership with CPS. We Care provides mentoring and support to educators in their first three years to help them navigate the various challenges that come with starting out in a new profession. Virtual instructional coach Tiffany Watkins and her mentees Lynne Taylor and Duwuana Buice are joined by Tara Stamps, who sometimes co-hosts this podcast but in this case is also a guest, since she’s the CTU staffer who oversees the We Care program. We Care’s aim is to help educators improve their practice while also helping them steer clear of the burnout that drags down too many of us. Check out this episode to find out more about what the CTU is doing to help train and retain a new generation of teachers.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros invite David Stovall, professor of criminology, law, and justice at the University of Illinois-Chicago, into the studio for a discussion of the outlandish things Paul Vallas has said about teaching Black history. This is an informative deep dive into the explicit and not-so-explicit appeals to white supremacy that Vallas employs and the larger meaning of these attacks on teaching Black history.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros welcome three out-of-town guests to our Chicago studio to discuss the devastation that Paul Vallas wrought in the cities where they live. Shakeda Gaines is an education activist and advocate from Philadelphia, Melissa Francis is a parent union organizer with Step Up for Action in New Orleans, and Troylynn Sledge is also an activist with Step Up for Action. They share their accounts of what Paul Vallas did to their schools and communities when he came to town.

In this episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Tara Stamps dive into Brandon Johnson’s past by interviewing three of Mr. Johnson’s former 7th grade students — Shakyra Williams, Malik Savage, and Dequandre Williams — and his former co-worker Pat Wade. Along with Tara, they were all at Jenner Academy for the Arts when Brandon taught there. Together, they remember way back when Mr. J had the same cheeky sense of humor but much longer hair.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with two active and one retired teacher about Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas and his time as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Nina Hike is currently a chemistry teacher at Westinghouse College Prep, who as a second-year teacher found herself laid off alongside many other Black staff at Rezin Orr High School when then-CPS CEO Vallas imposed a “reconstitution” scheme there. Nora Flanagan is an English teacher at Northside College Prep who as a grad student studied how CEO Vallas’ emphasis on testing hurt Black and Brown students as well as the dog-whistle appeals to white supremacy that he has used in his campaign for mayor. And Howard Heath is a retired math and science teacher who spent most of his time at Lane Tech and today serves as the functional vice president of the CTU’s retiree chapter. Back when Vallas was CPS CEO, Howard was CTU vice president and recalls how Vallas shortchanged the teachers’ pension fund and is thus responsible for today’s pension issues.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa about their vision for a Chicago that works for those who work for a living. Beyond that, these three dynamic elected officials lay out what’s at stake in the February 28 election. The discussion takes up the ongoing debate about public health and safety in Chicago, Candidate Lightfoot versus Mayor Lightfoot, and the ugly implications of a Paul Vallas mayorship. If you are looking for spicy takes on the mayor’s race, you don’t want to miss this episode!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speak with guests Daniria Dukes and Jen Conant about the CTU’s ongoing contract campaigns with 12 different charter operators. Daniria is a special education apprentice at Daniel Zizumbo Elementary, vice president for PSRPs, and the bargaining representative for her campus. Jen is in her 11th year as a math teacher at CICS North Town Academy and the chair of the CTU’s charter division. They discuss what the main issues are in negotiations, what the stakes are for the students they teach, and how the outcome will affect CPS district teachers. Join the picket for the CTU’s charter educators at their next contract campaign action at 5050 S. Homan on Wednesday, February 8, at 5:30 pm. You can also attend the Acero Board meeting immediately afterwards at 6 pm to show your support. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

Three educators, three CTU members, three candidates for a Chicago that its residents deserve. In this episode, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, 36th ward candidate Lori Torres, and 50th ward candidate Mueze Bawany about what running for office means to them. Each of these educators have based their political program on their experiences of classroom teaching and an acute sense of what their school communities need. Here, CTU Speaks! delves into the issues and strategies they advocate for remaking Chicago into a city that meets more than the needs of the superrich and the ruling political establishment they have erected. For more information about the candidates endorsed by the CTU, go to ctulocal1.org/vote, and to get involved, go to ctulocal1.org/volunteer

