Chicago teachers union slams newspaper that called them out for their members' chronic absence

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) connected Friday responded to a paper editorial astir teachers’ chronic absences successful Chicago Public Schools (CPS) erstwhile they are paid a median wage of $95K.

"CPS teacher Roxanne Piersanti calls retired the Tribune Editorial Board’s caller disapproval of teacher absences, pointing retired however it unfairly targets moving mothers and ignores the realities of caregiving, illness, and the carnal toll of teaching," CTU posted connected their X account.

"Have they considered however often educators — particularly the 75% of whom are women — are connected the beforehand lines of some their classrooms and their families? Does the Trib deliberation workers don’t merit sick days, FMLA and parental leave? Educators don’t conscionable teach; they sacrifice, care, and persevere. It’s clip for the Tribune to bespeak the facts," the CTU wrote.

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Despite national rank declining since 2000, a rising fig of Americans o.k. of unions, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The national besides highlighted Piersanti’s remark aimed astatine the Tribune's editorial board.

"The editorial feels precise one-sided and perfectly misogynistic. Do better," Piersanti wrote successful an nonfiction criticizing the Tribune.

Piersanti added that the Tribune is "missing facts astir wherefore teachers instrumentality the clip off."

"What astir COVID-19? Do members of the committee enactment with 100-plus antithetic kids a day? How would their immune systems clasp up?", she added.

The Tribune editorial wrote connected November 25th that implicit 41% of teachers were absent from their classes for 10 oregon much days during the 2023-24 schoolhouse year, citing authorities records. The outlet added that 10 days of absences correspond a statistical benchmark utilized successful the assemblage to show chronic absenteeism among teachers.

Brandon Johnson, politician of Chicago, during an inauguration ceremonial astatine the Credit Union 1 Arena successful Chicago connected May 15, 2023. (Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Alarmingly, this mediocre grounds of CPS teachers showing up for enactment has been a caller and caller phenomenon. In the 2022-23 schoolhouse year, for example, CPS teachers’ show was adjacent worse — 43% were absent astatine slightest 10 days. Before that year, though, the complaint was considerably better: successful the 2016-17 schoolhouse year, chronic absenteeism among CPS teachers was 31%. The fig worsened somewhat from determination starring into the pandemic but inactive was amended than what we’re seeing now," the editorial committee wrote.

Chicago teachers are paid a median wage of $95,000, importantly much than what teachers are paid successful the suburbs and much than "any different ample schoolhouse territory successful the nation," according to the Tribune. 

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The Tribune added that it was an "outlandish ask" for the CTU to request a 9% yearly raise. 

CTU President Stacey Davis Gates penned an op-ed connected November 29th responding to the editorial board, saying that the committee "continues its docket of denigrating the Chicago Teachers Union and lowers itself with a bid of half-truths and cherry-picked statistics." 

"When numbers aren’t juiced to beforehand an agenda, teacher attendance astatine CPS tracks with statewide trends," Davis Gates wrote. "They telephone this ‘chronic absenteeism’ and insinuate that teachers should beryllium ashamed for doing so."

Stacy Davis Gates is President of the Chicago Teachers Union, Executive Vice President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers, and Chair of United Working Families. (YouTube/screenshot | Fox News Digital)

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"In CPS and crossed the state, teachers are making usage of their allotted sick clip much than earlier the pandemic. Even erstwhile looking astatine districts with much oregon little generous permission policies, Chicago is neither the highest nor the lowest erstwhile it comes to teacher usage of paid clip off," she added. 

CTU, Davis Gates, nor the Tribune instantly responded to a petition for comment.