The economic recession has resulted in lower tax revenues due to lost jobs, reduced wages and lowered economic activity.

Meanwhile, as people lose jobs, suffer a loss in income and experience the impact of economic distress, there is a greater need for the services provided by state.

Illinois and 47 other states face budget shortfalls due to declining tax revenues and an increasing demand for services. Nearly all states have cut spending. Thirty states also have opted for a balanced approach that includes raising taxes.

Taxes and spending cuts are not good or bad. They are simply tools used by a state to address its budget shortfall. While Illinois is using spending cuts, its failure to increase tax revenues leaves our state with an “unbalanced” approach.

State News  

D-26 reviews union options
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald  - attempted to publicly convince teachers to reopen their contracts Monday night – claiming it could affect as many as 17 jobs. During an emotional meeting, the board approved asking the Cary Education Association about three cost-saving options. Each requested a sacrifice from the union and offered a corresponding level of potential benefits for the district. 

D300 cuts 153 teachers :: The Courier News :: Local News
Suburban Chicago News – The Community Unit School District 300 Board of Educated voted Monday night to release a total 153 teachers – a $7.6 million reduction in staff.  That included a narrow 4-3 vote to lay off 121 first- and second-year teachers to help bridge the school district’s potential budget gap in the 2010-11 school year. Those teachers all are non-tenured members of the district’s teachers union, Local Education Association of District 300 (LEAD). 

Lincoln-Way teachers union willing to talk
Chicago Daily Southtown – Lincoln-Way High School District 210 teachers union leaders said they would not give up pay raises, but they are willing to talk to school administrators about solving the district’s financial woes. “There’s always room for talk,” Lincoln-Way Education Association president Dan Moore said after issuing a news release Saturday in which he placed blame for the money crisis solely on the state. 

School Board looks at $4 million in cuts Reduced state funding anticipated
Waukegan News Sun – ROUND LAKE — The Round Lake Community School Board is expected to vote next week on a proposed $4 million in budget cuts for next school year.  The cuts are a hedge against two likelihoods: that the state will fall short of its funding commitments and, in an unprecedented move, that it will reduce the amount of general aid by at least $600 per-student. 

Classroom teachers may be part of Dist. 186 layoffs  Proposals to cut the Springfield School District’s budget continued to evolve at a crowded Springfield School Board finance committee meeting Monday. Last month, Superintendent Walter Milton proposed eliminating 56 positions, only to clarify later he meant non-classroom teaching positions. As of Monday, however, roughly half the positions to be cut appeared to be classroom-based. 

West Richland cuts several teaching positions
Olney Daily Mail – West Richland School District Board of Education approved cutting several teaching positions and accepted two retirements during a special meeting Friday at West Richland Junior-Senior High School.  

District 205 cuts 78 staff
Galesburg Register Mail – All the reductions are pending board action on its plan to address the state’s funding shortage. The budget awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn’s approval calls for a 14 percent cut to state education funding. The district hopes its Operation Job/Program Save — the expanded version of which also was presented Monday — will address the funding difference  

Board cuts $4 million from Moline schools to trim deficit  Fifth-grade music was saved Monday by school board members who largely stuck with nearly $4 million in cuts recommended by Superintendent Cal Lee.   More than 100 people attended the three-hour board meeting at Moline High School; 17 people addressed the board about retaining music programs, decreasing class sizes and other items.   

The list: Moline releases more than 100 non-tenured teachers  Non-tenured staff released Monday night by the Moline School District include: 

Schools doing everything it takes to stay afloat, but it’s not enough  Beacon News – Dan Hoefler is president of the Oswego Education Association Our state economy depends upon a quality public education system. We all benefit from a public education system solidly supported, so that our children’s future as the workforce of the 21st century is ensured.   

Ready, reset for schools
Belleville News-Democrat – Gov. Pat Quinn plans to cut state education funding by 11 percent, or $1.4 billion, which his budget director said could result in the layoffs of 17,000 teachers statewide. But teachers should be the last cut, not the first. Administrative and overhead costs present less disruptive opportunities for savings.   

Area school districts already cutting preschool programming
Elgin Courier News – Kane County law enforcement officers’ calls to keep state funding for preschool programs come as area school districts already are preparing to cut those programs because of the state’s failure to deliver funding as promised in the past year. Next school year, Elgin School District U46 plans to shut down one of its three early childhood learning centers   

Pre-K cuts likely in Illinois school system
Belleville News-Democrat – the state is squeezing education dollars. And the Roxana School District says with Pre-K funding for next fall uncertain, the program must be canceled now to give effected teachers their required notice.  ”He’d be really disappointed,” says Julie McDonald. “He won’t understand. He’s too young to understand what all this means.”     

Pawnee considers fee-based pre-kindergarten program  PAWNEE — The Pawnee Board of Education is considering a fee-based pre-kindergarten program for the 2010-11 school year.   

UIC Professor: ‘Our Money May Run Out’
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – Teachers and students from the University of Illinois at Chicago demonstrated outside the Thompson Center downtown Monday, protesting the state’s cuts to higher education budgets.  The demonstrators presented a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn’s office asking the state to increase funding.   

Political News

Brady: ‘Reform Illinois, remove cloud of corruption’
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – ance in the Quad-Cities was part of an eight-city tour with other stops in Rockford, Quincy, Cahokia, Marion, Champaign, Peoria and Bloomington. Asked if school districts can absorb proposed cuts in education funding, Mr. Brady said school districts, “can, and they must to some extent. We’ve called for a $700 million reduction in education funding.”  

Conservative Brady to appeal on budget issues  CHICAGO — Republican Bill Brady insisted Monday that focusing his campaign for governor on cutting taxes and spending will allow him to connect with voters who otherwise disagree with many of his conservative views.   

Quinn: Brady the Extremist  ChicagoNow (blog) - ?My administration will provide a clean break from the policies and the politics of the Blagojevich-Quinn administrations that have led to debt, …   

Quinn staff to outline tax, spending proposal  More information about Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal is coming soon. The Democratic governor’s staff is expected to provide details on the plan Tuesday night in advance of Quinn’s official budget speech Wednesday. 

