By Jamey Dunn
Seniority will play less of a role in the hiring and firing practices of schools, and teachers will face new requirements to achieve tenure under education reform legislation signed into law today by Gov. Pat Quinn.
“It’s important that we have excellent teachers. That’s the key to getting excellent students. And so we must have education reforms that help us deliver education that’s second to none,” Quinn said at a Maywood press conference. “The most powerful force for equal opportunity for all the boys and girls of our state is a good education.”
Under the new law, teachers have to receive positive evaluations for three years to receive tenure. Teachers who earn “excellent” reviews in each of their first three years will also earn tenure. Teachers with tenure who receive two unsatisfactory reviews within a seven-year period could have their teaching licenses reviewed by the state superintendent and be required to complete professional development geared toward improving their performance or face having their licenses revoked. The measure also makes it easier for districts to fire underperforming teachers.
As part of Illinois’ failed bid for Race to The Top, a competitive federal education grant program, the General Assembly passed a law that requires school districts to revamp the evaluations they use to assess teachers’ work. Half of teachers’ evaluations will be based on student performance, under the new system that starts to kick in at different times for different schools based on size and student performance level. Most schools must switch to the new evaluations by 2016. Under the bill signed today, school districts and teachers' unions could agree to move up the implementation date of the new system to as early as 2013. The new tenure requirements, as well as the consequences for unsatisfactory performance ratings that are part of the education reform package will go into effect once schools switch to the new evaluation system. Other aspects of the reform go into effect immediately.
Layoffs will no longer be decided on a “last-in-first-out” basis, but instead be determined by qualifications and job performance. Seniority will only be used as a “tie-breaker.” Administrators will be free to hire any candidate for new positions instead of giving preference to teachers transferring within the district.
School board members elected after today will be required to receive training approved by the State Board of Education. Sponsor Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat, said the law will have a direct impact on the 2 million children in the state’s public schools, as well as the more than 132,000 teachers working at those institutions statewide. “A whole lot's been said about Senate Bill 7. It’s been named landmark, historic, essential tools and a national model. I agree with all of those adjectives.”
New Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushed for the passage of the bill. The legislation could allow him to extend the school day in Chicago, something he has called for in the past. "This legislation will help ensure that Chicago has the tools we need to give our children the education they deserve," Emanuel said in a written statement. "By giving students a longer school day and improving the performance standards for teachers, today we take a major step towards ensuring that every child, in every Chicago neighborhood, has access to a world-class education."
Monique Davis, who cast the lone vote against the legislation in the House said aspects of the bill that apply only to Chicago Public Schools, such as a greater threshold for striking that requires the support of a supermajority of voting union members, were discriminatory. “The intentions are good, but the results will not change a thing. I’m not going to be a union buster,” the former teacher and administrator said during floor debate. Unions outside of Chicago will need the support of half of union members to strike. The measure lengthens negotiations required before a strike and would force both sides to release their demands to the public if an impasse is reached.
Negotiations for the reform package started last year and brought together a multitude of interests, including administrators, teachers unions, business groups, parent organizations and reform groups. Out-of-state group Stand for Children emerged as a key player. The organization donated more than $500,000 to Illinois legislative candidates during the last election cycle, giving the majority of the money to Democrats. “There were rumors that this group came into Illinois—Stand for Children. And they’re very wealthy, and they have a lot of money, and they’re going to make us move. So unlike the truth. We were already in the midst of education reform,” said Lightford when the Senate approved a version of the bill, noting the recent reforms the legislature passed as part of the state’s bid for the federal Race to the Top grant program. Lightford said after the state’s loss in the competitive grant program, she decided to take on the goal of creating an education reform package by involving all stakeholders in a process that she called a “big comeback” for the state. “Education, a good education, is a basic civil right,” Lightford said at today’s bill signing.
Illinois’ new law, as well as the collaborative process that created it, has drawn some national attention. ”While some states are engaging in noisy and unproductive battles around education reform, Illinois is showing what can happen when adults work through their differences together,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a written statement. ”Through this very impressive collaboration of school management, teacher unions, education reform advocates, legislators and the governor, Illinois has created a powerful framework to strengthen the teaching profession and advance student learning in Illinois. This is an example that I hope states across the country will follow.”
