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Chicago teachers union triggered when paper slams them for not showing up to class

December 3, 2024 | | Print Article

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) reacted to a local newspaper’s editorial bringing attention to members being “chronically absent” from classes in criticizing their demands for a pay raise despite receiving a median salary of $95,000.

In the scathing op-ed, the Chicago Tribune blasted the “audacity of these CTU demands and salaries that already are among the highest in the nation, one might think that CPS teachers would be motivated to show up for work. School administrators tend to put great emphasis on student attendance, but precious little attention is paid to how frequently teachers miss work.”

“In the case of CPS, over 41% of teachers were absent from their classes for 10 or more days during the 2023-24 school year, according to state records. Those 10 days represent a statistical benchmark the profession uses to monitor ‘chronic absenteeism’ among teachers,” the paper noted.

The union went into attack mode in a series of X posts that accused the paper of publishing “uninformed dribble” and slamming the op-ed as “one-sided and absolutely misogynistic.”

“CPS teacher Roxanne Piersanti calls out the Tribune Editorial Board’s recent criticism of teacher absences, pointing out how it unfairly targets working mothers and ignores the realities of caregiving, illness, and the physical toll of teaching,” CTU said in one post.

“Have they considered how often educators — especially the 75% of whom are women — are on the front lines of both their classrooms and their families? Does the Trib think workers don’t deserve sick days, FMLA and parental leave? Educators don’t just teach; they sacrifice, care, and persevere. It’s time for the Tribune to reflect the facts,” the union wrote.

“The editorial feels very one-sided and absolutely misogynistic. Do better,” Piersanti said.

“Shame on the Tribune Editorial Board for publishing such uninformed dribble,” the CTU said in another X post, sharing feedback from second-grade teacher Hannah Baker.

“Instead of questioning teachers’ commitment, maybe we should question CPS leadership’s priorities. The best schools are built on respect for the professionals who make them run and investments in the students they teach,” the post read.

“The editorial is an attack that lacks credibility and fairness while impugning teachers’ dignity.” the CTU said in another X post attacking the Tribune.

“Not surprisingly, the rate of teacher attendance soared during the era of remote schooling, with just 12% chronically absent in 2020, for example. It’s a lot easier to show up for class when you don’t have to leave your home,” the Tribune wrote, noting that the absenteeism rate was much lower during the COVID years.

“So it’s fair to ask as CTU continues to make outrageous demands of city and state taxpayers, what exactly are Chicagoans getting for the $30,000-per-student they are currently paying, the highest per-student investment in Illinois? Why is it that all we hear from CTU is demands for more, but we never hear anything from the union about what its members owe the taxpayers (and parents) of this city?” The paper asked.

“When numbers aren’t juiced to advance an agenda, teacher attendance at CPS tracks with statewide trends,” CTU President Stacey Davis Gates wrote in a recent op-ed of her own. “They call this ‘chronic absenteeism’ and insinuate that teachers should be ashamed for doing so.”

Chris Donaldson
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