Key issues await governor in budget speech
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – the governor have bowed to the political pressures on many cuts. But the governor’s budget team has said more than $1.4 billion in education could be cut next year, resulting in nearly 17,000 teacher layoffs statewide. Also possibly on the chopping block would be the $300 million worth of income tax dollars the state shares with local governments.   

Our Opinion: Budget talking points for Quinn  GOV. PAT QUINN is set to give his budget speech to a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday. If there is to be any hope of starting to extract Illinois from its financial troubles, Quinn’s address needs to be focused and solution-oriented. 

Daley accuses Quinn of double cross
Chicago Daily Southtown – Chicago Mayor Richard Daley accused Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday of a political double cross regarding the governor’s proposal to cut about $300 million from the share of state income tax revenue that goes to towns. Daley said that, just weeks before the Feb. 2 primary election, Quinn went before the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and pledged that the towns’ share would remain at 10 percent.   

Daley Reiterates Support for Quinn, Disdain for Budget Proposal  Chicago Public Radio - ? Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is reiterating that he does indeed support Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. That’s a day after he criticized the governor’s proposal …   

Theft of millions goes unnoticed  Phil Kadner – Dan Hynes is in charge of collecting reports for tax increment financing districts in Illinois but apparently doesn’t bother to look at them.  The state comptroller’s office each year receives hundreds of financial reports on TIF districts, which provide substantial tax breaks to foster economic development. A district’s account can contain millions of dollars in revenue generated by business growth within its borders. 

Legislative Leaders Mix
Peoria Journal Star – Legislative leaders discuss the issues of the day with area leaders during the during the Heart of Illinois Legislative reception at the Hotel Pere Marquette Monday night.   Joyce Francis with the Illinois Education Association, right, holds state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, on Monday as they talk about Gordon’s mother, Annie Jo Gordon, who died in December. 

National News

Why one-size-fits-all education doesn’t work  Boston Globe -  MASSACHUSETTS AND Rhode Island were two of the 16 finalists named this week in the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top’’ competition for a share of $4.3 billion in education “stimulus’’ funds. Those that made the cut have agreed to embrace policies favored by the administration, such as higher caps on charter schools and tying teachers’ raises to performance. 

WHY WE MUST FIRE BAD TEACHERS – In no other profession are workers so …  SanFranciscoSentinel.com - The teachers’ unions—the National Education Association (3.2 million members) and the American Federation of Teachers (1.4 million members) are major … 

Letters from Lawmakers and RTT Finalists  National Journal (blog) - The Education Department provided me with a list of lawmakers that sent Secretary Arne Duncan letters of support for their state’s Race to the Top application. With all of the scrutiny over how the finalists were selected, and the emphasis on achieving stakeholder buy-in, I thought it would be interesting to gauge the relationship between lawmakers’ letter writing and the finalists.   

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Can Lindsey Graham Help the White House Reach a Deal on 9/11 Trials?  Caught short on civilian trials for terror suspects and closing Guantanamo, the Administration is negotiating with the GOP Senator. But it’s not clear he can deliver   

Israelis and Palestinians: Agreeing to Talk — and to Fail  Neither side believes that indirect talks being initiated by the U.S. will bring peace, but each will try to use their failure to its advantage   

Russia’s Erin Brockovich: Taking On Corporate Greed  Alexei Navalny is a unique type of opposition figure in Russia. He believes the most effective way to challenge the ruling class is not through elections, but by acquiring stock   

Did the Dubai Assassination Really Help Israel?   While all the signs point to Mossad as the perpetrator and the Israelis are hardly denying it, the killing of a top Hamas operative may have caused the Israelis problems on other fronts 

When Goods Get Traded, Who Pays for the CO2?  The carbon equation isn’t as straightforward as we might think. Scientists find that rich nations are essentially outsourcing some of their carbon emissions to developing nations through global trade

Word of the Day for Tuesday, March 9, 2010

sachet \sa-SHEY\, noun:

1. A small bag, case, or pad containing perfuming powder or the like, placed among handkerchiefs, etc., to impart a pleasant scent.
2. Also, sachet powder, the powder contained in such a case.

State News

Voice of the People, Mar. 06
Chicago Tribune – Tribune increased the cost of its newspaper; sometimes you have to get more revenue. The state is in a similar situation. A tax increase is the appropriate response. —Ken Swanson, president, Illinois Education Association,

Teacher Contracts Almost Up In Districts 26, 59, 21
Elk Grove Village -  Trails School Dist. 26 in Mt. Prospect are expected to begin in the near future, since the district’s teacher’s contract expires at the end of June. Supt. Dr. Dane Delli said he and River Trails Education Association President Ann Forman are currently working on setting up a pre-negotiations meeting where they will discuss how the process will play out. 

D203 teachers approve contact
Glen Ellyn Sun -  approved the proposed terms of a three-year contract Friday, one that calls for an estimated average annual increase in base pay of 1 percent over the life of the contract. Naperville Unit Education Association voted 91.8 percent to ratify the terms of the contract, on which the Board of Education will vote on Monday night. 

Dist. 1, teachers agree to 3-year contract
Morris Daily Herald – COAL CITY – At a special meeting Thursday, the Coal City District #1 Board of Education approved a new three-year contract with the Coal City Community Unit Education Association/IEA/NEA. 

Tough budget lesson faces Moline schools Monday night
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus – cuts also are proposed, although Lanty McGuire, Moline’s assistant superintendent of human resources, would not release agenda attachments containing details or staff names of potential cuts. Moline Education Association president Ken Schneck said he has been told the affected teachers will be notified before the end of the school year if they will be rehired.

Charleston may act on teaching cuts next week
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – projected otherwise, which he mostly blames on the outlook of state education funding and reimbursements.A list of possible teaching reductions Littleford brought to the meeting included eliminating teachers, not replacing teachers who are retiring or who resigned and transferring some teachers and not filling their old positions. 

