Quinn proposal a welcome surprise, but more is needed
March 10, 2010This was not expected. On Wednesday, Gov. Quinn today took a bold step to stop the decimation of public education in Illinois. He proposed a one-percentage point (from 3 to 4 percent) increase in the state income tax for public... More
Taxes are not good, or bad, but they are necessary
March 9, 2010Taxes are the way states pay for services provided in areas such as K-12 education, higher education, health care, care to the elderly and disabled, road repair, infrastructure and a host of other services. The economic recession has... More
Sen. Brady, Chicagoland. Chicagoland, Sen. Brady
March 7, 2010State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), the Republican nominee for governor, has a lot to learn about his state’s biggest metropolitan area. And vice-versa. As the Daily Herald reported Sunday, More than 94 percent of Chicago area... More
Let’s take a page from the Tribune
March 6, 2010(The following letter to the editor appears in Saturday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune) Necessary taxes The Tribune editorial wisely stops short of claiming a tax increase is not needed in Illinois. When fairness, political... More
Tenured teachers laid off
March 2, 2010We will be seeing a lot of this in the weeks to come: The Maine Township High School District 207 school board Monday night dismissed five tenured teachers from Maine South and West high schools. The five – three physical education... More
We don’t have to hit the iceberg
February 28, 2010Hear an audio version of this post SouthownStar columnist Phil Kadner positions himself in the Crow’s Nest and fixes his spyglass on the immediate future. This ship of state is steaming full speed ahead as people scream, “Iceberg!”... More
Why SOS?
February 22, 2010Does it seem to you that that the ubiquitous IEA slogan, “Invest in Excellence,” is a lot less prominent lately? It’s not your imagination. Invest in Excellence (aka IIE), as a slogan and campaign name, is being retired. The... More
The real cost
February 19, 2010Wednesday’s “We can’t wait for a responsible budget” rally at the Illinois Statehouse was called an “anti-Tea Bagger event” because thousands of people turned out to demand a tax increase. The attendees were employees of... More
Legislature fiddles, school employees getting burned
February 15, 2010Public employees throughout Illinois are feeling the heat from employers who want a do-over on contracts with their unions. One such local is in Kane County, where members of the Kaneland Education Association (KEA) voted 3-1 to... More
RIFs are in the air – Will the state step up?
February 10, 2010Hear an audio version of this blog School districts throughout Illinois are warning their employees that layoffs are coming as a result of the state budget crisis. Just last week, hundreds of school employees and community members... More
