The district jolts out of its slumber. CPS rushes to the window and is relieved that it’s still at its downtown location, carolers still singing below.
CPS Scrooge quickly calls his often-combative business partner, the Chicago Teachers Union, and recounts everything that just happened. Contrite in spirit, CTU confesses that at times it too has been overcome with selfishness; that it has at times worsened the plight of underprivileged students by contractually protecting do-nothing teachers and engaging in outdated politics that polarized educators instead of promoting collaborative, progressive practices.
That night the two pledge to find an amiable way to close the school budget gap, avert a teachers strike, and promote more equitable student learning.
The CPS-CTU coalition decides to take an express train to Springfield. They go to the governor’s mansion and rouse him out of bed, demanding that he call an emergency meeting of the state legislature–yes, on Christmas Eve!
Normally stubborn mortal enemies, Republicans and Democrats work with CPS and CTU to craft a compromise agreement that brings equity and sustainability to school funding in Chicago, while also supporting student achievement and teacher satisfaction.
The legislators even provide a special grant to Tiny Tim High School to get its swimming pool fixed, hire a new librarian, buy new books and technology for its library, renovate the auditorium, and reinstate the music and theater department staff. The grant also provides dollars to hire college counselors and institute a more rigorous academic curriculum.
In unison they say, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!â€
The Moral of the Story
Unlike the Scrooge in the Dickens classic, CPS didn’t get itself into this fiscal mess alone, and a simple change of heart by CPS cannot fix it. Actually, the educational Scrooge Chicago has five or six heads. The district needs the help of the CTU, Mayor Rahm Emanuel (who ultimately controls the schools), Gov. Bruce Rauner, House Speaker Michael Madigan, and the entire state legislature to solve its current financial problems. Each party must swallow its pride, put politics aside, and work collaboratively to ensure that public education in Chicago thrives, not just barely survives.
Despite the fact, opinion, and fiction in my parody, I truly believe that an equitable, fully funded, and sustainable CPS can become a reality.
This is “A Christmas Carol‖a Christmas miracle–that all Illinoisans would love to see played out in real life, not just on black and white TV!
Marilyn Rhames has taught in district and charter schools in Chicago for the past 11 years and currently serves as alumni support manager at a K-8 charter school. A former New York City reporter, Rhames writes award-winning education commentary featured on Moody Radio in Chicago and formerly in Education Week. She is a 2016 Surge Institute Fellow and the founder of the Christian nonprofit, Teachers Who Pray.