District 300 cuts would hit parochial school families hard
Chicago Daily Herald – Last month, the Community Unit District 300 school board heard an earful from parents who oppose proposed cuts to transportation for the dual language program. That display, in which dozens of parents essentially forced the board to relocate 

Ball-Chatham parents fight to keep pre-K  After learning that pre-kindergarten will be among budget cuts to help the Ball­Chatham School District cope with a projected $2.2 million loss in state funding, parents are lobbying to keep the program intact.  They also are circulating a peti­tion to be given to the governor, leg­islators and school board. 

ISAT can test integrity of educators
Elgin Courier News – they show up in the darndest places, too. School Superintendent Jose Torres found that out the hard way when a memo intended for elementary school principals in Elgin’s District U46 arrived in some teachers’ inboxes instead. And the teachers were “insulted” because the message came across a tad harsh: Get caught cheating and you can get canned.   

Forum Spotlight: Don’t put state MAP grants in jeopardy again  Last October, Illinois lawmakers voted to restore $205 million in scholarships for needy college students going to school this spring that had been cut from the state’s Monetary Award Program. Though they didn’t identify a source of funding to pay for the scholarships, and though some have questioned what Gov. Pat Quinn’s motivations were in his campaign to restore them, it is good that the bill passed.   

Keep the best teachers
Chicago Tribune Editorial –  Last in, first out. Illinois law requires that teacher layoffs be based on seniority unless a school district and its local union negotiate different rules. Result: seniority is the deciding factor everywhere, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. So law and custom protect older teachers — whether they’re good teachers or bad teachers.  

Political News

 Illiois budget to hit schools, police, child care
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to fill the biggest deficit in Illinois history includes cuts so severe that 17,000 teachers could lose their jobs, thousands of poor families would get less help with child care and fewer state troopers would patrol the roads, a top Quinn aide said Saturday.   

Lawmakers waiting for us to demand a tax hike
Beacon News – For some time now, this page has taken state legislators to task for doing nothing while Rome burns, figuratively. Now, with some of their jobs at stake in the Nov. 2 election, some actions are being talked about in Springfield, although none of them are pleasant.   

Blame state lawmakers for pension debacle, critic says  Certainly fluctuating markets have affected pension investments, but much of the blame for the shortfall — up from the $3.4 billion gap in 1999 –can be laid at the feet of state lawmakers who passed laws allowing such “gross underfunding,” said Lawrence Msall, president of the federation, a tax watchdog group.   

Pension shortfall near $6,000 for every Chicago resident
Chicago Daily Herald – Taxpayer-supported pension funds in the Chicago region for police, firefighters and teachers, among others, have amassed an $18.5 billion deficit, according to a top civic organization pushing reforms. In all, a report released today by the Civic Federation concludes the shortfalls   

Police and fire pensions: Untouchable?
Chicago Daily Southtown – It’s an election year. Any changes in pension formulas – and we’re not talking about touching current workers’ pensions – will be met ferociously by the Illinois Education Association and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.   

Politics will stymie any financial fix
Arlington Heights Daily – “cut spending (but not anything that would affect me).” The simple truth is that for decades the people running this state have been putting off paying their bills (borrowing from the teacher pension funds, using the money from the stimulus plan, delaying payments to schools, hospitals and care providers, etc.). The state does not have enough money because we have the 41st lowest   

Quinn has high hill to climb in budget speech
Chicago Daily Southtown – These are not good times. The budget Gov. Pat Quinn will deliver at noon Wednesday instead will focus on how the state will cope with a record-setting deficit and a still-sluggish economy that isn’t strong enough to bail the state out   

A speech for Quinn
Chicago Tribune Editorial – Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday will propose a State of Illinois budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Here’s the candid address he should deliver:   

Tom Cross Discusses GOP Plan for Budget
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – In anticipation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget address next week, House Republicans have presented their own plan for balancing the budget — bringing back jobs and creating reform   

Governor’s Race Heating Up Already
Peoria WEEK (NBC) 25 – “Those of you in the TV arena will be happy to know you will be getting some checks from Brady campaign.” The conservative downstate senator is taking on liberal Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in a race that will be a clear contrast for voters. “He believes he needs to raise your taxes, increase the size of the government, and keep the status quo,” said Brady.   

Quinn stresses differences with Brady
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Gov. Pat Quinn says there’s a “Grand Canyon” of difference between him and Republican Bill Brady. The State Board of Elections on Friday declared Brady the official winner of the Republican nomination   

Brady emerges as Republican nominee for Ill. governor, offering stark contrast with Quinn
Chicago Tribune – His victory by just 193 votes out of more than 767,000 cast persuaded the second-place finisher to concede and sets up a stark contrast for voters between Brady and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. They differ on social issues, economic policy and plans for closing the state’s record $13 billion deficit. Quinn, who became governor when Rod Blagojevich   

For Brady to have a chance against Quinn, he needs Chicago face time  More than 94 percent of Chicago area Republicans picked someone other than Brady in the seven-candidate Feb. 2 primary. He received just 23,579 votes in all of Chicago and the collar counties, where 406,655 of the state’s 767,485 Republican votes originated in the primary for governor.   

Bill Brady finds himself standing in a harsher light
Chicago Tribune -from the real issues facing Illinois,” Brady explained. But that awareness alone didn’t insulate Brady from the harsh glow of the statewide limelight when he tried to attack Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s ill-fated and unannounced program to release prison inmates early. Brady contended a man released early from prison had been accused of murder, but didn’t check available records or contact   

Local Republicans close ranks around Brady
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – in any way I can to ensure the Republican Party wins back the governor’s office in November,” Sen. Dillard said. “As I’ve said countless times during the campaign, Illinois is a state in crisis. Pat Quinn cannot lead, and shows no urgency in putting people back to work.” Rich Morthland of Cordova, the GOP candidate for 71st District state representative, said, “By electing the downstate team   

Daughter Of Late Senator Submits Lt. Gov. Application Jan Coleman Reporting
Chicago WBBM 780 Radio – named the nominee “a long shot”. But she says she’s committed to helping the Democrats secure a victory in the fall. Simon is on good terms with her potential running mate, Governor Pat Quinn, having served on his government reform commission. Currently an Associate Professor of Law at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale,   

Blago-era pacts to be reviewed by Quinn administration
Chicago Sun Times – The Quinn administration plans a massive review of more than 250 government contracts made under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to see if they need to be reduced or rebid. The plan, which Gov. Quinn will announce Wednesday in his budget address, is to examine all contracts of more than $1 million each issued before January 2009.