Showing posts with label Race to the Top. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race to the Top. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Education reform sails through the Senate
By Jamey Dunn
They way teachers across the state are granted tenure, laid off and fired would change under legislation passed in the Senate with no opposition today.
After months of negotiations, reform groups, teachers’ unions and administrators found common ground, and interest groups on all sides signed off on the bill.
“The reform groups, the education groups, the management groups, the legislators, we all agree that our children come first,” said Maywood Democratic Sen. Kimberly Lightford, sponsor of Senate Bill 630. “We all agree that the most important effort in our negotiations is, at the end of the day, what’s best for the child in the classroom.”
Under the bill, teachers would have to receive positive evaluations during the last three years of a four-year probationary period to be granted tenure. Teachers who earn “excellent” reviews in each of their first three years would also earn tenure. Teachers with tenure who receive two unsatisfactory reviews within a seven-year period could have their teaching licenses reviewed by the state superintendent and be required to complete professional development geared toward improving their performance or face having their licenses revoked. The measure also streamlines the process for firing tenured teachers. Half of teachers’ evaluations will be based on student performance under a new system that goes into effect in 2016. Under Lightford’s bill, school districts and teachers' unions could agree to move up the implementation date of the new system to as early as 2013.
“With this bill, we’re going to ensure that the better teachers stay and the lesser teachers go,” said Palatine Republican Sen. Matt Murphy, who worked with Lightford on the negotiations.
Layoffs would no longer be decided on a “last-in-first-out” basis, but instead would be determined by qualifications and job performance. Seniority would only be used as a “tie-breaker.” Administrators would be free to hire any candidate for new positions instead of giving preference to teachers transferring within the district.
The decision to strike would remain in the hands of unions—an issue that was a contentious part of negotiations between reform groups and unions. In Chicago, three-fourths of union members would have to agree to a strike. Teachers outside of the city could still strike if half of union members agreed. The measure would lengthen negotiations before a strike and would require both sides to release their demands to the public if an impasse is reached.
“I believe what we have here is historic education reform,” said Ken Swanson, Illinois Education Association President. “This is going to be both good for children, and it preserves in an appropriate way the voice of the professionals doing the work with students every day.”
The push for this legislation came to the forefront during the close of the last legislative session, and out-of-state reform group Stand for Children emerged as a key player. The organization donated more than half a million dollars to Illinois legislative candidates during the last election cycle, giving the majority of the money to Democrats.
“There were rumors that this group came into Illinois--Stand for Children. And they’re very wealthy, and they have a lot of money, and they’re going to make us move. So unlike the truth. We were already in the midst of education reform,” Lightford said, citing recent reforms the legislature passed as part of the state’s bid for the federal Race to the Top grant program.
“Having a great teacher in the classroom is the most important school-based factor in affecting student outcomes. And this shift to making performance the driving factor in personnel decisions is ultimately a huge win for children,” said Jessica Handy, who left the Senate Democrats' staff to become Stand for Children’s Illinois policy director.
Players on all sides of the issue commended those involved for compromising on substantial changes and pointed to much more volatile situations involving teachers’ unions in other states, including the recent protests in Wisconsin over a measure that seeks to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. “What this shows is that to have meaningful reform that will work, you have to have the unions at the table. And here in Illinois, what we’ve shown is you do not need to have draconian unwarranted attacks on public employee rights [and] collective bargaining. You can do this through collective bargaining. You can do this through bringing the parties to the table. So Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, other states look to Illinois. We’ll show you how to do it the right way,” Swanson said.
They way teachers across the state are granted tenure, laid off and fired would change under legislation passed in the Senate with no opposition today.
After months of negotiations, reform groups, teachers’ unions and administrators found common ground, and interest groups on all sides signed off on the bill.
