Forrest Claypool, Liar

Forrest Claypool -- Rahm's new appointed CEO of CPS and former President of the CTA (during the diastrous 2013 Ventra rollout) -- sent CPS teachers and staff a recent email.  As teachers, we feel compelled to make a few corrections:

Claypool writes: "We are honored and humbled to lead this tremendous team as we work together to make sure every child from every community in Chicago gets the opportunity for a great education."

• Should read:  We are gratified to have the opportunity to work with Rahm's appointed business-people to make sure that every racketeer from every ed tran$formation project in Chicago gets the opportunity to generate profit and to vilify the CTU while remaining free from the meddling of actual public educators.

Claypool writes: "CPS students have made enormous progress in the classroom over the last four years, and our students are improving because you have dedicated your professional life to ensuring that they reach their full potential."

• Should read: CPS students have remained the same in the classroom over the last four years, and yet are able to provide the illusion of enormous progress because of effective grade and attendance manipulation.

Claypool writes:  "Our current fiscal crisis is the direct result of an unfair state pension system."

• Should read:  Our current fiscal crisis is the direct result of the theft of teachers' pension funds -- funds which teachers themselves dutifully generated for over 20 years -- and of intentionally creating lucrative debt to benefit our cronies.

Forrest, you and Rahm go together like peas and carrots.