National News

California, other states face problem of growing pension liabilities
Chicago Tribune – But the outlook has darkened in the last 18 months with the onset of the recession of 2008 and 2009. Both the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State teachers’ Retirement System lost more than a fifth of their portfolio values in the 2008-09 fiscal year, when they had about 87% of needed pension funds in their portfolios. 

Why we can’t get rid of failing teachers  Newsweek – The relative decline of American education at the elementary- and high-school levels has long been a national embarrassment as well as a threat to the nation’s future. Once upon a time, American students tested better than any other students in the world. Now, ranked against European schoolchildren, America does about as well as Lithuania, behind at least 10 other nations. Within the United States, the achievement gap between white students and poor and minority students stubbornly persists—and as the population of disadvantaged students grows, overall scores continue to sag.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

The 2010 Oscars: The Most Memorable Moments

From Ben Stiller’s Na’vi tail to Kathryn Bigelow’s historic win as best director, this year’s Oscars charmed its audience with plenty of surprising moments

Iraqis Ignore Violence and Vote. Now the Hard Part

The election is over. But the counting — and the dealing — could go on for a while

Maciel Scandal Puts Focus on a Secretive Church Order

Will new revelations about the Mexican priest force the Pope to launch an investigation of the controversial Legion of Christ?

How Obama Is Making the Same Mistakes as Bush

Obama’s stumbles atop the high-wire of running the federal government has created perhaps the greatest danger to his presidency, and they are oddly reminiscent of the misguided practices which tripped up his predecessor

Being Gay in Uganda: One Couple’s Story

Life is tough for Uganda’s homosexuals. Here’s the story of one couple battling the government, a new law, and suspicious neighbors, all to be left alone to be themselves

Word of the Day for Monday, March 8, 2010

languor \LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr\, noun:

1. Mental or physical weariness or fatigue.
2. Listless indolence, especially the indolence of one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure.
3. A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air.

And vice-versa.

As the Daily Herald reported Sunday,

More than 94 percent of Chicago area Republicans picked someone other than Brady in the seven-candidate Feb. 2 primary. He received just 23,579 votes in all of Chicago and the collar counties, where 406,655 of the state’s 767,485 Republican votes originated in the primary for governor.

The longtime Bloomington lawmaker secured a razor thin victory of 193 votes by dominating downstate, where he and his family operate a string of real estate, entertainment and investment companies.

If Brady is to have a real shot at unseating Quinn, Republican leaders make no secret that it is critical for him to get known in the most populace region of the state, and fast.

We like to tell our members, “Define yourself, or be defined by your opponents.”  Brady is getting defined by his opponents right now, and it isn’t pretty.

Meanwhile, Democrats are taking advantage of the vacuum, rushing to paint down Brady as a cruel right-winger before he can cast himself as a businessman with the chops to root out corruption and stimulate jobs.

Quinn recently blasted Brady for briefly introducing legislation that would allow animal shelters to euthanize multiple dogs at once in gas chambers. On Friday, when Brady secured the party’s nod, Quinn’s campaign sent out a blistering statement describing the fresh opponent as “the extreme right wing of the party.”

The missive highlighted Brady’s votes against raising the minimum wage and equal pay legislation, among other proposals.

Then there was Brady’s news conference last week where he tried to go on offense by claiming that a recent murder was the work of someone who Gov. Quinn wrongly released from prison.  As Carol Marin explains in the Sun-Times, it wasn’t true,

The released prisoner in question is 21-year-old Jonathan Phillips, who has recently been charged with a new crime — murder. The fact is that Phillips, a convicted carjacker, was by all accounts — except Brady’s — released back in November within established guidelines and — here’s the important point — not because of Quinn’s two controversial, discontinued prisoner release programs.

And

What Brady did not seem to know until reporters told him was that the Illinois Department of Corrections had already begun posting early release inmates on its Web site.

(Note to Brady: preparation, preparation, preparation.)

Brady stated after the primary that he would focus his campaign on those predisposed to his vision of Illinois:  Slashing state spending across the board, including education and services for children, the sick and the elderly.  He would deny future education employees and other state workers traditional pensions, forcing them to accept “defined contribution” benefits, like a 401K.  Brady also is a staunch social conservative, the type Illinois voters have never embraced in a general election for a statewide office.  Though former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald was very conservative, he ran to the middle in the general election, something that Brady seems disinclined to do.

Those who agree with Brady’s fiscal and conservative social agenda can’t elect him governor; there just aren’t enough of them in Illinois.

Which is not to say he can’t be elected in November.

What if, on Election Day in November, voters who believe the state should continue to offer defined benefit pensions to educators, who believe the state should not cut spending for education and services to Illinois children and the elderly, decide to stay home or withhold their vote for Gov. Quinn?

Brady won the nomination thanks to voter apathy.  Will it happen again?

Follow IEA on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ieanea

Necessary taxes

The Tribune editorial wisely stops short of claiming a tax increase is not needed in Illinois. When fairness, political realities and the desire to minimize human suffering are taken into account, a balanced approach that includes some cuts and a tax increase is clearly warranted. We can’t cut our way out of the $13 billion mess handed to us by past governors and the General Assembly. Illinois must raise taxes.

Members rally at the Rotunda.

The state can learn from the recent example of a prominent Illinois corporation. After making painful budget cuts, it decided, in order to continue to deliver a product of import and value to consumers, it needed to raise the price of its product.

We understand why the Tribune increased the cost of its newspaper; sometimes you have to get more revenue.

The state is in a similar situation. A tax increase is the appropriate response.

—Ken Swanson, president, Illinois Education Association, Springfield

Off to the races!

