Volume 86, Issue 7
Other Issues
Features
President’s Message: A time for hope and excitement
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates writes that, after a grueling election season, she is filled with hope and excitement about our future because we now have a partner in City Hall to work with us, instead of against us.
Acero educators demand safe, supportive, sustainable schools for all charters across the city
As contract negotiations heat up, more than 300 educators, parents, students, and community members of Acero Charter Schools rallied in late April to demand supportive, safe and sustainable schools at the charter’s 15 campuses across the city.
Members organize to win power at every level at spring delegates and school leaders conference
Two weeks before the historic April election, some 200 delegates attended the CTU’s annual spring delegates training conference, chock full of workshops, trainings, and dialogue — about building power from the school buildings to the highest levels of political power in the city.
Chicago has spoken: Election of Brandon Johnson ushers in a new day for all of Chicago
Chicago did the impossible, something the mainstream media and political pundits predicted would never happen: we elected our union brother Brandon Johnson mayor, ushering in a new day for all of Chicago.
Grievance Dept. chalks up wins in several cases on several fronts
A key part of protecting our rights and enforcing our hard-won contracts is challenging management when it violates our contract. The CTU Grievance Department is proud to report a raft of new wins protect our members in both the charter and district spaces.
GoCPS, and system of winners and losers it produces, needs to go
Nearly 25,000 eighth graders learned which high schools they have the option to attend earlier this month when CPS released the GoCPS application offers. That pressure on students is enormous, and developmentally inappropriate, says author Kate Phillippo in her book, “A Contest Without Winners: How Students Experience Competitive School Choice.”
Celebrating our member leaders
This month, we’re featuring two dynamic member CTU leaders: Field Rep Jared Schenkier, Christopher House teacher and charter organizer Jordan Reece, and Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year recipient Aoko Omwony-Hope.
Love of reading, writing powers educator Jordan Reece’s teaching
Jordan Reece’s parents were both teachers so it seemed natural for her to join the profession, too. Plus, she also always loved reading and writing, so education is a perfect fit for her. In fact, sharing books and stories with her students is the best part of her job.
In Memoriam March 2023
Lists of deceased members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are provided to the Chicago Union Teacher by the office of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund (CTPF) and are printed as received. If you notice an error or omission, please first contact the CTPF at 312.641.4464 or via email at memberservices@ctpf.org to report the information. Please contact the CTU Membership Dept. as well by phoning 312.329.9100. Both the CTPF and CTU disburse survivor benefits to deceased members’ designated beneficiaries.
Delegates Not Present April 12, 2023 House of Delegates Meeting
The delegates listed below did not sign in at the April 12, 2023 House of Delegates meeting.
For award winning art educator Aoko Omwony-Hope, elementary art education is where her heart is
Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year Aoko Omwony-Hope has had an eclectic career, teaching both science and art in both charter and district-run schools. But she finally found her home four years ago, when she began teaching art at Doolittle Elementary.
President’s Message: A time for hope and excitement
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates writes that, after a grueling election season, she is filled with hope and excitement about our future because we now have a partner in City Hall to work with us, instead of against us.
Acero educators demand safe, supportive, sustainable schools for all charters across the city
As contract negotiations heat up, more than 300 educators, parents, students, and community members of Acero Charter Schools rallied in late April to demand supportive, safe and sustainable schools at the charter’s 15 campuses across the city.
Members organize to win power at every level at spring delegates and school leaders conference
Two weeks before the historic April election, some 200 delegates attended the CTU’s annual spring delegates training conference, chock full of workshops, trainings, and dialogue — about building power from the school buildings to the highest levels of political power in the city.
Chicago has spoken: Election of Brandon Johnson ushers in a new day for all of Chicago
Chicago did the impossible, something the mainstream media and political pundits predicted would never happen: we elected our union brother Brandon Johnson mayor, ushering in a new day for all of Chicago.
Grievance Dept. chalks up wins in several cases on several fronts
A key part of protecting our rights and enforcing our hard-won contracts is challenging management when it violates our contract. The CTU Grievance Department is proud to report a raft of new wins protect our members in both the charter and district spaces.
GoCPS, and system of winners and losers it produces, needs to go
Nearly 25,000 eighth graders learned which high schools they have the option to attend earlier this month when CPS released the GoCPS application offers. That pressure on students is enormous, and developmentally inappropriate, says author Kate Phillippo in her book, “A Contest Without Winners: How Students Experience Competitive School Choice.”
Celebrating our member leaders
This month, we’re featuring two dynamic member CTU leaders: Field Rep Jared Schenkier, Christopher House teacher and charter organizer Jordan Reece, and Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year recipient Aoko Omwony-Hope.
Love of reading, writing powers educator Jordan Reece’s teaching
Jordan Reece’s parents were both teachers so it seemed natural for her to join the profession, too. Plus, she also always loved reading and writing, so education is a perfect fit for her. In fact, sharing books and stories with her students is the best part of her job.
In Memoriam March 2023
Lists of deceased members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are provided to the Chicago Union Teacher by the office of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund (CTPF) and are printed as received. If you notice an error or omission, please first contact the CTPF at 312.641.4464 or via email at memberservices@ctpf.org to report the information. Please contact the CTU Membership Dept. as well by phoning 312.329.9100. Both the CTPF and CTU disburse survivor benefits to deceased members’ designated beneficiaries.
Delegates Not Present April 12, 2023 House of Delegates Meeting
The delegates listed below did not sign in at the April 12, 2023 House of Delegates meeting.
For award winning art educator Aoko Omwony-Hope, elementary art education is where her heart is
Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year Aoko Omwony-Hope has had an eclectic career, teaching both science and art in both charter and district-run schools. But she finally found her home four years ago, when she began teaching art at Doolittle Elementary.
