Teachers in the Chicago public schools have rejected a $400 million offer, a 16% pay raise in a down economy, to go on strike for more pay and benefits. 350,000 public school students have been put into the streets. Chicago police are turning out in force to control unsupervised youngsters.  

An Illinois teacher's average salary of $63,005 in 2010/2011 exceeds both the national average for teachers and the average family income in America, the latter by more than $12,000. Teachers in city schools do even better. Urban teachers' salaries raise rather than lower the state average.

Illinois unemployment exceeds the national average, yet these public "service" union parasites are demanding more from already overburdened taxpayers.

No one interested in American education should overlook that, while all of this is going on, Chicago's charter schools are still in session teaching 50,000 students.