PROGRESS IN CHICAGO? – I never thought I'd write the words "progress" and "Chicago" in the same sentence.  Chicago, whose heroes include Louis Farrakhan and Barack Obama, is not a place where you expect much progress in anything.  Overly racialized, and controlled by the Democratic machine, it is a shooting gallery every weekend. 

But there may be some progress in getting Chicago's schools, who are in the lock grip of teachers unions, open.  From Fox: 

Chicago schoolchildren are expected to return to classrooms later this week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Sunday after Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools reached a "tentative agreement."

"We are here to announce the very good news that our children will be returning to in-person learning this week," Lightfoot said at a press conference. "These past 11 months have been a whirlwind for our entire city, pushing us to limits countless times. We’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost loved ones… We have all been on a nonstop emotional rollercoaster that we have individually and collectively tried to navigate."

Under the tentative agreement, the start of in-person classes, phased in by grade, has been pushed back from the district's initial plans. Classes for some students would start later week.

But the deal still relies on broader union approval, and it remains unclear when or if a vote will be held for its some 25,000 members, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"We do not yet have an agreement with Chicago Public Schools," Chicago Teachers Union tweeted Sunday, while the press conference was still happening. "The mayor and her team made an offer to our members late last night, which merits further review. We will continue with our democratic process of rank-and-file review throughout the day before any agreement is reached."

The union and district have been fighting for months over a plan to gradually reopen the roughly 340,000-student district, with talks breaking down in recent days. The major issues included widespread vaccinations for teachers, metrics to gauge school infections and accommodations for teachers who have a person in their household who's more susceptible to coronavirus.

"This agreement was about making sure everyone in our school communities just aren’t safe, but also that they feel safe," Lightfoot said.

CPS officials have said opening schools is safe and that remote learning isn’t working for all students, including many Black and Latino students who make up the majority of the district. Union officials had argued that the district’s plan, which included air filters in classrooms and voluntary COVID-19 tests for teachers, didn’t go far enough.

COMMENT:  Lightfoot is no bargain as mayor, but the record will show that there was no progress until she stood up, in a manner of speaking, to the teachers unions.  She suddenly realized there are more parents than union officials.  I personally tend to be pro-union, when the union works for its members and is responsible, but the teachers unions have developed far too much power and are far too politicized.  Not good in school systems.

February 7,  2021