“The reform groups, the education groups, the management groups, the legislators, we all agree that our children come first,” said Maywood Democratic Sen. Kimberly Lightford, sponsor of Senate Bill 630. “We all agree that the most important effort in our negotiations is, at the end of the day, what’s best for the child in the classroom.”
Under the bill, teachers would have to receive positive evaluations during the last three years of a four-year probationary period to be granted tenure. Teachers who earn “excellent” reviews in each of their first three years would also earn tenure. Teachers with tenure who receive two unsatisfactory reviews within a seven-year period could have their teaching licenses reviewed by the state superintendent and be required to complete professional development geared toward improving their performance or face having their licenses revoked. The measure also streamlines the process for firing tenured teachers. Half of teachers’ evaluations will be based on student performance under a new system that goes into effect in 2016. Under Lightford’s bill, school districts and teachers' unions could agree to move up the implementation date of the new system to as early as 2013.
“With this bill, we’re going to ensure that the better teachers stay and the lesser teachers go,” said Palatine Republican Sen. Matt Murphy, who worked with Lightford on the negotiations.
Layoffs would no longer be decided on a “last-in-first-out” basis, but instead would be determined by qualifications and job performance. Seniority would only be used as a “tie-breaker.” Administrators would be free to hire any candidate for new positions instead of giving preference to teachers transferring within the district.
The decision to strike would remain in the hands of unions—an issue that was a contentious part of negotiations between reform groups and unions. In Chicago, three-fourths of union members would have to agree to a strike. Teachers outside of the city could still strike if half of union members agreed. The measure would lengthen negotiations before a strike and would require both sides to release their demands to the public if an impasse is reached.
“I believe what we have here is historic education reform,” said Ken Swanson, Illinois Education Association President. “This is going to be both good for children, and it preserves in an appropriate way the voice of the professionals doing the work with students every day.”
The push for this legislation came to the forefront during the close of the last legislative session, and out-of-state reform group Stand for Children emerged as a key player. The organization donated more than half a million dollars to Illinois legislative candidates during the last election cycle, giving the majority of the money to Democrats.
“There were rumors that this group came into Illinois--Stand for Children. And they’re very wealthy, and they have a lot of money, and they’re going to make us move. So unlike the truth. We were already in the midst of education reform,” Lightford said, citing recent reforms the legislature passed as part of the state’s bid for the federal Race to the Top grant program.
“Having a great teacher in the classroom is the most important school-based factor in affecting student outcomes. And this shift to making performance the driving factor in personnel decisions is ultimately a huge win for children,” said Jessica Handy, who left the Senate Democrats' staff to become Stand for Children’s Illinois policy director.
Players on all sides of the issue commended those involved for compromising on substantial changes and pointed to much more volatile situations involving teachers’ unions in other states, including the recent protests in Wisconsin over a measure that seeks to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. “What this shows is that to have meaningful reform that will work, you have to have the unions at the table. And here in Illinois, what we’ve shown is you do not need to have draconian unwarranted attacks on public employee rights [and] collective bargaining. You can do this through collective bargaining. You can do this through bringing the parties to the table. So Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, other states look to Illinois. We’ll show you how to do it the right way,” Swanson said.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Illinois' race for education funds spurred reforms
By Jamey Dunn
Losing both rounds in the Race to the Top federal grant competition was a frustrating experience, but Illinois is better for having tried, according to state schools Superintendent Christopher Koch.
In the first round of the competition, the U.S. Department of Education doled out $4.35 billion to two states. Illinois placed fifth with a score of 423.8 out of 500. In phase two, 10 states got $3.4 billion, and Illinois was 15th with a score of 426.6.
Koch said the Illinois State Board of Education worked hard to get more school districts and unions to sign on for phase two. The state’s participation levels were criticized in the first phase. (For more on this effort, see Illinois Issues, September 2010, page 13.)
He said some local officials were concerned about allowing the federal government to have too much control over education. Expanding programs based on federal grants that expire was also an issue. Schools were concerned about where the money would come from when the grants ran out.
