Performance Is How Chicago Teachers Show Taxpayers They Deserve A Raise

Chicago Public School students are back in classrooms today after protests by the Chicago Teachers Union forced CPS administrators to close schools on Friday, April 1. Some 27,000 teachers decided that rather than show up and actually work for their paychecks, it was more important to “send a message to the man” about how they needed more money.

Union-organized teachers holding their hands out for more money with no measurable way to demonstrate results is hardly news. Each time this scenario plays out, I wonder why these teachers aren’t taking matters into their own hands and insisting that as they produce value to taxpayers and results for students — their compensation will correspondingly be connected.

CPS is grappling with a more than $1B billion budget deficit, and the district has a reported graduation rate of about 65%. Let’s be clear, when we went to school 65% didn’t exactly represent success. This is an opportunity for teachers to lead the charge to change. Spending more money on what exists does not exactly represent change. Not showing up to work, not exactly demonstrating your commitment to value.

Instead of demanding more money simply for more years of service that has clearly served no one other than their pension, the teachers union should be negotiating pay increases based on attainment of reasonable results. Guess who didn’t earn performance bonuses last year? The Chicago Bears. Because they didn’t win. If teachers want more money, they should start winning.

Teachers, union officials and administrators should all come to agreement about what high performing classrooms look like, set goals, and then be accountable in working toward achieving them. Performance is how teachers show the district and the taxpayers of Chicago that they deserve a pay raise. Carrying signs on the sidewalk demonstrates they want to protect the status quo.

If these teachers want more money, maybe they should produce some results. Because 65% isn’t cutting it. In fact, the best way for them to produce some results might be to actually show up to work.