CLASSES IS IN THE BOOKS FOR CHICAGO.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THOUGH, GETTING THERE HAS BEEN SHORT OF AN EASY A CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION IS STILL IN THE MIDST OF PUBLIC CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS AND THEY SAY CPS LEADERS AREN'T DOING ENOUGH ABOUT THE LACK OF ACADEMIC RESOURCES.

THIS COMES AMID CONCERN OVER DISTRICT FUNDING.

JOINING US NOW IS STACEY DAVIS, GATES, PRESIDENT OF THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION.

STACY, WELCOME BACK.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

YOU AS WELL.

THANK YOU.

OF COURSE.

SO HOW ARE TEACHERS FEELING ABOUT THE START OF SCHOOL YEAR?

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS ALWAYS THE MOST EXCITING DAY.

THE SCHOOL YEAR AND ONLY RIVALS THE LAST DAY, OF COURSE, BUT IT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS HOPE AND JOY AND THE OPPORTUNITY OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

AND SO YESTERDAY I WAS THAT SCHOOL AND THEY HAD A SOUL TRAIN LINE THAT TOOK THE KIDS INSIDE WITH CHEERLEADERS.

I'M MEG GRANDMOTHERS GREAT GRANDMOTHERS AND PARENTS THERE.

IT WAS JOYFUL.

LEAVE IT TO A CLASSICAL SCHOOL TO GO TO THE CLASSIC LIKE A SOUL TRAIN LINE.

SO JUST YESTERDAY, CEO PEDRO MARTINEZ TOLD US THAT THE DISTRICT IS SEEING SOME OF THE LOWEST RATES AMONG BILINGUAL SPECIAL NEEDS.

A BILINGUAL AND SPECIAL NEEDS.

EDUCATORS IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP REFLECTING THIS.

WHAT PEDRO FAILS TO TALK ABOUT IS BELOW THE STANDARD THE DISTRICT WAS TO BEGIN WITH.

SO AS HE TOUTS THE PROGRESS IN STAFFING, READY FOR GETS TO TALK ABOUT, IT'S HOW THE 2019 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT PROVIDED ACTUAL STAFFING THAT HE PARADES AROUND AND SAYS WE'VE ACHIEVED.

YES, WE TOGETHER IN PARTNERSHIP, WE'VE ACHIEVED.

SO WHY WOULD YOU LAY THOSE PEOPLE OFF?

ONLY HALF OF THE TEACHER ASSISTANCE THAT WERE LAID OFF BACK IN JUNE ARE BACK IN THE SO YOU NEED PEOPLE DOING THE WORK IN ORDER TO ENGAGE WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET THE RESULT THAT HELPED THE DISTRICT MOVE FORWARD.

YOU WROTE IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE OP-ED YESTERDAY THAT THERE ARE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN YOU AND PEDRO MARTINEZ, YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING THAT, YOU KNOW, HE HAS THUS FAR BEEN ALLOWED TO REMAIN ON THE JOB BY NEAR BRANDON JOHNSON, WHO IS ALSO A FORMER CTU MEMBER.

ONE WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE ACCORD BETWEEN THE 3 OF YOU.

BUT WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT CT AT CPS THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT SEEING?

THAT'S GREAT QUESTION.

ACTUALLY.

VERY RARELY DO PEOPLE ASK THAT QUESTION?

WHAT TYPE OF LEADERSHIP WITH THE LEADERSHIP HAS TO BE VISIONARY AND TRANSFORMATIVE.

WE'RE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, PERFORMED AT A LEVEL OF GOOD ENOUGH FOR GENERATIONS.

BLACK CHILDREN SUFFERED IN WILLIS WAGONS.

THEN THEY HAVE 50 SCHOOLS CLOSED THEM RIGHT NOW ARE BILINGUAL SUPPORTS IN THE CITY.

DON'T MATCH THE NEED.

WE HAVE 20,000 AND HOUSE CHILDREN IN THIS CITY FAMILIES RATE.

SO IT PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH VISIONARY AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP.

PEDRO IS ACTUALLY MISSING HIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE LEGENDARY.

WE HAVE A MAYOR OF CHICAGO WAS A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER WHO TALKS ABOUT HIS FAMILIES, MIGRATION TO CHICAGO FROM MISSISSIPPI PAINESVILLE TALKS ABOUT HIS FAMILY'S JOURNEY FROM MEXICO TO CHICAGO.

