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Home > EPIC Union Organizing Drive

Solidarity is EPIC

EPIC teachers and staff are joining the Chicago Teachers Union!

We’re organizing a union!

We’re proud to announce that EPIC teachers and staff are organizing to form a union. We believe this collective will provide us with the voice to fight for:

  • Legally mandated supports for diverse learners and English language learners
  • Staff retention with timely and fair contracts that reflect accurate roles and duties
  • Resources to support student academic, social and emotional growth
  • Evaluations that build a culture of support and keep great teachers at EPIC
  • Guidance counselors, social workers and a nurse to support students
  • Voice for teachers and staff to participate in decision-making

By organizing, teachers and staff will be able to have our voices heard to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. We’re fighting for your students and asking for your support in communicating this to EPIC management.

Epic Academy College Prep is a charter high school located at 8255 S Houston Ave on Chicago’s south side that opened in 2009. At EPIC, 94 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch under federal poverty guidelines. Of the school’s nearly 500 students, 63 percent are Black, and 35 percent are Latino. About 14 percent are English-language learners, and 22 percent of students have special education needs.
Contact Us

Resources

Flyer for Families Eng/Span
Mission Statement Leaflet

Announcement Video

Stand Up for Teachers and Staff

Sign our petition to EPIC’s management supporting the union drive and calling for a fair contract that provides the stability and resources that our school needs.

EPIC Union News

Charter school headlines for the week of Dec. 6, 2020
December 10, 2020
CTU members at Namaste are cautiously optimistic that their organizing against in-person instruction has paid off. Educators at Epic Academy
Read more.
Charter school headlines for week of Nov. 16, 2020
November 20, 2020
The CTU New Organizing Committee met with charter school educators interested in unionizing. CTU members at Aspira are strategizing how
Read more.

Mission Statement

We, the teachers and staff of EPIC Academy High School, are organizing a union to help prepare students for college, career, and post secondary success by:

  • Advocating for and demand the legally- mandated supports for our diverse student body.
  • Ensuring all staff receive timely contracts with a transparent salary schedule that accurately reflects responsibilities in order to recruit and retain qualified staff who are dedicated to our community.
  • Providing staff with adequate resources to ensure students are supported in their academic, social and emotional growth.
  • Developing a revised set of evaluation criteria that is role-specific and includes staff voice.
  • Requiring that EPIC hire a team of fulltime guidance counselors, a full-time nurse, and a team of full-time social workers.
  • Ensuring that teachers have a protected voice in the decision-making processes that affect our work and our students, especially regarding the distribution of responsibility and accountability within our organizational structure.

All of the above demands are essential to ensure EPIC teachers and staff are able to serve our families and community, so that we can continue to focus fearlessly on whom we should: EPIC’s legendary students.