Chicago Public Schools suffering from ‘chronic absenteeism’ by teachers as union demands higher pay: report

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The Chicago Public School system is suffering from “chronic absenteeism” among teachers who’ve skipped more than 10 days of the 2023-2024 school year, according to a new report.

State records show that over 41% of CPS teachers exceeded 10 days of absence last year, the Chicago Tribune reported. These absences are in addition to the built-in vacation time allotted to teachers for the school year, which includes ten days for winter break, five for spring break and eight additional days off for holidays, according to the outlet. 

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Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates, left, stands with Mayor Brandon Johnson as he arrives at the Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library on Feb. 7, 2024.  (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Those 10 days represent a statistical benchmark the profession uses to monitor ‘chronic absenteeism’ among teachers,” the Tribune wrote.

The report comes amid ongoing contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union, who are demanding a 9% annual raise for teachers. The median salary for CPS teachers is close to $95,000, according to the outlet.

The teachers’ union is calling for an extra $50 billion in funding to cover wage hikes as well as other demands. For instance, the money would be used to provide fully paid abortions for its members, new migrant services and facilities and a host of LGBTQ-related requirements and training in schools.

The massive demands are being made despite its members delivering underwhelming results for its students. Only 21% of the city’s eighth-graders are proficient readers, according to the Nation’s Report Card, which provides national results about students’ performance.

CPS Chief Labor Relations Officer Miguel Perretta said the district cannot afford the raises demanded by the union and does not intend to concede, ABC7 reported.

STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND AS CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL SUFFERS FROM STAFFING ISSUES, TEACHER ABSENCES: REPORT 

In September, students at a Chicago high school were left without a teacher for several weeks due to chronic absenteeism by educators, the Chicago Block Club revealed at the time.

CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 24: Members of the Chicago Teachers Union gathered at a rally ahead of an educators strike on September 24, 2019 in Chicago. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)

“About 46 percent of the teaching staff had more than 10 absences in 2023, according to CPS data. That means nearly half of Clemente teachers missed the equivalent of at least two weeks of school,” the outlet reported.

In June, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates told a news radio host that conservatives do not want Black children to read, adding that it is “part of the oath they take to be right wing.”

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Gates seemingly doubled down on the comments following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, demanding in a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson that the teaching of Black history be included in the teachers’ contract, ABC7 reported.

“We are worried that, in the age of Trump, teaching Black history could be a problem in the city of Chicago because of the restrictions that the federal government may place on curriculum,” Gates wrote.

The Chicago Tribune called the salary request “outlandish” in an editorial on Sunday.

“So it’s fair to ask as CTU continues to make outrageous demands of city and state taxpayers, what exactly are Chicagoans getting for the $30,000-per-student they are currently paying, the highest per-student investment in Illinois? Why is it that all we hear from CTU is demands for more, but we never hear anything from the union about what its members owe the taxpayers (and parents) of this city?” the board wrote.

CPS did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Fox News’ Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.