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education named the 16 finalists in the first round of its “Race to the Top” competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants to chosen states, AND ILLINOIS IS ONE OF THE FINALISTS. 

The grants are designed to reward states that have exhibited progress in boosting student achievement scores by developing strong standards, getting high-quality teachers in the classroom and turning around low-performing schools. The winners will be selected in April. 

The announcement is very timely in light of the fact that Sen. Meeks (D-Calumet City) has introduced a voucher bill (SB 2494) that would allow the students in Chicago attending schools whose performance is in the lowest 10 percent to receive a voucher to attend a parochial or private school of their choice. Sen. Meeks, who had been the chief sponsor of HB 174, the school funding reform bill, has expressed frustration with the lack of funding for public schools and sees vouchers as the only alternative. IEA testified in opposition to the Meeks’ proposal and has made the point that the Race to the Top grant and School Improvement Grants would provide some of the funding for low performing schools that Meeks is looking for.  

Special note:

This week was the final week for the Senate to move bills out of committee to be heard on the floor for final action. Often there are unresolved issues and the sponsor, advocates and opponents will continue to work on bills with an attempt to come to an agreement. In these cases, the sponsor will agree to “hold” the bill on second reading until an agreement is reached and then bring the bill back to committee for an amendment reflecting any changes. We refer to this process several times in our report on issues ranging from unfunded mandates to school funding issues. 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) made good on her word and called HB 5154 for a vote in the House State Government Committee. The proposal would prohibit the disclosure of performance evaluations under the Freedom of Information Act. The scope of this proposal had been agreed to during the negotiations on Race to the Top but was amended in the House. The Attorney General’s office is opposed to the bill. The bill passed out of committee with bipartisan support on an 11-2 roll call.

Student assistance health needs

SB 3822 (Steans, D–Chicago) creates the Care of Students with Diabetes Act, which:

• Allows self-administration of medication by a pupil with diabetes.
• Defines a “delegated care aide” as a school employee who has volunteered to receive training in diabetes care and to assist students in implementing their diabetes care plan.
• Requires a parent or guardian to submit a diabetes care plan for a student with diabetes who seeks assistance with diabetes care in the school setting.
• Provides that a delegated care aide (teacher or school personnel) shall perform the activities and tasks necessary to assist a student with diabetes in accordance with his or her diabetes care plan.
• Delegated care aides are authorized to provide assistance by a student’s parent or guardian and serve under the supervision of the principal.  The intent is to have the parent or guardian choose the teacher to be the designated care aide. 

The IEA opposed this legislation. The bill passed out of the Senate Public Health committee unanimously and will be heard by the full Senate. 

SB 2929 (Kotowski, D-Park Ridge) requires that when a student needs to receive any medication in school or during school activities, a medication management plan be established and requires that absent a full-time school nurse, the school principal must appoint, supervise, and coordinate the training of a designated health care aide to perform the tasks necessary to assist a student in accordance with the plan. 

IEA opposes this bill which was held in the Senate Education committee this week and then transferred to the Senate Public Health committee for consideration next week. 

Higher education issues

Tuition waivers

HB 4706 (Winters, R-Shirland) removes the statutory provision for 50 percent tuition waivers for children of university employees. This IEA-opposed bill was not called for a vote in the House Higher Education Committee. 

University borrowing authority

SB 642, Amendment #1 (Haine, D-Alton) allows all public universities to borrow funds in anticipation of receiving tuition, state of Illinois appropriations or other revenue sources to be paid back within 12 months. 

IEA supports this bill. The bill passed the Senate and moves to the House. 

College Insurance Program

HB 6162 (Currie, D-Chicago) and SB 3532 (Trotter, D-Chicago) allow retirees from City Colleges of Chicago to join the College Insurance Program (CIP).  In order to fund this move, all full time community college faculty and staff would see their statutory contributions to this fund increase from a half a percent of payroll to three-quarters of a percent of payroll.  The IEA opposes these bills as the additional retirees would strain a fund that is already running out of operating money.  Neither bill was called for a vote this week but the House bill could be called for a vote next week. 

School funding

The IEA, in alliance with a number of educational organizations, sent a letter to members of the Senate and House revenue committees conveying that we are committed to funding education and are opposed to all legislation that would erode the state’s tax base and/or the local property tax base available for schools in this time of fiscal turmoil. Last week the Taxpayer’s Federation of Illinois took the same stand as our alliance.  Read the letter here. 

SB 3086 (Raoul, D-Chicago) requires that every bill that creates a new program or service that will be provided by the ISBE, shall include a budget impact note. The IEA-supported bill passed unanimously in committee. 

SB 3106 (DeLeo, D-Chicago) would allow school districts that are within property tax cap districts to exempt from the tax cap levies for special education expenses.  IEA supported this legislation that moved to the full Senate. 

SB 3117 (Garrett, D–Lake Forest/McCarter, R–Lebanon) extends the time period for allowing interfund transfers by three years, from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2013. The IEA-supported bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education committee. 

SB 3139 (Harmon, D-Oak Park) would allow the debt limit that a school district can use without referendum to grow at the same rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 5 percent, whichever is lower.  Currently, to increase a district’s debt limit they must go to referendum.  IEA supported this legislation.  This bill passed Revenue Committee unanimously. 

SB 3544 (Crotty, D-Oak Forest) and HB 6041 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) current law allows the transfer of working cash to the education fund to pay “salaries and other necessary expenditures” and this legislation would change this to “any expenditure.”  It moves the basic use from a reserve to take care of cash flow and opens up the possibility of using working cash to pay for a building.  Although the bill passed out of committee, Sen. Crotty agreed to hold the bill on 2^nd reading until further conversations could be conducted.  IEA testified in opposition to this measure. 

SB 3609 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville) provides that ISBE, in consultation with the state comptroller, may transfer line item appropriations for General State Aid between the Common School Fund and the Education Assistance Fund (instead of from the Common School Fund to the Education Assistance Fund) and removes the requirement that the salaries for regional superintendents and assistant regional superintendents of schools be payable from the Common School Fund. The IEA-supported bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education committee. 