Koch added it is difficult for Illinois to compete with states that have fewer districts. In some of the winning states, each county is a school district. By comparison, Illinois has 102 counties and 869 school districts. Two of the winners, the District of Columbia and Hawaii, each have just one district. “We have to just sell it to local boards and local school districts and local unions again and again and again. It just requires an awful lot of selling.”
Koch said the schools participating represent 82 percent of students in Illinois.
ISBE officials focused on the areas that lost points on the first round while doing little to change parts of the application that scored well. However, a completely new panel scored the second round. Koch said some of the areas of the application that impressed the judges in the first round failed to do so in the second. “It makes it hard because we were responding to the first application.” He added that because the judges do not compare the states and not all the same judges scored every state, some states had lower participation levels than Illinois but scored higher on that section of the application. “My take on this is that it depends on the team [of judges] you’ve got. … It sort if makes it more like a Race to the Top lottery.”
While the loss was disappointing, Koch said, competing in Race to the Top did spur important reforms that he said would have not happened as quickly on their own, such legislation that requires higher standards for principal certification. “I think that overall, that we are better for having gone through this process. … These are the right reforms.”
Funding for education jobs
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin announced in Chicago today that the federal government has released $415 million to help save education jobs in Illinois. Officials can begin allocating the money today. Koch called for the General Assembly to appropriate the funds in a special session, but Gov. Pat Quinn has said a special session is unnecessary, so it likely will not happen. Durbin estimates it will save 5,700 education jobs in the state.
Losing both rounds in the Race to the Top federal grant competition was a frustrating experience, but Illinois is better for having tried, according to state schools Superintendent Christopher Koch.
In the first round of the competition, the U.S. Department of Education doled out $4.35 billion to two states. Illinois placed fifth with a score of 423.8 out of 500. In phase two, 10 states got $3.4 billion, and Illinois was 15th with a score of 426.6.
Koch said the Illinois State Board of Education worked hard to get more school districts and unions to sign on for phase two. The state’s participation levels were criticized in the first phase. (For more on this effort, see Illinois Issues, September 2010, page 13.)
He said some local officials were concerned about allowing the federal government to have too much control over education. Expanding programs based on federal grants that expire was also an issue. Schools were concerned about where the money would come from when the grants ran out.
Koch added it is difficult for Illinois to compete with states that have fewer districts. In some of the winning states, each county is a school district. By comparison, Illinois has 102 counties and 869 school districts. Two of the winners, the District of Columbia and Hawaii, each have just one district. “We have to just sell it to local boards and local school districts and local unions again and again and again. It just requires an awful lot of selling.”
Koch said the schools participating represent 82 percent of students in Illinois.
ISBE officials focused on the areas that lost points on the first round while doing little to change parts of the application that scored well. However, a completely new panel scored the second round. Koch said some of the areas of the application that impressed the judges in the first round failed to do so in the second. “It makes it hard because we were responding to the first application.” He added that because the judges do not compare the states and not all the same judges scored every state, some states had lower participation levels than Illinois but scored higher on that section of the application. “My take on this is that it depends on the team [of judges] you’ve got. … It sort if makes it more like a Race to the Top lottery.”
While the loss was disappointing, Koch said, competing in Race to the Top did spur important reforms that he said would have not happened as quickly on their own, such legislation that requires higher standards for principal certification. “I think that overall, that we are better for having gone through this process. … These are the right reforms.”
Funding for education jobs
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin announced in Chicago today that the federal government has released $415 million to help save education jobs in Illinois. Officials can begin allocating the money today. Koch called for the General Assembly to appropriate the funds in a special session, but Gov. Pat Quinn has said a special session is unnecessary, so it likely will not happen. Durbin estimates it will save 5,700 education jobs in the state.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Illinois loses out on Race to the Top funds
By Jamey Dunn
Illinois has lost its bid for a potential $400 million in federal education funding.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the 10 winners in the final round of the competitive grant program Race to the Top, and Illinois was not on the list. The District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island will split $3.4 billion.
Illinois went on to compete in the second round of the program after failing to win any funding in the first phase. In that round, Illinois ranked fifth out of 41 applicants, but only the top two states, Tennessee and Delaware, received grants.
