J. Tyler Holmes

(An op-ed written for Feature and Opinion Writing edited by ex-Chicago Tribune Editorial Board member Dodie Hofstetter – 2/17/16)

As a current student at Loyola University Chicago, it has not been long since public school was reality for 13 years. Kids experience every phase of adolescent life while walking into the halls and out of the classrooms of schools every day. Those students who surround each other become friends for a majority of their early lives, and bonds are achieved through class activities and extracurricular programs. The teachers who deliver knowledge into the minds of the youth are the reason this country will continue to have a prosperous future.

Growing up in Texas meant large public schools with an abundance of programs. Attending school was not just a mandatory part of receiving a higher education but a way for the entire community to connect. Weekend elementary school fairs gave parents the opportunity to meet one another and brainstorm what they could do to make the school a better place. Students were exposed to libraries, book fairs, music classes with an after-school orchestra program, athletics and updated playgrounds for recess. These available opportunities gave students the chance to figure out what they wanted out of their futures from their education.

The situation should not be any different because Chicago is a large and expensive city.

The possibility that Chicago Public Schools could experience bankruptcy seems nonsensical, but it’s also a current reality. Educators face losing jobs; programs face budget cuts; schools face closure; and students face losing both a valuable education along with the nurturing that they need from these teachers to grow. Public schools allow kids to have a safe place to go during the day while parents are at work and extracurricular activities let children discover their talents. An unavailable budget should not be the hindrance for the future of education.

This is an alarming possibility that knows no exclusions due to location or finances. Some of the city’s top-rated high schools with large enrollment rates could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Schedules and academics will drastically have to change. Principals are being forced to remake budgets in the middle of the school year, which can affect teaching positions and students’ educations. Many schools do not have backup funds in order to maintain their teachers’ salaries in case of a budget slash; mainly, they shouldn’t have to.

Thousands of protestors have already gathered on downtown Loop streets in support of the Chicago Teachers Union to oppose further budget slashes and to make sure teachers’ pensions are still paid. “Walk-in” protests are being held by parents and their children in opposition of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Board of Education. These parents should not have to fight in order to keep their children in school and CPS should not have to borrow $725 million in bonds at high-interest rates in order to cover debt costs and construction prices for renovations.

However, teachers at the same time need to be willing to make compromises. Neither the teachers nor the government are going to receive exactly what they want. Members of the CTU must remember why they became educators in the first place: to help children build a better future for themselves. Teachers receiving proper payment for their services is imperative, but there can be no victory when the doors of schools close for good.