Looking at SB 7 through rose colored glasses.

Man, that was a sleazy bunch that surrounded the governor as he signed Senate Bill 7 yesterday.

Gery Chico? Rahm Emanuel?

And standing in the shadows were the corporate bandits from Stand for Children, arms crossed, smiling a shit-eating grin.

Then there was Arne’s senior side-kick, Jo Anderson. And the IEA’s Ken Swanson.

If some in that crowd bumped into you, immediately check your back pocket to see if your wallet is still there.

Senate Bill 7 took away the right to strike from Chicago teachers in any practical sense. It took away tenure and seniority when it comes to reductions in staff. It makes student test scores a basis for teacher employment.

The Chicago Teachers Union leadership put up a little fight when their House of Delegates expressed their dislike of the results of their sitting at the table with Stand For Children and Advance Illinois, another corporate reformy outfit.

But in the end they settled for a legislative trailer bill that tweaked some language, and then they joined the IEA and the IFT and signed off on it.

In a statement today they said,

Senate Bill 7 and the trailer bill that cleaned up problematic language that greatly concerned the CTU was signed by the governor yesterday in Maywood. We commend Senator Lightford and Representative Currie for leading the tough negotiations that led to this bill.  The CTU was able to mitigate some of the greatest threats it presented, like eliminating the right to strike.  The bill ties the future of tenure status to proficient and excellent evaluations, requires 75% of members to vote to authorize a strike, requires extended mediation and fact-finding prior to a strike vote, and makes the length of school day and school year a permissive subject of bargaining (one that the Board can negotiate, but is not required to negotiate). While the bill does not address concerns around  educational improvement issues like smaller class sizes, equitable funding and superior learning conditions, we look forward to continuing to work with our elected representatives to ensure that our kids have an excellent teacher in every classroom giving them an opportunity for the best possible future.. This fall, we plan on pursuing our plan for school improvement that will truly address the needs of our students, stay tuned!

Talk about making a silk purse of a sow’s ear.