Teacher unions exist to siphon as much money as possible out of the public education system, and pour it into progressive politics. That’s it. That’s the entirety of their mission. Union bosses constantly reinforce this message to anyone who will listen.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is perhaps one of the most shamelessly open system parasites. When asked about declining math and reading scores in Chicago Public Schools, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates responded,
“The way in which, you know, we think about learning and think about achievement is really and truly based on testing, which at best is junk science rooted in White supremacy,” she said. “Now, if you have another hour, I can get into why standardized tests are born out of the eugenics movement. And the eugenics movement is always thought to see Black people as inferior to those that are non-Black.”
This individual represents a teachers union currently demanding $50 Billion in additional funding, which includes turning school facilities into migrant housing, free abortions for its members, and 9% annual wage increases.
Your child might not be able to read, but that’s just the problem of “junk science rooted in White supremacy.” Now give the CTU $50 Billion more to increase union salaries and house migrants.
One mother disagreed with Gate’s assessment.
“We have a literacy gap and that no one is addressing. And I know that the [Chicago Teachers’ Union] really they are not curriculum experts,” she said. “And I really think these questions to be asked of [Chicago Public Schools], because they are the ones who should be providing the proper curriculum for our students…I passed every standardized test, and I want my children to be able to do it even though I’m Black. That does not mean I cannot achieve on standardized tests. And our children need to be able to do so that they can be competitive. Our focus needs to be on the literacy gap that Black children have, this not being addressed.”
The saddest part of this exchange is that this mother might still assume that she and the CTU have an overlap in mission. The mother’s mission is to see her children achieve academically and be competitive. The CTU’s mission is to extort as much money as possible out of the education system, and use it to push radical policies that neither educate children, or improve the quality of life for Chicago taxpayers.
Add in to the mix that the teacher unions will actively fight against any school choice options that would allow this mother to get her child out of a failing school, and any illusion that they exist to help students evaporates.