State Superintendent Chris Koch said that Illinois made improvements to its application for phase two based on the phase one review process. He said one of the biggest hurdles the state faced was getting districts and teachers' unions to sign on. “It is hard for Illinois, given the number of districts that we have.” (For more on the phase two application process, see the upcoming September issue of Illinois Issues.)
Koch said the competition did spur some important changes in Illinois, such as legislation to increase the number of charter schools in the state, revamp teacher assessments and update administrator training programs. “We do feel the state of Illinois is better for having gone though this process,” he said.
When the Department of Education releases Illinois' reviewed application tomorrow, the State Board of Education will get a better idea of why its bid did not win.
Koch said the state education budget was not planned around getting the grant, and he still hopes to implement many of the ideas included in the state’s Race to the Top application. But some programs may be scaled back and will take much longer to roll out, since there are few education dollars to go around.
However, there is hope for Illinois that another phase of federal grants could be on the horizon.
"We had many more competitive applications than money to fund them in this round,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a written release. “We're very hopeful there will be a Phase Three of Race to the Top and have requested $1.35 billion in next year's budget. In the meantime, we will partner with each and every state that applied to help them find ways to carry out the bold reforms they've proposed in their applications.”
Illinois has lost its bid for a potential $400 million in federal education funding.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the 10 winners in the final round of the competitive grant program Race to the Top, and Illinois was not on the list. The District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island will split $3.4 billion.
Illinois went on to compete in the second round of the program after failing to win any funding in the first phase. In that round, Illinois ranked fifth out of 41 applicants, but only the top two states, Tennessee and Delaware, received grants.
State Superintendent Chris Koch said that Illinois made improvements to its application for phase two based on the phase one review process. He said one of the biggest hurdles the state faced was getting districts and teachers' unions to sign on. “It is hard for Illinois, given the number of districts that we have.” (For more on the phase two application process, see the upcoming September issue of Illinois Issues.)
Koch said the competition did spur some important changes in Illinois, such as legislation to increase the number of charter schools in the state, revamp teacher assessments and update administrator training programs. “We do feel the state of Illinois is better for having gone though this process,” he said.
When the Department of Education releases Illinois' reviewed application tomorrow, the State Board of Education will get a better idea of why its bid did not win.
Koch said the state education budget was not planned around getting the grant, and he still hopes to implement many of the ideas included in the state’s Race to the Top application. But some programs may be scaled back and will take much longer to roll out, since there are few education dollars to go around.
However, there is hope for Illinois that another phase of federal grants could be on the horizon.
"We had many more competitive applications than money to fund them in this round,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a written release. “We're very hopeful there will be a Phase Three of Race to the Top and have requested $1.35 billion in next year's budget. In the meantime, we will partner with each and every state that applied to help them find ways to carry out the bold reforms they've proposed in their applications.”
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Lawmakers approve FOIA exemptions
By Rachel Wells
Public employee evaluations would be sealed to the public if Gov. Pat Quinn signs a measure that opponents say would roll back major reforms made last year in the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The change would expand an exemption that Quinn signed into law earlier this year exempting performance evaluations of teachers, principals and superintendents. The new changes are part of legislation meant to improve Illinois’ chances at earning federal education grant funding. Proponents argued that opening up the evaluations to the public would devalue them, as those writing the evaluations might be less candid, and that treating educators differently from other state employees would not be fair.
“There has to be a line that we draw that we do protect the personal interest of people, [that] we do let them know that because you are a public employee, we trust that you will come to work and do a good job,” said Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat and sponsor of House Bill 5154. “And if you don’t, then you will be disciplined by the employer, not by John Q Public. There has to be a dividing line.”
Opponents call the measure a step back in Illinois’ progress toward a more open government and worry lawmakers will further degrade last year’s FOIA reforms.
“We are concerned that more bills will come down the pike to further shove public information into the shadows,” said Melissa Hahn, president of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association.
Although Lightford has said there’s no connection between the union-backed FOIA change and recent changes to the state’s pension systems, which unions adamantly opposed, Hahn said she’s not convinced.
