The $25 million in additional funding we secured in our 2019 contract for sports programs and the educators who staff them began to be distributed this month.
After lengthy delays, CPS finally begins distributing the $25 million in additional funding we secured in our 2019 contract
Member advocacy during our historic 2019 strike won an additional $25 million in sports funding across the term of the five-year agreement. The contract created a joint CTU-CPS Sports Committee that is charged with allocating that money to increase coaches’ pay, make it more equitable and provide additional resources for CPS student-athletes.
During the 2019-2020 pandemic school year, CPS withheld $5 million of that funding, claiming it had been swept into general operating funds instead. But our rank-and-file sports committee sprang into action, and along with CTU staff and leadership, forced the district in July 2021 to provide the unspent $5 million in sports funding from 2019-20 that it claimed was no longer available for sports.
This money will now go entirely to the purchase of equipment, uniforms, supplies and transportation for CPS student-athletes, and be distributed amongst schools as provided in the agreement reached by the committee. CPS eventually agreed to provide full FY21 payments by Dec. 17, 2021, to almost 3,000 coaches, 85 ADs and 1,150 ES liaisons.
This win is the result of the fearless organizing of our CTU Sports Committee, including the excellent work of its rank-and-file committee members Wendy Weingarten, Linda Peete and Lynn Gerbec. These women, along with CTU staff and officers, did fantastic work on this across several months of contentious meetings with CPS.
And we will need more advocacy like this from educators throughout the city as we demand that Mayor Lightfoot and CPS use $2 billion in federal recovery dollars to significantly invest in providing basic resources in all of our schools.
This victory shows, once again, the power of our rank-and-file to move CPS and win the resources our members, students and school communities need. Thanks to Wendy, Linda and Lynn for their tireless advocacy on behalf of our union and our students.
Previously in the CTU year in review:
Bargaining for a safe return to our schools
New part-time clinician positions for 2021-2022
CTU bargaining units organized at two charter campuses
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The Kenwood Academy boys varsity football team is the 2021 Chicago Public League champion.)
Please visit COVID-19 Safety Campaign on our website for the latest on safe return, including important member surveys, and information on upcoming testing events and all-member meetings.
