By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

CHICAGO – It’s no secret that Chicago Public Schools are a financial mess.

But the Chicago Teachers Union doesn’t seem to understand or care about that fact. Otherwise it would not be seeking an outrageous 30 percent salary increase for teachers.

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Perhaps the latest headlines will help union President Karen Lewis and her followers appreciate the gravity of the situation: Moody’s Investor Services has downgraded the school district’s bond rating, due to its enormous budget deficit, lack of fund reserves and the likelihood of increased union labor costs, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The lowered bond rating means the district will have to pay an extra $1 to $2 million in interest on bonds it sells during the coming school year. That’s a hefty price for a district with a $665 million deficit and a new budget that will suck about $435 million from its financial reserves.

The teachers union could play a positive role in this situation. Its leaders could agree to a new collective bargaining agreement that cuts hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary union perks from the district budget. That would help shrink the deficit, avoid layoffs and cuts in student programs, and perhaps allow the bond rating to be upgraded again.

But the union is not a team player. Its leaders have made it quite clear that they don’t care about the district’s finances, even if runaway union labor costs are a big part of the problem. They want what they want, and they intend to strike at the start of the new school year if they’re not satisfied.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the CTU is an impediment to efforts to address major problems in the school district.

We repeat once again – organized labor and public schools are a very bad fit. Student needs must always come first, but the CTU doesn’t agree. That tells us that the CTU will have to go before anything gets better in Chicago.