Teachers Union Lawsuit Contends Recent LSC Elections Unlawful

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 20, 2011 3:40PM

The tensions between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union continue with a lawsuit filed by CTU that contends recent local school council elections are unlawful under state law and serve to undermine what a local school council is set up for.

A January amendment to the Illinois School Code added an extra seat to local school councils that allows for "one employee of the school district employed and assigned to perform the majority of their employment duties at the attendance center who is not a teacher." CTU staff coordinator Jackson Potter contends is supposed to go to a non-teaching professional like a school clerk. CPS says that the language to the amendment implies they can add an administrator to the school council. Since local school councils can hire and fire principals, approve annual school budgets and improvement plans and sign contracts, the possibility of having a school administrator on a council can open councils up to charges of conflicts of interest, gridlock and territorial pissings.

CTU and other plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend that the timing of the elections is also suspect and that they should have been held in line with next year's school council general election cycle. Potter said, "For us, this is a power grab designed to weaken the power of school-based personnel and parents at schools."