Teacher evaluations could be a valuable part of helping educators get better at their craft. But that’s not how they work at Mayor Lightfoot’s CPS. Instead, they chiefly reflect whether a given school gets the resources it needs — or not. That’s why a great teacher getting great ratings at a selective enrollment school can suddenly find that their ratings dip considerably when they move to a school that isn’t showered with adequate classroom supplies, a rich curriculum, and top-notch facilities. In today’s episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Tara Stamps talk with CTU Research Director Pavlyn Jankov to unpack how REACH ends up punishing rather than lifting up teachers, disproportionately striking at those educators of color who daily teach students coming into their buildings with the highest needs. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, Tara Stamps sits in for Andrea Parker as co-host alongside Jim Staros to talk with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who is a professor in the Department of African American Studies at Northwestern University. Prof. Taylor, who frequently writes and speaks about Black politics, racial inequality, and social movements, recently penned an article titled "Who's Left Out of the Learning-Loss Debate" for the New Yorker. Her article explains how the concept of "learning loss" is being weaponized to target teachers unions and educators. The purveyors of the idea of "learning loss" assert that the desire of educators to stay safe — and the decision of predominantly Black and Brown parents to keep their kids home while their communities bore the brunt of death and loss — is to blame rather than the massive disruption to social and civic life caused by the pandemic itself. Prof. Taylor also discusses what is needed to address the deep inequity that stalked public schools in Chicago and across the country even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the article "Who's Left Out of the Learning-Loss Debate" - https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/whos-left-out-of-the-learning-loss-debate Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU PAC chair Kimberly Walls-Kirk and State Sen. Robert Peters about the November 8 ballot measure to include workers' rights in the Illinois Constitution. The measure would add the right to collectively bargain over wages, conditions, and workplace safety to the Illinois Bill of Rights. Predictably, right-wing extremists are campaigning against the measure because they are warriors against any effort to rein in corporate power, so our guests make the case for mobilizing a big "yes" vote on November 8. We also get into the Illinois Network of Charter Schools' (INCS) decision to bankroll a series of racist mailers against the elimination of cash bail. Apparently, they think only those with money should have the right to be free until proven guilty. For more information about voting on November 8 including a full list of CTU's endorsements, go to ctulocal1.org/vote​. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Lauren Bianchi and Chuck Stark, two teachers at Washington High School that CPS sought to terminate this past summer. Their crime? Teaching their students about the city’s plan to move the toxic metal shredding corporation General Iron from wealthy Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side, which has already suffered more pollution and toxic industry than almost any other region of Chicago. CPS actually requires teachers to provide “culturally relevant” curriculum to their students, but when Chuck and Lauren’s students put those ideas into action and organized protests targeting the mayor, the mayor sought to retaliate against these teachers for their support of this grassroots movement. When it came time for the Board to vote on CPS' recommendation to fire these dedicated teachers, however, the Board refused to do so, voting unanimously to keep these teachers in the system. In this episode, we unpack what it took to get justice for these teachers. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, cohosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Chris Goff from the American Federation of Teachers about student loan debt. The three of them discuss how student debt has ballooned out of control, and how the AFT sued the federal government over unscrupulous and predatory practices to help borrowers attain some debt relief. They also explain what members can do about their own debt and review some of the resources out there to assist them in the process. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888. • Information about Summer, the online resource for AFT members that harnesses the expertise of public policy experts to optimize borrower options. This is also where you can create your own AFT Member Benefits account to access the free Summer benefit - https://www.aft.org/benefits/Summer • Tutorial on how to create an AFT Member Benefits account - https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/2021/how-to-register-members-only-benefits.pdf • Forgive My Student Debt webpage (co-hosted with AFSCME, AAUP, and the Student Borrower Protection Center) - https://www.forgivemystudentdebt.org/ • Registration link for AFT’s Thursday Student Debt Clinic webinar (every Thursday at 6 pm CT) - https://cvent.me/17XZka

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter about their vision for the CTU in the coming year and beyond. They review some of the accomplishments of prior CTU Presidents Karen Lewis and Jesse Sharkey and then dive into their goals as the new leadership of the CTU. And they place the challenge of negotiating a new contract in the context of the broader struggle for a just Chicago. As President Davis Gates has been saying: "#AllGasNoBrakes". Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with two rank-and-file members — Lori Torres and Tammie Vinson — about their experience at the AFT National Convention in Boston. Lori and Tammie discuss their time at the conference, resolutions passed at the national level, and why that matters to CTU members. They also talk about the impact of CTU’s social-justice unionism on the national education labor movement and how members can get more involved in making a difference in their own schools and in the union as a whole. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode, CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros welcome Jesse Sharkey onto the show to discuss his recent announcement not to seek re-election as president of the Chicago Teachers Union. They look back at what the CTU looked like when Jesse became vice president under then CTU President Karen Lewis, and they reflect on what the CTU did to re-shape the entire debate about public education — in Chicago and beyond. And Jim and Andrea grill Jesse about what comes next after president, including where he might teach and if he plans to become a delegate again! As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, cohosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU Chief of Staff Jen Johnson about the new safety agreement with CPS. They break down what’s good and what’s not so good about it as well as some of the safety resources on the CTU’s website, including this chart tracking implementation of key aspects of the agreement. Then we turn to a discussion with substitute teacher Burma Green and CTU staffer Georgia Waller about the dire shortage of subs available to fill in when teachers are out sick or on quarantine. And they talk about the new campaign being launched by the CTU to honor substitutes. We’re calling it the “There is no substitute for a great substitute” campaign. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with CTU President Jesse Sharkey and CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates about what the new school year might bring for educators, students, and parents in Chicago. The recent surge in COVID cases among young people is creating a wave of anxiety about school openings, not just here but across the country. CPS continues to drag its feet at the table as they unilaterally attempt to roll back last year’s health and safety protocols. That means, as Jesse and Stacy explain, it will be critical for CTU members to build a robust safety committee in every school to identify problems and demand solutions when issues arise. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888. For more information about safety committees, go to ctulocal1.org/safety. To sign up for upcoming safety committee training sessions, go to ctulocal1.org/training.

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Tara Stamps, the longtime educator and activist who is now the CTU's Administrative Director of New Teacher Development. Tara is heading up recruitment to the "We Care New Educators and Clinicians Coaching and Mentoring Program,” which connects new educators and clinicians with veterans who can provide support to them in the early years of their teaching careers. A critical aspect of this multi-pronged effort is to recruit and retain new educators and clinicians of colors, so that CPS’ majority Black and Brown student body has more opportunities to work with and look up to adults who look like them. More details and application form here: https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/we-care-instructional-coach-applications-2021-06/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Judy Mahoney, a clerk at Byrne Elementary who was in a terrible car accident back in 2017. The accident left Judy in a wheelchair, but as she herself put it, “‘The only thing that remains the same is my ability to work.” This discussion focuses on how Judy has overcome various obstacles in front of her, including obstacles of CPS’ own making. And after you listen to this podcast, you can check out the livestream of the full press conference where the clips featured in this episode were recorded: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=506737340372760&ref=watch_permalink If you are interested in the CTU Summer Organizing Institute, email organizing@ctulocal1.org Get more involved with CTU on a committee: https://www.ctulocal1.org/union/committees/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.