By John Ubaldi, “Ubaldi Reports”

With the attention of the U.S. focused on the re-opening of the nation’s school system, two major teachers unions have demanded that before any school opens in the their districts substantial concessions need to be made.

The debate has centered on how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, as each side has a far different approach.  President Trump has stated that he wants the schools to begin re-opening, but others are hesitant citing the safety of the children.  A recent commentary in the journal Pediatrics seems to bolster Trump’s argument suggesting children are at a lower risk for the virus.

The findings found that school-based virus transmissions could be manageable, especially with children who attend elementary schools, as they have the lowest risk of infections according to the journal Pediatrics.

“The evidence suggests that children are less likely to become infected, less likely to develop severe disease and less likely to transmit the virus to other children and adults,” said co-author and pediatrician Dr. William Raszka Jr. of the University of Vermont School of Medicine. “It is wildly different from flu.”

According to the CDC, “influenza is dangerous to children,” and during the 2017-2018 flu season which everyone has forgotten was considered a pandemic, the federal agency estimates that the actual number of pediatric deaths was close to 600.

Various medical experts have a variety of different opinions on the infections rates to children for the virus, but as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools can take various measures in protecting children upon returning to school.

Unfortunately, school districts in Los Angeles and Chicago have decided to take advantage of the crisis to pursue a progressive wish list of programs to be implemented before any schools are reopened.

This falls in line with the famous quote by President Barack Obama’s first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel who stated “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” just after Obama’s election in November of 2009.  Both Los Angles and Chicago school district unions have taken this to heart.

Los Angeles and Chicago Unified School District teachers unions have placed strict conditions on any reopening by calling for a massive cash bailout.   In addition the unions want to defund their cities police force, Medicare for All, and funding for illegal immigrants among other items demanded before any or all children will be allowed to attend classes.

Early this month the 35,000-strong Los Angeles Teachers Union put together a policy paper demanding certain conditions be met before any students are allowed back into district classrooms.

Throughout the document the teachers union makes repeated references how the COVID-19 placed a disproportionate impact on “people of color”.  The union articulates that students attending LAUSD’s schools are heavily disadvantage in relationship to the general population of Los Angeles.

With this in mind, and wanting to take advantage of the crisis and simultaneously pursue a progressive agenda, Los Angles Teachers Union is demanding;

  • Calling for at least $500 billion in federal funding this year, and a commitment of support over the coming years.
  • Fully fund title I, which provides federal funding to schools with a high percentage of children from low-income areas.
  • Fully fund Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) of federal spending of around $12 billion.
  • Medicare for All.
  • Increase state funding.
  • Wealth Tax: A new tax on unrealized capital gains to California billionaires only, 1% a year until capital gains taxes are met. This would generate an estimated $10 billion a year initially.
  • A millionaire tax that adds 1% surtax on incomes over $1 million a year, and 3% for over $3 million a year. This would generate an estimated $4.5 billion-plus a year.
  • Defund the police.
  • Permanent Housing security.
  • Paid sick leave for all parents of children in school.
  • A total Charter school moratorium and the ending of Charter schools.
  • Financial support for undocumented students and families.

The teachers union blames the coronavirus for the disruption to district finances, but the union fails to mention before COVID-19, the district was facing a massive fiscal mess.

With dwindling students and debt incurred from the ever rising health and pension obligations this created an enormous financial headache for the district.  The Reason Foundation in 2018 analyzed Los Angeles Unified School District and why the LA Unified School District is in such a fiscal disaster.  Since this report came out the situation has only gotten worse.

The teachers union blames the coronavirus for the lack of funding.  Unfortunately, the union fails to mention that before the pandemic, Los Angles the nation’s second largest school district, only 21% of African American students who graduated in 2018 were considered prepared for college or careers.  This is way below the 52 percent of white students and 74 percent of Asian students who are college or career ready.

Just last year it was reported that 1 million low-income African-American and Latino public school students in Los Angeles County found that only 2 out of 10 of these children are enrolled in a high-quality school.

Unfortunately for the teachers union, charter schools help Latino Students Bridge the achievement gap as they compete with the failing public school system.  The unions wanting to protect their member’s want all charter schools closed, it doesn’t matter that they achieve better education results for black and Hispanic students.

