By Bill Cameron & Nick Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool has ordered big cuts in response to the teachers union rejection of his “serious” officer.
Claypool has ordered $100 million dollars of cuts and has canceled the pension pickup that allowed teachers to pay only 2% of their paychecks for their pensions. He denied this is in retaliation for the teachers union rejecting his offer.
“Well we have said, and you reported it for many months, that if the state does not address unfair education funding and if we can not get an agreement with the teachers union by the beginning of the second semester, we would have to take steps that we did not want to take in order to address the deficits which are threatening our classrooms,” Claypool said.
He said he doesn’t want to do this and is willing to bargain around the clock with the union to avoid it.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union is responding with CTU president Karen Lewis saying it’s more scare tactics from the school board.
“We have dealt with a myriad of lies and financial myths that are designed to create a doomsday narrative and provide them cover as they continue with their austerity agenda,” Lewis said.
Calling the school boards actions an “act of war,” Lewis says they will rally against CPS and bankers by closing a CTU bank account with Bank of America with nearly $1 million in it and hold a rally Thursday afternoon downtown.
CTU leaders say they will continue to talk with CPS.
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
