Thread by @CTULocal1

Also, we welcome plans from CPS and the mayor to boost educator diversity. It's something our union and partners like @GrowYourOwnIL have been working on for years.

But before that, CPS needs to care for, respect and nurture the Black and Brown teachers we already have. #thread

Black teachers were 41 percent of the CPS workforce in 2000, according to Illinois State Board of Ed Report Card data. That percentage had plummeted to 21 percent by 2019.

Nearly a quarter of the schools in our district, in a city that is 1/3 Black, have one or no Black teachers. In 2001, there were about 10 CPS schools with no Black teachers. Now there are more than 60. What does that say about how we value Black and BIPOC students and educators?

This is part of a national crisis around the push out of Black educators, and in Chicago, part of what VP @stacydavisgates has called the "Negro Removal Act"...removing Black educators, when, due to crime, poverty and the lack of affordable housing, our students need them most.

So what happened? Mayoral control of schools, which has been an abject failure. And student-based budgeting, which has caused a death spiral in some areas as funding and students went to better-resourced schools in neighborhoods with increases in population and housing costs.

For decades, boards of education handpicked by the mayor, and racist CPS policies contributed mightily to disinvestment in Black school communities, and favored privatization that ignored efforts to attract—and protect—our Black and Brown educators.

But as we stated, "to truly make this initiative a success, CPS must value both incoming and veteran educators of color in its buildings, and make schools hospitable places to learn and grow in professional, anti-racist communities." Keyword: anti-racist. ctulocal1.org/posts/to-grow-…

CPS must also work with stakeholders who have done this work for years, and commit to "eradicating policies that have stripped our schools of Black and Brown educators: charter proliferation, school closings, punitive teacher evaluation and high-stakes entry programs."

Illinois State University is a willing partner, but if we're truly talking about growing our own from Chicago's roots, and frontloading the need for diversity, let's tap into local pipelines that are anchors of communities, like Chicago State, NEIU and U.I.C.

And make CPS a place where Black and Brown educators are welcome. Our union is committed and a willing partner. There is Black and Brown leadership at high levels in all places. This can’t become yet another story about lofty promises that sounded good, but ultimately fell short.