For years, we have been advocating for CPS to give credit for more years of outside teaching and relevant work experience. The current policy only allows for two years of credit.
CPS is considering changing this policy now because we won in our contract additional social workers, nurses, case managers, English Language Program Teachers and more. The district is concerned about attracting new candidates to work in CPS, but we know that the best way to make CPS attractive is to make schools supportive and positive places to work, and that competitive salaries that account for outside experience help too.
Members understandably do not like the idea of other members receiving an incentive that they do not have. While sometimes that is the nature of how policies change, we have an opportunity to advocate that if CPS makes this change, it accounts for members already working in schools now.
You can email the Board of Education directly and demand the following:
- That credit be given for outside experience, and for that credit to be retroactive.
- If not retroactive, insist that the Board phase in the higher steps so that teachers new to CPS don’t leapfrog over someone who’s been teaching longer.
