President of teacher union too close to Vallas, foe says May 14, 2001 BY ROSALIND ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER Chicago Teachers Union President Tom Reece goes into this Friday's election with one big supporter in his corner--but one his opponent is hoping will hurt him with teacher-voters. Schools Chief Paul Vallas has openly and repeatedly praised Reece--a point Reece's opponent, Marquette Elementary teacher Deborah Lynch Walsh, is trying to turn to her advantage in her third bid against Reece. "Mr. Reece has been absolutely co-opted and has done more the bidding of the mayor and management" than that of teachers, said Walsh, who won nearly 42 percent of the vote in 1998. More than 30,000 Chicago Teachers Union members will have the final say this Friday, when they elect a president. Reece, a former Disney Magnet teacher who has headed the union since 1994, bristled at the "co-opted" charges. "What is the reason for that? Because we have two long-term contracts? Because the members have gotten a raise every year?" Reece said. Reece cited an April bonus of 1 percent as one example of his tough negotiating for teachers, saying, "If this is co-opting, I want to see more of it." But Lynch said the timing of the bonus--a month before Friday's vote--was part of an attempt "to influence the outcome of this election." Vallas said teachers were owed an extra $5.5 million last year under their contract after attempts to pass a pension bill failed in the Legislature. He doubled that amount and rounded it to a 1 percent bonus in April after it became clear the measure once again had no chance of passage this year, he said. The timing of the bonus was coincidental, Vallas said. Reece sounded out membership in a March vote on how the bonus should be dispersed, and then School Board approval was required, Vallas said. Reece has been trying to portray Walsh as a dissident who is "more apt to lead an unnecessary strike." He says Friday's vote comes down to a choice between experience and "negativism." Walsh says Reece has voiced little objection to a flurry of sanctions that have been leveled against schools, dislodged some teachers and put school staffs under intense pressure. She says she would work with Vallas to give teachers a greater voice in deciding teacher training and the destiny of their schools. Walsh again is expected to have her strongest supporters among high school teachers, who have faced the most serious sanctions. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
