Dan Montgomery, President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, issued this statement in response to the Senate's repeal of Section 4.5:
"Today is a great victory for all educators and our members statewide who have been fighting to repeal section 4.5 of the state's education code since 1995. The passage of this bill will restore real equity by allowing bargaining of smaller class sizes and much-needed resources for the children of the city of Chicago. We’ve said for decades that Chicago’s students deserve the same protections and resources that can be collectively bargained throughout the rest of Illinois. And now it is within reach. We urge Gov. Pritzker to sign the bill into law with dispatch,” said IFT President Dan Montgomery."
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The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) represents 103,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in PreK-12 school districts throughout Illinois, faculty and staff at Illinois' community colleges and universities, public employees under every statewide elected constitutional officer, and retirees.