Pensions

HB 4582 (Davis, Monique, D-Chicago) would appropriate to the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) an amount equal to 20 percent of the state’s contribution to the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). This contribution would be in addition to, and not a deduction from, the pension contribution to TRS.  This legislation states that it would be implemented in the current fiscal year.  If this becomes law, CTPF would receive a contribution from the state equal to an estimated $400 million.  The state is facing a financial crisis and is having issues funding the current state retirement funds as it stands now.  Since there is real concern that the state may not meet its pension payment obligation to TRS and SURS, the IEA opposed this legislation. 

HB 5872 (Fortner, R-West Chicago) would create a defined contribution plan (401k) in TRS and the other state retirement systems.  The plan would only call for pension contributions on salary in excess of the Social Security Wage Index (currently $106,800) to be placed into a defined contribution plan.  The IEA is opposed to the creation of a defined contribution plan since our certified members do not receive Social Security.  Additionally, the creation of a defined contribution plan would further strain the finances of TRS since this idea would require two retirement plans be funded instead of focusing on one and funding it properly.  Watch for the action on this item next week when it is expected to be considered in committee. 

SB 3663 (Noland, D-Elgin) would allow our non-certified members that participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund employed at a special educational cooperative or educational cooperative to be eligible to accumulate sick leave between multiple IMRF educational employers.  Last year, IEA was successful in passing legislation that allows ESPs employed in a school district to be able to accumulate their sick leave between multiple school district employers if they retired from a school district.  Cooperatives were not included in the legislation last year.  IEA supported this measure that passed out of committee. 

SB 3726 (Frerichs, D-Gifford/Bomke, R-Springfield) as amended, would allow for university employees that took either a mandatory or involuntary furlough day between the July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2011 to establish credit for that time off in SURS.  The employee would be required to pay the employee and employer contribution, plus interest.  The IEA supported this measure. 

Early childhood

SB 2594 (Lightford, D-Maywood) removes the “sunset date” for preschool educational program grants. The IEA supported bill passed unanimously in committee. 

SB 3507 (Jones, D–Chicago) is a proposal to have the Illinois Early Learning Council make recommendations for the early childhood block grant appropriations needed to make available high quality early childhood and family education programs and services to all eligible children.  The IEA-supported bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education committee. 

Bullying

SB 3266 (Lightford, D-Maywood) requires a new comprehensive policy in every school district regarding bullying. The bill requires new bullying reporting and investigation provisions for school districts and requires the district to maintain data that records each bullying complaint and the result of the district’s investigation into the complaint. The bill calls for a handful of districts to test the idea if money is appropriated to the ISBE for this purpose. The IEA-supported bill passed the Senate Education committee 6-3-1. 

Criminal background checks

SB 3375 (Haine, D-Alton) provides that if a criminal background check reveals certain convictions, then the person is ineligible for employment and shall be dismissed.  IEA testified in opposition to this school management initiative. Although the bill passed out of committee, Sen. Haine agreed to hold the bill on 2^nd reading until further conversations could be conducted. 

Labor relations

SB 2497 (Koehler, D-Peoria) would remove peace officers, employed by school districts, from representation under the Illinois Education Labor Relations Act and place them under the Illinois Labor Public Relations Act. 

The IEA testified in opposition to this legislation.  The bill passed out of the Senate Labor committee, and is still in discussion.” 

SB 3570 (Forby, D-Benton) removes language from the Educational Labor Relations Act that provides that the term “student” includes graduate assistants primarily performing duties that are pre-professional. 

The IEA supported this bill which passed committee unanimously. 

What’s next

Both chambers will be in session Tuesday through Thursday.  The House will be working toward their deadline for bills to be passed out of committee, while the Senate will be considering bills which have already passed out of committee. 

The annual IPACE dinner, which will be held during the IEA Representative Assembly on March 19, is now “sold out”, due in large part to the popularity of the entertainment, The Capitol Steps. 

Please make your plans now to attend this year’s IEA Lobby Day on April 21.

State News

Illinois could get $500 million in federal education money
Chicago Tribune  - Koch said the state would implement nearly all of the proposed overhauls. But, he said, “It won’t happen as soon or as readily without the federal money.” The state’s largest teachers union, the Illinois Education Association, which helped craft and support the application, warned that instituting such mandates without money could be problematic. “There is a provision in the legislation   

Illinois one of 16 finalists for first round of Race to the Top …
Catalyst Chicago – But Illinois was able to get signed letters of support from the Illinois Education Association as well as the IFT. The unions also played a major role in …   

Illinois schools superintendent warns of massive cuts
Murphysboro American – Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois Education Association, said the General Assembly missed its chance to avoid “this Armageddon situation” last spring …   

Fast Facts on Race to the Top
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus — $4.5 billion in the first round — to states with specific plans to improve education. — Goals include building data systems to measure growth and success, retaining effective teachers and principals, and turning around the lowest achieving schools. A controversial condition attached to the money is that states must link student performance with teacher job evaluations   

Money is nice, but state leaders say it’s no solution
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader Illinois will likely need every penny of the money the state could receive from Race to the Top.  The state is facing a billion dollar hole in the education budget from the loss of last year’s federal stimulus money. And Gov. Pat Quinn is talking about $1.5 billion in further cuts for schools and universities.   

Experts warn pension reform politically toxic but necessary for Illinois’ solvency
Medill Reports: Chicago- “If the state had made the payments they were supposed to make, like the teachers did, we wouldn’t have any problems now.  Pension benefits have been underfunded for 30 years, and it’s wrong to punish the participants for the bad behavior of the policy makers,” said Charlie McBarron, a spokesman for the IEA.   

Letters to the Editor: Teachers help fund their own pensions
Springfield State Journal Register – Cinda Klickna  – Instead of Social Security, teachers and administrators receive a pension through the Illinois teachers’ Retirement System, established by the state in 1939. Instead of paying 6.2 percent of salary into Social Security,

Schools stress over ISAT, hope students don’t
Chicago Tribune –  bells don’t ring between periods and little homework is assigned. Then there are the precautions taken to secure the integrity of the tests and detailed in a 68-page manual on the state board of education’s Web site. Teachers are instructed not to add classroom displays leading up to the test and to remove anything attached to the top of a student’s desk other than name tags.