As of June 30, 2019, the Los Angeles Unified School District is $7 billion in debt.

Black and Hispanic parents over whelming want their child in a charter school.  This was the central issue during the heated debate during the January 2019 teachers’ strike, as parents of black and Hispanic children want better results and often turn to charter schools.

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden has stated that charter schools and school choice would be eliminated from his educational agenda.

Mr. Biden, seeking the NEA’s endorsement at a virtual assembly, pledged his loyalty to the unions, noting that his wife, Jill, is a member. “When we win this election, we’re going to get the support you need and the respect you deserve,” Mr. Biden said. “You don’t just have a partner in the White House, you’ll have an NEA member in the White House. And if I’m not listening, I’m going to be sleeping alone in the Lincoln Bedroom.”

The teachers unions always blame on others, for the deficiency of wasteful spending by the city and the state of California which happens to be solidly controlled by the Democratic Party that has controlled education in the state for decades!

Chicago Unified School District is following the same progressive formula as Los Angeles by wanting more federal funding before any classes can resume.

Last week the Chicago Unified School District gave its official reason for not wanting to re-open schools.  The city can produce a plan to “guarantee safety” for all students and staff from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak no matter how long it takes.

“We stand for a safe and equitable reopening of the schools, but today COVID-19 cases are soaring instead of dissipating,” Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said in a statement Wednesday. “There is simply no way to guarantee safety for in-school learning during an out-of-control pandemic – and that means we must revert to remote learning until the spread of this virus is contained.”

The union is openly critical of President Trump who they believe only wants the schools to re-open to bolster his reelection chances ahead of the 2020 presidential election.  Like Los Angeles, Chicago teachers union issued its own 10-page document stipulating its own proposals for safely opening up the schools.

The teachers union’s proposal is heavily framed around an anti-free market economy, pro-progressive, that focuses on the disenfranchisement of people of color which if the schools are to re-open will want;

  • A full federal bailout of billions of dollars this year and the years to come.
  • Fully fund Title I spending.
  • Fully fund IDEA.
  • Medicare for All.
  • Additional state support of Illinois.
  • The state of Illinois to pass a fair tax.
  • Defund the police.
  • Retire TIF districts: Retiring just seven tax increment financing districts in or around downtown and returning their tax base to Chicago Public Schools.
  • Housing security, by safe and reliable home for those without one.
  • Paid sick leave for all parents of children.
  • Financial support for all illegal alien children and their families.

Like Los Angeles, Chicago blames the impact of the coronavirus on its fiscal predicament, but according to Illinois Policy Think Tank in 2015 around 70% of all black and Hispanic children in the Chicago Unified School system are not proficient to grade level in math and English, and this has only gotten worse over the years.

The school district in Chicago is a fiscal disaster even before the coronavirus, from which it’s facing an $8.4 billion debt.  The debt level of the district disproportionally impacts over 70% of black and Hispanic children who attend the district schools, further exacerbating the already the dismal educational achievement gap.

If this this isn’t bad enough, the U.S. Department of Education (Department), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a disturbing report in September 2019 highlighting that close to 500 young girls over a ten year period were sexually assaulted, abused and harassed inside the Chicago Unified School District.  Many of the victims of alleged abuses were black and Hispanic children.  One female victim was sexually assaulted 4 times by a volunteer track coach who was a three time felon.

Even after this report the situation at Chicago schools still continues as Camie Pratt, CPS’ Chief Title IX Officer stated at a monthly school board meeting in February.  There has been a 29% increase in reported sexual misconduct cases this year compared to last.  The teacher’s union blames others but Chicago has been solidly run by the Democratic Party since 1931 when the last Republican mayor ran the city.

Has Chicago Teacher’s Union President Jesse Sharkey been asked about the sexual assault scandal since he has been president of the teachers union since 2014 when these assaults allegedly have taken place?

Has the city of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot been asked any of these questions, since she appointed all seven of the school district board members?

With all the turmoil over the George Floyd killing by a Minneapolis police officer, there has been scant media coverage on how these solidly Democratic cities and states are being governed and have been governed for decades.

If “Black Lives” truly matters then it’s time to shed the light on poor governance and corruption many of these cities and school district operate under at the expense of children of color and their families.