Member Bulletin for November 15, 2023
Topics in this bulletin include Contract campaign kickoff, Sports Stipends, PSRP Day, Teach truth, not Skyline, Instituto rally and more!
Preschool teacher Sol Camano uses her “bilingual superpower” to support, nurture her students
Pre-school teacher Sol Camano didn’t think teaching was in the cards for her, even though her mother is teacher. Growing up in Los Angeles, she had wanted to be an actress. But after spending a summer doing children’s programming for refugees in Greece, she was hooked.
8:30 am 2/22: Lightfoot, CPS and Charter Leaders Ignoring the Need of Migrant Students Placed in Chicago’s Public and Charter Schools
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 22: Press conference to demand great attention be paid by CPS, City Hall, and Charter operators to the classroom resources and wraparound services necessary to meet the needs of newly placed migrants in Chicago.
Resolution to Defend Bilingual Education
This resolution was adopted by the CTU House of Delegates at its December 7, 2022 meeting.
Sense of family and community guide Lori Torres’ teaching philosophy — and campaign for alderwoman
Lori Torres credits her parents for instilling love and respect for education and the importance of community connectedness that grounds her teaching philosophy and her campaign for alderwoman.
Updates on Bilingual Education and Sanctuary Schools
Read updates on IEP Interpreter restrictions and on IEP Interpreter stipends from the 2021–22 school year. Read an update on donations for newcomer students and on the sanctuary letter that CPS finally released after three years of advocacy from CTU members and families.
IEP Interpreter Stipends
The Joint CTU/CPS Bilingual Committee met recently and were informed that administrators received an IEP stipend survey on 1/26/22 for them to fill out with names of folks in their building that have been translating at IEP meetings for fall of 2021. CPS stated that administrators should be reaching out to staff to confirm their eligibility so that they can receive the stipend.
Standardized Testing Pushed Back for Illinois
A struggle that brewed in CTU committees over testing for English Learners turned into a victory for students all across the state, as ISBE pushes back the testing window leaving time for a federal testing waiver under the new Biden administration.
Half price tuition for Bilingual and ESL endorsement programs, thanks to our contract wins
We won a big benefit for teachers seeking a Bilingual or ESL endorsement in our successful 2019 strike. Teachers who are interested in going back to college starting in 2021
to obtain their bilingual and/or ESL teacher endorsement can attend classes at half price.
Early childhood and bilingual education bargaining update
Rank and file bargaining team members Paula Barajas, Arathi Jayaram, Nancy Serrano and Lashawn Wallace talk about today’s bargaining sessions. Our members and experts came prepared. Our members relate what happened in the video.