Rockford’s school service workers ratify contract
Rockford Register Star – Both unions are in mediation talks today at the Illinois Education Association office. Secretaries union representatives meet from 3 pm to 5 pm, …   

D203 union to vote on contract is today
Suburban Chicago News – Naperville School District 203 and its teachers could have a signed contract by Monday night. Earlier this week it was announced the district and Naperville Unit Education Association had reached a tentative contract agreement. The details of the agreement were presented Thursday night to the 1,350 members of the NUEA. Union members will vote Friday   

Cuts still coming at School District 113A
Lemont Reporter- special meeting, the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A  Board of Education approved a staffing plan and six resolutions by a vote of 4-2 that will eliminate the employment of 42 teacher positions, 12 paraprofessional/secretary positions and four administrators, effective at the end of the school year. School Board members Janet Hughes and Karen Siston cast dissenting votes   

Hundreds speak out on proposed Dist. 200 cuts
Chicago Daily Herald – Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board members got an earful Wednesday from parents, teachers and students worried about more than $6.7 million in suggested budget cuts. More than 400 people attended a meeting about the district’s plans to address a projected $8.6 million deficit   

D300 will let 151 teachers go
Elgin Courier – includes 112 teacher layoffs directly due to the District 300’s budget problems. The board continues to cut costs while the state leaves money owed to the district unpaid and threatens more cuts to education funding. Breakdown of D300 layoffs Where the teachers to be released taught this year:   

District 158 goes from surplus to deficit, so board says we must cut
Chicago Daily Herald -  In an indication of the worsening prognosis for Illinois education funding, Huntley Unit District 158’s draft budget for the 2010-11 school year has gone from having a $707,000 surplus to projecting a $627,000 deficit. The change is a reflection of signals   

Layoffs, cuts on way in D-158?
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – and cut salaries, which account for about 70 percent of the operating budget. However, if layoffs were chosen, Burkey said they would need to be prepared in the next few weeks. About 600 certified teachers work with the district, he said. The school board directed the administration Thursday to create a plan to remove another $2 million from the proposed budget, with class sizes and reduced  

Dave Bakke: ‘Chili’ Baker is school’s custodian … and counselor  In a school building, not all of the teachers stand at the classroom blackboard. “How you doin’?” says William “Chili” Bryant. He turns to a visitor and explains, “Gotta touch base with everybody.” Yes, he does. Chili meets and greets students, parents and teachers alike as he walks the halls of Harvard Park Elementary School. 

Bleak Financial Condition for SIU
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – Poshard addressed the media Thursday and laid out the bleak financial condition of the university. Some of the issues addressed: – The state owing SIU $145 million – Governor Quinn’s expected $100-million cut to higher education – New legislation to take away another 10% of funding – Legislation supported by SIU that would allow the university to borrow funds 

Divided IECC board approves RIF list
Olney Daily Mail – to make it through the calendar year with current salaries. The special meeting followed a public meeting in February in which the board took no action but gave the Illinois Eastern Colleges Education Association time to make a list of revenue and expense reduction possibilities. IECEA Representative Dr. Gary Adams, a chemistry instructor at Wabash Valley College, 

Trustees first review faculty union’s proposals
Princeton Daily Clarion – Also addressing the board was Bob Blade, vice president of the Illinois Education Association. He said that no other Illinois community college system is … 

UIC students, staff rally against cuts
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 -  informed that this is the first of two or three rounds of layoffs this spring, and this is the smallest,” said Joe Iosbacher, UIC office support specialist. Union leaders said the job cuts and teacher furloughs are unnecessary and the University of Illinois has sufficient cash reserves and borrowing power. Meanwhile, U of I said it has no choice because the state is half a 

Hundreds protest tuition increase on U of I campus
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 -  Hundreds protested outside the Administration Building on the University of Illinois campus Thursday afternoon. Students and teachers called for better public funding for all levels of education. They want freeze tuition instead of wages, and for the administration to put an end to layoffs and furlough days. 

U Of I Faculty March To Protest Dwindling Funds
WBBM TV CBS 2 Chicago – About 200 people marched through the University of Illinois’ campus in Urbana to protest holdups in state payments to the school. Professors and graduate assistants carried signs and chanted slogans during Thursday’s march. Similar events were planned on campuses around the country to protest dwindling government  

‘Chop, chop from the top!’
Medill News Service – ready, not when you want me to!”   Dotson is one of many veteran employees losing their jobs at the university after years of employment.        In celebration of the “Action for Affordable Higher education Day,” UIC students and staff gathered Thursday at the student center to debate and plead with the administration for better solutions to the financial crisis that has left the  

Our Opinion: U of I board should rethink Ringeisen deal
Springfield State Journal Register – IT’S A SWEET DEAL, no doubt, for a university president signing off from a lengthy career in higher education. University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Richard Ringeisen gets $273,000 after he retires to serve as an adviser to the president of the University of Illinois.  

The billion-dollar race
Chicago Tribune – That’s the deficit the Chicago schools face in 2010-2011. Last week, CEO Ron Huberman outlined spending cuts that have been made and sent out a plea for help. The response from teachers, through their union? Forget it. Don’t look at us. “I want to make it clear that we will not agree to any proposal that either destroys our contract or fails to maintain the integrity

Political News

Brady wins official vote for GOP nomination  Results compiled by the State Board of Elections show Bill Brady has won the Republican nomination for Illinois governor. Brady beat Kirk Dillard by a margin of 193 votes. The board voted Friday morning to declare the results from the Feb. 2 primary official.   

