Stand with Proviso Teachers Union and demand that our students, parents, and community get a well-resourced learning environment, reduced class sizes, and the stability that results from a consistent workforce.
Join us Tuesday, March 15 to tell Superintendent Henderson and the Board to start doing their job by prioritizing our students' education.
Tuesday, March 15
Proviso West (4701 Harrison St., Hillside)
5:00pm Rally
5:30pm Board Meeting
Show your support by attending the rally and board meeting, joining the picket lines, donating to the AFT Solidarity Strike Fund, or share a message of support on SM.
UPDATES
Day Five: Proviso Teachers Respond to Superintendent Henderson and “Board of No:” Stop Shortchanging our Black and Brown students’ future
CHICAGO – The Proviso Teachers Union (PTU, Local 571) has been bargaining in good faith for nearly a year. They brought several viable proposals to today’s 9:00 AM bargaining session that could have ended the strike and brought students back into classrooms, but no agreement was reached.
Proviso Teachers Union President Maggie Riley
“There is one reason that we are still on strike after five days: Superintendent Henderson and the District 209 Board of Education refuse to meet the needs of the community and provide the resources necessary to recruit and retain high-quality educational employees. The “Board of No” continues its stall tactics that only hurt our Black and Brown students, who desperately need a well-resourced and supportive learning environment, reduced class sizes, and the stability that results from a consistent workforce.
“The facts don’t lie. We have the lowest teacher retention rate (82%), lowest starting pay, and lowest average salary in the area. And we can’t fill numerous open teaching positions in nearly every subject. Meanwhile, the district has enough to pay the highest administrator salaries in the area and bank a multi-million-dollar surplus. All we are asking for is pay that will be competitive and attract and retain the excellent educators Proviso students deserve. District 209 can afford our proposal and stay on budget. We are appalled that a district with the resources that Proviso has will not end this strike over such a small amount.
“We urge Superintendent Henderson and the Board to start doing their job by prioritizing our students’ education. We are committed to our students and this district, and we demand the same resources and learning environment for our students as the ones that exist in neighboring Cook County suburbs. Our students and their parents deserve no less.”
For more information, like Proviso Teachers Care on Facebook.