CHICAGO—With Friday marking an end to Chicago’s first week back at school, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates will make her final Back-To-School tour stop at Nicholson STEM Academy, located in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Utilizing technology to enhance the educational experiences for students and their families, Nicholson services a high number of students in temporary living situations.
As we all grapple with the impacts of the current climate catastrophe, here is a quick update about where we are on ensuring that we keep our classrooms and school buildings safe and thriving.
Welcome back to another school year, and congratulations on a great first day. As we begin to settle in for another year, we have all been gripped by the impacts of the Extreme Heat Watch issued by the National Weather Service. For some of us, extreme heat has resulted in limited outdoor times for our students, and for others the extreme heat in our classrooms and hallways have exposed the vulnerability of our school buildings, many of which were built decades ago without air conditioning or accommodations for a warming plant.
As the city grapples with an Extreme Heat Watch, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates will visit with educators at Washington High School and uplift the solutions to aging public-school facilities.
Approximately 1.6% of total fund assets of CTPF members’ retirement savings, are invested in 225 small cap and passive strategy funds, totaling $242.3 million that include fossil fuel industries. Disinvestment from these funds will indicate that such an action is a step toward undermining financial support of an industry responsible for the devastation of the planet.
