Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas is calling for the city’s school system to be dismantled in the wake of a teacher action.
Vallas' comments come as the Chicago Teachers Union – which represents the district’s 25,000-plus faculty members – agreed to terms to come back to the classroom after being out for four days.
"There's also no substitution for finally dismantling this almost totalitarian school system. This 'one size fits all' school system where they can simply shut down every school when the union feels like extending their vacation, or trying to intimidate the district and to show their muscle,” Vallas told Chicago's Morning Answer.
Vallas said the political aspect of the CTU is hurting students who deserve the opportunity to pick where they go to school.
"The union has been radicalized. They decided to wrap themselves in the mantle of the progressive movement. That's why a lot of times they are pursuing things in negotiations that are totally unrelated to the basic responsibilities of the schools which are to provide a quality education, to keep these buildings open.”
CPS is the country’s third largest public school system serving over 360,000 students across more than 6,000 schools in Chicago.
Vallas, a south side native who grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, was CPS’s chief from 1995 to 2001.
He has been critical of the the school’s leadership in recent years.
COVID concerns recently caused 73% of union members to vote to revert to online-only learning instead of returning to class. The district instead shut down online and in-class learning.
Jesse Sullivan, a gubernatorial contender, has been vocal in his opposition to the CTU action, saying he was “deeply disturbed.”
Sullivan is campaigning for school choice, in which students can choose publicly funded private schools, as part of his campaign. Chicago Public Schools reported a significant drop in student enrollment in 2021, losing 10,000 pupils.
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