“As a former educator and longtime employee of the Chicago teachers union, what grade would you give the current system and why?”
That question was put to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson during his appearance Thursday night at the Economic Club of Chicago.
Mayor Johnson at the Economic Club of Chicago
His answer:
“I personally don’t give a lot of attention to grades…. My responsibility is not merely to just grade the system but to fund the system.
That’s how I am ultimately going to grade whether our public school system is working – based upon the investments we make to the people who rely on it.”
He offered nothing further about how to grade the schools or educational outcomes.
That answer was not an offhand comment taken out of context. It was a thoughtful answer that he explained. See for yourself. The question and answer start at the 47.3 mark in the video of his appearance.
As it has become undeniable that school closures did more harm than good, teachers unions have since tried to rewrite history and claim they were in favor of reopening schools, even though a long trail of documents show that they consistently fought to “reopen schools safely,” with their focus being on ensuring that the definition of “safely” would mean a very high barrier to opening.
Government helping government. You? You gotta help yourself.
Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MomsRising Together / Paul Morigi/Stringer via Getty Images
Newly obtained text messages show the heads of both major teachers unions personally texting then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky as the agency was putting together a scientific analysis of reopening schools during coronavirus — with the CDC making a key change that allowed schools to stay closed and appeased the unions.
On February 11, 2021, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten texted Walensky saying that she had heard a “leak” from The New York Times about what was in the CDC’s upcoming guidance, and expressed concern that it was “at odds with [their] discussion.”
“They are running with a full speed ahead angle” for reopening schools, Weingarten wrote. She said the Times sent her a copy of the internal draft guidance that said, “At any level of community transmission, all schools can provide in-person instruction.”
“Hmmm. Argh,” Walensky wrote to the union honcho.
The next day, Walensky’s agency released guidance that was different. It said, “All schools have options to provide in-person instruction.” That allowed school districts to stay closed while still saying they were following CDC guidelines. “Middle and high schools in virtual only instruction unless they can strictly implement all mitigation strategies and have few cases,” it added.
Weingarten’s union then put out a statement praising the guidance, and texted the document directly to Walensky with the message, “Thank you.”
Walensky responded glowingly, saying, “This gave me the biggest smile of my week. Thank YOU, Friend!”
Weingarten then gently chided the CDC director for not going further to push stricter guidelines that would keep schools closed, saying “:) we will fuss a little on ventilation but I am so grateful.”
‘You Misspelled Parents’: Betsy DeVos Throws Down With Teachers Union Over Who Knows What’s Best For Kids
We managed to create a greatest generation and become a great country before we had a department of education. Now we have safe rooms. Long past time to get rid.
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tangled with the National Education Association on Twitter, arguing that parents were better equipped than anyone else to say what was best for their children.
The exchange began with the NEA — the largest labor union in the United States — claiming in a Saturday tweet that professional educators knew “better than anyone” what children needed in order to grow and learn.
“Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and thrive,” the tweet claimed.
MCViewPoint 
