A letter sent by an alderman to Illinois state authorities decries the degree to which school board members are allegedly involved in ongoing teacher contract negotiations and asks for an investigation and opinion regarding the potential legal and ethical breaches as a result.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, hand-delivered his message Thursday to Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Tony Sanders, the state superintendent of education.
“Various media outlets have published disturbing reports of conduct on the part of some personnel associated with Chicago Public Schools, potentially implicating unfair labor practices and breaches of fiduciary duty,” Villegas wrote.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s contract expired in June, and bargaining has been ongoing for months — ramping up recently as both sides make public their frustrations with negotiations. CTU members argue that the election of Donald Trump as president adds urgency as the nation’s new leader promises to dismantle the Department of Education and lead the largest deportation efforts in the history of the United States.
Blue state update...