SO YOU HAVE THESE 2 MEN WHO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY GIVE STUCK HOGG A STUDENT WITH A DESIRE SEE WITH THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION DID THIS TIME IS THAT WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO ALREADY MEET LEADERSHIP HALFWAY.

WE TOOK THE MAYOR'S TRANSITION REPORT.

OUR PROPOSALS REFLECT THE VALUES AND THE IDEAS EMBODIED IN THAT.

AND NUMBER 2, PEDRO SAID THAT HE WANTED TO BE A PARTNER AND OUR FRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMMIGRANT FAMILIES THAT COME HERE FOR THE PROMISE OF AMERICA AND OPPORTUNITY.

SO WHAT WE NEED IS THAT LEVEL OF PARTNERSHIP FROM THE CEO TO ACTUALLY BE LEGENDARY.

IT'S ONLY OCCURRED TO ME JUST NOW TALKING YOU, STACEY CAUSE, YOU AND I TALKED A LOT.

YEAH.

CONSIDERING YOUR ALIGNMENT WITH MAYOR BRANDON JOHNS.

WHY IS THIS JOB NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER?

I KNOW YOU LOVE CTU.

DO LOVE THAT?

I KNOW YOU LOVE THE STUDENTS THANK THE JOB TO NOT OPEN.

CEO MARTINEZ'S AND JOB THAT HE IS CURRENTLY LOBBYING FOR.

HE'S WASTING TIME DOING THE PR THING LAST NIGHT.

KNEW THIS SHOW.

HE SAID HE WANTS EVERYTHING WE WANT.

HE SAYS HE WANTS A BETTER SCHOOL DAY WANTS ART MUSIC, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, WORLD LANGUAGE.

SO JOIN US AT THE TABLE AND SAY YES TO THOSE THINGS YOU CAN PROVIDE.

LIP SERVICE TO A GENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY GIVE CHICAGO STUDENTS WHAT THEY DESERVE.

SO WE KNOW THAT, OF THE DISTRICT AND C 2, YOU ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BARGAINING, RIGHT?

THIS IS A PUBLIC PROCESS THIS TIME FOR THE I THINK WHAT A LOT OF PARENTS WANT TO KNOW, THOUGH, IS WILL THERE BE ANOTHER STRIKE?

AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE FAR FAR AWAY FROM THAT AT THIS POINT.

BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT STILL CARRY THAT FEAR?

BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THERE CAN BE A STRIKE IF IT COMES TO IT.

LISTEN, I'M SO DISAPPOINTED THAT WE'RE NOT CELEBRATING THE CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW AS A PART OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.

AHEAD, EVERY I HAD EVERY.

THAT WE WOULD BE IN A PLACE RIGHT NOW TO WE'RE AT THE FINISH LINE OR WERE NEARING THE FINISH LINE.

TYPICALLY WE ARE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD WEST TIME WHERE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD AND FIGHTING LIKE YOU SAID FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, WE'VE HAD OPEN BARGAINING WHERE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND WAIT, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE GREEN BAY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

WE'VE HAD OPEN BARGAINING ABOUT WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE FOR OUR DISTRICT TO JP MORGAN CHASE AND GET BACK SOME PROCEEDS FROM PAYDAY LOANS EFFECTIVELY THAT THEY DID WITH THE DISTRICT DURING THE MANUAL YEARS.

I'M SAYING THAT WITH MAYOR BRANDON JACKSON, WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW OUR WORK TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO THE FAMILIES THAT DEPEND ON THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WE'RE IN IT TO TRANSFORM IT RIGHT NOW.

YOU HAVE 80% OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE LIBRARIES OR LIBRARIANS.

YOU HAVE OUR MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS.

WHAT IS IT?

30 1% OF THEM THAT ARE NOT GETTING TRANSPORTATION TO SCHOOL RIGHT NOW.

WE CAN'T KEEP TOLERATING GOOD ENOUGH.

PEDRO HAS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU GOTTA MAYOR WHO SAYING, YES, LET'S ENVISION THIS.

YOU HAVE A UNION WHO'S READY TO DO WHATEVER TO MAKE IT WORK.

WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?

SO YOU BUT YOU CALLING HIM TO COME UP WITH WITH CREATIVE FUNDING SOLUTIONS.

AND YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LAWSUIT AGAINST JP MORGAN CHASE, EXAMPLE, WHAT ARE OTHER CREATIVE FUNDING SOLUTIONS THAT YOU THINK?

ARE BEING USED.

I DON'T I DON'T HAVE TO BE CREATIVE, RIGHT?

ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE FUNDED.

YOU HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES, TEACHER GOVERNOR TIM WAS WHO IS THE NOMINEE FOR THE DEMOCRATS RIGHT NOW FOR VICE PRESIDENT.

HE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GIVE MORE AS GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA TO SCHOOLS.

SAME THING IN CALIFORNIA WITH GOVERNOR NEWSOM.

SAME THING IN MICHIGAN WITH GOVERNOR WHITMER.

THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT THEY RECEIVE FROM THE PANDEMIC WERE EXPIRING AND THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAINTAIN THE PROGRESS THAT THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE MADE IN THOSE STATES AS WELL.

SO R GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN OUR GOVERNOR WILL HAVE TO STEP UP BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A CLIFF.

THAT THE PARTICULAR CHICAGO AND FACT SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALL ACROSS THIS STATE AND COUNTRY FOR THAT MATTER ARE FACING SIR CLIFF.

IT IS THE COURAGE OF GOVERNORS IN OTHER STATES TO WORK WITH PARTNERS AT THE UNION AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO FIGURE IT OUT.

AS WE MENTIONED, CEO PEDRO MARTINEZ JOINED US YESTERDAY.

HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN AGREEMENT THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE RESOURCES PUT TOWARDS SCHOOLS, HE SHARED THAT THERE ARE STILL IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE.

NOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS, THE AMOUNT RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE A MEAN AND GET IT.

TAKE MY WORD FOR I WOULD INVITE YOU TO COME TO OUR SCHOOLS, COME VISIT OUR CLASSES.

NOW THE BUILDINGS WILL THERE'S A LOT OF ON THE FACILITY SITE.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RICH PROGRAMMING, THE ELECTIVES THAT WE HAVE NOW, THE FACT THAT OUR HIGH SCHOOLS NOW OFFER COLLEGE CREDIT, I HAD 6,000 SENIORS LAST YEAR THAT CUT IN COLLEGE CLASSES WHERE THEY WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.

HE SAID THE SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS AND IT SAID NOT WITH THE YOUNG BY THE WEEKEND DOESN'T NEED TO BECAUSE I HAVE AN AMAZING SET UP ALREADY.

THESE ARE SMALLER HIGH SCHOOLS.

SO OF COURSE, THE CEO THERE IS POINTING TOWARD SOME OF THE SUCCESSES, RIGHT?

WHAT WHAT STUDENTS ARE GETTING WITHIN CPS, SCHOOLS SAID ENOUGH.

NO, IT'S THE VARIABILITY THAT'S KILLING OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.

IT'S THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DIE.

WE CAN CELEBRATE A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL BY IMUS.

WHAT IS THE BASELINE IS THE PORT THAT EVERY SCHOOL IN DISTRICT, WHAT CAN FAMILIES EXPECT WHEN THEY WALK AND CAN THEY EXPECT PE TEACHER?

CAN THEY EXPECT A FINE ARTS PROGRAM?

CAN THEY EXPECT SPORTS FOR EVERY SEASON?

THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS IT'S THE FLIP OF THE COIN.

IT'S THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PRINCIPAL.

IT'S THE WILL OF THE ELYSEE, ITS EVERYTHING.

BUT THE STANDARD THAT WE HAVE TO START PUTTING IN, THAT'S WHAT OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING PROPOSALS REPRESENT.

SO WHEN PEOPLE LAMP HOME, THE QUOTE, COST OF THEM, IT IS THE COST OF DOING SCHOOL IN CHICAGO.

RIGHT NOW.

WE'RE ONLY DOING THE COST TO SECURE PART MEAN WE'RE ONLY DOING THE COST OF SCHOOL IN CHICAGO.

A GOOD ENOUGH AND GOOD ENOUGH IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE.

ALL RIGHT.

10 SECONDS LEFT STACY DAVIS, GATES PREPARING FOR THE FIRST ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD.

THE DISTRICT'S HISTORY COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.

HOW IS CTU SUPPORTING CANDIDATES?

LOOK RIGHT NOW I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE INDOORS LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE LOCAL LIST OF THE LOCAL ACTIONS THAT WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE IN A TIME PERIOD WHERE RED STATES ARE MARGINALIZING THE RIGHTS VOTING RIGHTS OF PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE, BROWN PEOPLE WHO NEED THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO WORK FOR THEM NOW HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY IN SOME AGENCY TO MAKE THOSE SELECTIONS.

THAT'S A GREAT THING.

SURE.

WE'LL