Brady declared winner in GOP governor’s race  Herald & Review - ? Brady now heads into the general election to face off against Democrat Pat Quinn and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney. In another close race, …   

Breaking: Dillard confirms he’ll concede  Chicago Current - Pat Quinn. Quinn has consistently polled better than Brady — much better than he would if he were running against Dillard. While polls show the incumbent … 

GOP gov’s race recount possible
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – seek a recount, he’d be challenging a fellow Republican. That means creating dissent within his own party and probably making it more difficult for the eventual nominee to defeat Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. He’d have to decide whether that risk is worth the possible reward. The last time a candidate called for a recount in a major statewide office was 1982,   

Brady’s attempt to link Quinn, murder suspect falls short
Chicago Daily Herald – State Sen. Bill Brady, the likely GOP nominee for governor, unsuccessfully attempted Thursday to link Gov. Pat Quinn’s botched early prisoner release program with a downstate man arrested on a charge of murder. Brady, a Bloomington Republican, suggested the release of Jonathon Phillips, a 21-year-old Springfield man who was later charged with murder,   

House GOP chief douses tax increase
Chicago Sun Times – “We’re not going to have any discussion about revenue until we look at all these approaches that I’ve talked about,” Cross said. The House GOP leader’s comments came less than a week before Gov. Quinn is scheduled to lay out his plan to dig the state out of a $12.8 billion budget deficit. The governor is widely expected to renew his call for a state income tax increase.   

GOP, Democrats describe legislative goals  Chicago Daily Herald -  Pat Quinn’s budget address next week, when he’ll outline his plan of attack for addressing the state’s budget deficit of roughly $13 billion.   

Illinois House GOP unveils ‘economic reform agenda’  Crain’s Chicago Business (blog)   As Gov. Pat Quinn prepares to release his proposed state budget next week, Illinois House Republicans are offering their own agenda for economic reform. …   

Doomsday: New Report Spells Out Looming Budget Cuts  Progress Illinois (blog) - ? Pat Quinn’s preliminary budget figures to deduce exactly how the potential cuts would impact education and social service programs.   

How to save our state: Don’t surrender the flat tax
Chicago Tribune -  we do in the effort to balance the state’s budget. Right now, Illinois residents send 3 percent of what they earn to Springfield to pay state individual income taxes. Last year, Gov. Pat Quinn unsuccessfully proposed increasing the tax rate by 50 percent. We’re likely to see him repeat his request for an increase this year. Others, including state Sen. Michael Frerichs 

Group pushing for ‘Fair Map’
Chicago Daily Southtown -  Brad McMillan, executive director of the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service, said the plan is based on recommendations from the Illinois Reform Commission that Gov. Pat Quinn formed after taking office. For more information, visit www.ilfairmap.com. “The bottom line is our current system is so badly broken,” said McMillan, who was part of Quinn’s commission.    

 Blago the Apprentice still a real doofus
Kadner: Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich waits tables on the opening episode of “Celebrity Apprentice.” He spends so much time telling customers he’s innocent that he forgets to deliver their meals.

National News

Protests target cuts on campuses BERKELEY,
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Students staged raucous rallies to protest education funding cuts on college campuses nationwide Thursday. Some demonstrations got out of hand as protesters threw punches and ice chunks in Wisconsin and shut down a major freeway in California  

 MEA’s pay scale grows  After two years without a contract, Leslie teachers settled last fall for a 50-percent cut in so-called step increases, or annual raises for increasing seniority.  But some staffers and officials of the Michigan Education Association got pay boosts last year ranging from 6.8 percent for the mailroom coordinator to nearly 15 percent for president Iris Salters.   

Student suspended over Facebook may get clean slate
Oak Forest Star – But he does not characterize the meeting as a “negotiation” with the family, nor was there a “deal” struck, he said. Unclear legal territory Sonja Trainor, senior staff attorney for the National school board Association, said such situations put school administrators in a trick bag. There isn’t a U.S. Supreme Court decision that deals with free speech and how off-campus activities pertain 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

The White House Scrambles to Tame the News Cyclone  Obama’s advisers are trying to rewrite the rules of presidential p.r. to stay ahead of an unforgiving, 24/7 news swirl 

Rangel, Paterson and the Fall of a Harlem Dynasty  The near simultaneous implosion of two prominent New York politicians could signal the end of an era 

On Iran Sanctions, Is the U.S. Spinning Its Wheels?   Washington finds the going tough in its efforts to persuade skeptical partners to raise the pressure on Tehran. And while U.S. efforts focus largely on sanctions, Iran retains the initiative  

Google’s Acquisition Binge: Why It Bought Picnik Google is snapping up a handful of small tech companies as it prepares to launch its new Web-based operating system. The newest buy, online photo editor Picnik, fills some special needs  

Cruise Ship Disaster: How Do ‘Rogue Waves’ Work?  For centuries, mariners have told tales about sudden stories-high waves that emerged out of the open ocean without warning, strong enough to topple even large ships. Fact or fiction? 

2 officers shot at Pentagon’s main entrance
An armed man walked up to an entrance to the Pentagon on Thursday evening, approached two police officers, calmly pulled a gun from his coat pocket and opened fire, wounding the officers before they shot him. The suspect later died, the Associated Press reported early Friday.
(By Allison Klein, Clarence Williams and Martin Weil, The Washington Post)

Obama aides near reversal on 9/11 trial
Military tribunal may be urged for Mohammed and four others
(By Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Finn, The Washington Post)

Scathing federal report dissects safety at Metro
Investigators fault transit agency leaders, monitoring committee
(By Lena H. Sun and Joe Stephens, The Washington Post)

Salmonella prompts processed-food recall
Tainted flavor enhancer poses low risk to public health
(By Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post)

Health bill’s backers walk a tightrope on abortion
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Friday, March 5, 2010

fealty \FEE-uhl-tee\, noun:

1. Fidelity to one’s lord; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord.
2. The oath by which this obligation was assumed.
3. Fidelity; allegiance; faithfulness.

$4 billion to be awarded through the federal Race to the Top program.

IEA President Ken Swanson, Executive Director Audrey Soglin and General Counsel Mitch Roth, provide an update for IEA members and staff on the federal Race to the Top program and explain some of the thinking that preceded the decision to endorse the state application.  Watch the video.