Acero Educators Demand Fair Contract

5:15 pm, Wednesday, April 19: Educators at the Acero Charter Schools to host a press conference and rally to demand a Supportive, Safe and Sustainable school community for all.

Location: Acero Torres, 4248 W. 47th, Chicago, IL 60632

CHICAGO—On Wednesday, more than 100 educators will join forces with parents, students, and community members to demand a safe, supportive, and more sustainable educational community from the Acero Charter Schools, which are located throughout the city of Chicago in primarily Latine neighborhoods. The Wednesday rally and press conference comes on the same day as the Charter’s April board meeting.

Acero students are majority Spanish-speaking, and educators are demanding better bilingual education resources along with improved Special Education resources for students with learning disabilities. The Union is also demanding more academic and behavior intervention to support students’ growth and development.

Due to a lack of resources, students with special needs are not consistently receiving their legally mandated support throughout the day. Since there is a chronic need for more accountability, transparency and oversight of charter schools by CPS, one of the only methods to ensure that charter students are getting the services they need is through a fairly negotiated collectively bargained agreement.

Another key demand from educators is increased staffing levels for social workers, school nurses, specials teachers, teachers aides in primary grades, and substitute teachers. The Union has also proposed increased support and protections for LGBTQIA+ students and staff and a commitment to diversity and inclusion at all schools through comprehensive anti-racist professional development. Restorative Justice programming and training is also a top demand for the union membership.

With members spending more out of their pockets to support the needs of their classrooms, educators at Acero have also been pushing for a more competitive salary schedule. By offering better pay, Acero can recruit and retain high-quality and diverse educators and pay them on par with their Chicago Public School colleagues.

At Wednesday’s rally and press conference, educators and community members will lay out their demands and urge Acero to meet our staffing needs for more support for our most vulnerable students and to negotiate a contract responsive to improving our schools for our students.