Since the 1930s, the Chicago Teachers Union constitution has served as a bulwark to protect our members and bolster our work. As a living document in changing times, it requires occasional revision. One change involves unification with charter school educators, who voted to merge with the CTU to strengthen our hand against common opponents, improve working conditions for all and fight collectively for the quality educations that our students deserve.

On Sept. 6, the CTU House of Delegates (HOD) approved a timeline and process for constitutional changes for the calendar year. Those dates included September Executive Board meetings to review members’ proposals and invite member input. On Oct. 4, the Executive Board presented final, recommended constitutional changes to the HOD. Key dates are also coming up in the next two months.

While the proposed changes are not extensive, they are important and range from making sure that every school, small or large, gets a voting delegate to address language that is no longer valid or duplicative.

Ultimately, any changes to our constitution are subject to the democratic will of our members, so please review the timeline below and mark your calendars to vote on recommended changes in December.

• Nov. 1: House of Delegates votes on Executive Board constitutional change recommendations. CTU leadership will recommend the date of the vote to take place during the second week of December. The HOD will set the date for the constitutional change vote in the schools.
• Dec. 13: House of Delegates finalizes details of the constitutional change vote.
• Week of Dec. 11: CTU membership votes on the constitutional change recommendations.