You may be aware that this fall just before the beginning of school over 1100 teachers were laid off, 50 of whom were National Board Certified Teachers and many other award winning teachers. 200 were tenured and the courts ordered CPS to reinstate them. CPS appealed. Current education 'reformers' rave about the importance of great teachers, but these firings reveal the 'reformers' true data driven agenda -- cut costs, hire inexperienced teachers and save money. One of those fired teachers was our 2003 OPPY Winner, Francisco Mendoza.
Francisco has been teaching for 25 years and a drive down 19th Street reveals the beautiful work of his students where the Cooper School is covered in glass mosaic murals depicting Mexican history and culture. In April Francisco was diagnosed with multiple-myolema. His principal fired him and when his COBRA expires, he will no longer have health care insurance.
Ted and I have joined with artist teachers and members of the Pilsen community, including the National Museum of Mexican Art, to plan a fund raiser to help support Francisco. A fiesta will be held at the Museum on Sunday, February 27 from 3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. There will be great food from area restaurants, entertainment and a unique silent auction. Please SAVE THE DATE and spread the word. We will send more information as it is available.
Meanwhile, if you want to see what is going on behind the scenes on this issue, click on to this link of a Chicago Teachers Union's press conference (which includes Ted). The reports of three Congressmen are shocking and doubly so because NO ONE in the media picked up the story.
Thanks for checking this out.
Susan
Thanks for sharing this info. What happened to Francisco Mendoza is a stain on CPS and a chilling example of what's been done to our schools and our communities.
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