Mediators typically look to

Does “good faith” include sending a letter to

all your teachers saying you are working out pay rates for comparable
the details of joining the pension program professionals to help settle
while simultaneously hiring a 2nd law firm to salary disputes. The Union
fight contributing anything at all? ChiArts academic teachers and is considering ChiArts’
42 academic teachers paraprofessionals who are request for a mediator, but
and paraprofessionals represented by the CTU we are disappointed you
need a mediator to tell you
the same thing your teachers
have been for 10 months.
*Claim to be
able to afford
(though
unwilling to equal pay for equal work. We do not want to
share a full comment directly
budget with the on bargaining
public like all proposals on the
other schools) table, but suffice it
to say, we deeply
dispute the
accuracy of this
entire sentence

We also frequently
media compare ChiArts to
similarly funded
charter schools.

The Chicago Teachers

Pension Fund actually ChiArts teachers
issued a decision reached out to state
All district schools provide teachers with the same salary
declaring that certified representatives to
schedule and pension benefits, regardless of Title 1 funding
teachers at ChiArts are change ALL the laws
eligible and requiring that treat contract
ChiArts to begin PROVE IT! OPEN UP YOUR BUDGETS! schools as a loophole,
participating in the including the pension
pension fund as of law, the open
January 1. ChiArts hired a meetings law and
second law firm to fight other transparency
that decision, therefore laws. ChiArts is
delaying teacher paying lawyers and
participation lobbyists to oppose
the legislation so they
ChiArts has can keep denying
switched insurance ChiArts claims to currently provide a their teachers a
PROVE IT! OPEN UP YOUR BUDGETS! pension.
plans each year for 5% match - but they actually match
the last three years, whichever percentage they want.
requiring many Sometimes they matched 1 or 2%…
teachers to switch they reserve the option to match 0%
doctors multiple
times.
A 403b is a savings
Our students do not plan in which ChiArts
have recess. They do teachers put a
have a lengthy lunch - portion of their
which all of our Our teachers work salary. Delayed
teachers help from 7:30am-3pm. vesting means that
supervise. We also ChiArts does not
chaperone student match any of the
performances without teachers personal
additional pay. contributions if
teachers leave
before 3 years of
Teachers at other Both sides service. This is not
schools are anywhere near the
typically given an same as a pension.
additional stipend, A portion of CPS
to add to their funding is designated
salary, for after for teacher pensions
school coaching (which all district and
responsibilities. charter teachers
receive) - ChiArts
has been accepting
We would argue that failing to comply with money for those
special education laws for the last five pensions and not
years and leaving uncertified substitutes in contributing to the
place for the majority of the school year fund.
would suggest a certain failure to serve our We hope
students at the highest level
everyone does.

For your next letter, please work on providing

citations to publicly available materials.