Teachers on strike

Some 29,000 teachers in Chicago went on strike meaning that 400,000 students aren't in school today and won't be until an agreement is reached.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/usa-chicago-schools-idINL1E8KA3HY20120910

The arguments for both sides sound pretty reasonable so I don't really know who to support here. In general I'm all about accountability and more power to dismiss bad or non-performing teachers. But according to Reuters 80% of CPS students qualify for free lunches because they come from low income families so I can see how teachers are worried that students are often "non-performing" for reasons far beyond what goes on in the classroom. Clearly this outcome is pretty extreme but hopefully this marks a new era for Chicago politics away from the Chicago Machine and toward something new. Financially the city is in pretty awful shape and no doubt that has an impact on businesses and people who want to call the city home.