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Kristina Rasmussen of the Illinois Policy Institute breaks down the facts about Chicago’s school system.
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Very much to call.
And school is out for Chicago's 400000.
Public school students.
Teachers walking the picket lines instead of walking the hallways and shutting down the nation's third largest school system for the first time in 25 years.
-- walk the picket lines we'll talk to parents.
We will talk to clergy.
We will demand a fair contract today.
I am disappointed that we've come to this point given any and all the other parties acknowledge how close we are.
Because this is a strike of choice.
We are joined by Kristina Rasmussen executive vice president of the Illinois policy institute thanks for being with us.
In this strike you know we've seen a lot of other big clashes over big pension cost and huge deficits.
But here it seems like the actual financials are not truly what's at issue what's the bigger point.
The union wants two things one more money and -- -- that they are asking for a 30%.
-- -- the other thing is avoiding accountability measures they're strongly opposed.
To merit pay getting bad teachers out of the classroom.
So they going to strike it's clear that they are putting their -- -- had at Chicago kids who are out on the streets right now.
Now if this were -- a business producing a product of the product being student graduates.
Chicago doing a very good job rim got a 40% drop -- rate over the four -- -- high school.
A billion dollars in the red that they're facing next year and yet teachers earn a median salary of over 70000.
Dollars in the city.
-- 11% unemployment and 30000 dollar median pay for.
Regular folk.
Why go on strike the city offered 16% over four years which is way ahead of inflation right.
Exactly the I offered to cents to 16% over four years of 400 million dollar package and even that wasn't -- -- You're actually right on performance after -- -- -- ten kids to walk into a Chicago public high school will not graduate that's a 60% rate in half.
Where I come from and unfortunately you see this teachers union demanding just more and more -- since when do we pay more.
For family I think Chicago kids deserve better they can learn if given opportunity get a had.
So there's an opportunity for the mayor to really demand transformational changes that will help my will follow the -- rather than putting more money into a broken says sounds.
Worry at all surprised that the teachers went on strike against a city run by Rahm Emanuel the big Obama advisor and -- unions have never had a better ally than Obama.
It it ironic.
To see -- to traditional ally pitted against each had a Democrat and public sector unions.
But the harsh reality is that the city is broke just like the state at Illinois -- broke there is no more money to hand around.
Taxpayers are tapped out we've got an unemployment rate and Citi.
Upwards of 11%.
Unfortunately they can't just -- -- margins anymore so that's why you see.
That and that -- built tension -- -- because they can't just hand over more money as they would normally deal.
Now the city -- 30000 teachers 22000.
Retirees and we just saw a screen 83 billion dollar unfunded pension liability.
Pensions cut -- are not even part of this negotiation are that.
Now and it's it's ticking time bomb but it's not -- -- Arsenault and paying attention to it right now but you're absolutely right to bring it up.
How we know that we're going to have more crises over the coming years just because they're obvious problems piling up that's -- -- -- should stay strong asked for -- transformational changes.
Opportunity scholarships getting rid of the cap on charter school.
Better utilization of online learning because those -- the kind of changes for -- -- need to see ever and I hope to avoid this situation for the coming year.
Yeah you mentioned those charter schools.
And the kids in the charter school system -- -- and school today because those teachers are not -- all right thank you for being with us Kristina Rasmussen.