“The unions lost when it came to pensions, so lawmakers are giving them this to help make up for it,” Hahn said.
The pension legislation went through both houses in one day on March 24, about a year after Quinn first proposed the measure. The House approved the FOIA changes on March 11 , and the Senate approved the measure today.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
FOIA law may be tweaked again
By Rachel Wells
Concerned citizens would no longer have access to any portion of any public employee performance evaluations, under a measure that moved through a Senate committee today.
Earlier this year, evaluations for teachers, principal sand superintendents became exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act as legislators worked to gain enough support for Race to the Top legislation, which ties student growth to educators’ evaluations. The latest legislation, HB 5154, stems from related negotiations and would expand the exemption to all public employee evaluations.
Treating all public employees equally is important, said Tim Drea, secretary-treasurer of Illinois’ American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), adding that disclosing evaluations could devalue them. “If a supervisor believes that an evaluation will be made public, he or she may say, ‘Well, you’re fine, I just don’t want any problems from anybody,’” Drea said. “Other employees are looking, and it just does not contribute to a healthy work environment.”
Itasca Republican Sen. Carole Pankau, who opposes the measure, said that evaluation results, a final rating or grade for instance, should become public information. “I think that’s a reasonable request,” Pankau said.
“I think verifying employment is fair, but to go into great details, I think that’s a little unfair,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat.
Those who successfully pushed FOIA reforms last year in SB 189 say the new measure would unravel those efforts.
“It shoots a major hole in one of the reforms that we had badly wanted,” said Beth Bennett, government relations director with the Illinois Press Association. Last year, the association had worked to make the results of performance evaluations available for public scrutiny. Personal information such as medical concerns and Social Security numbers remained exempt, Bennett said.
The Illinois attorney general’s office, which pushed for last year’s reforms, agreed the new legislation weakens the FOIA law.
“The reworking of FOIA has just been in effect for four months,” attorney general spokesperson Scott Mulford said. “It has to be given time to work.”
None of the opponents, who also included the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, testified during today’s Senate hearing. Bennett said conversations with Senate members lead the Press Association “to believe that there probably wasn’t going to be a real debate of the issue.”
Concerned citizens would no longer have access to any portion of any public employee performance evaluations, under a measure that moved through a Senate committee today.
Earlier this year, evaluations for teachers, principal sand superintendents became exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act as legislators worked to gain enough support for Race to the Top legislation, which ties student growth to educators’ evaluations. The latest legislation, HB 5154, stems from related negotiations and would expand the exemption to all public employee evaluations.
Treating all public employees equally is important, said Tim Drea, secretary-treasurer of Illinois’ American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), adding that disclosing evaluations could devalue them. “If a supervisor believes that an evaluation will be made public, he or she may say, ‘Well, you’re fine, I just don’t want any problems from anybody,’” Drea said. “Other employees are looking, and it just does not contribute to a healthy work environment.”
Itasca Republican Sen. Carole Pankau, who opposes the measure, said that evaluation results, a final rating or grade for instance, should become public information. “I think that’s a reasonable request,” Pankau said.
“I think verifying employment is fair, but to go into great details, I think that’s a little unfair,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat.
Those who successfully pushed FOIA reforms last year in SB 189 say the new measure would unravel those efforts.
“It shoots a major hole in one of the reforms that we had badly wanted,” said Beth Bennett, government relations director with the Illinois Press Association. Last year, the association had worked to make the results of performance evaluations available for public scrutiny. Personal information such as medical concerns and Social Security numbers remained exempt, Bennett said.
The Illinois attorney general’s office, which pushed for last year’s reforms, agreed the new legislation weakens the FOIA law.
“The reworking of FOIA has just been in effect for four months,” attorney general spokesperson Scott Mulford said. “It has to be given time to work.”
None of the opponents, who also included the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, testified during today’s Senate hearing. Bennett said conversations with Senate members lead the Press Association “to believe that there probably wasn’t going to be a real debate of the issue.”
Monday, March 29, 2010
Illinois loses first leg of Race to the Top
By Rachel Wells
If Illinois wants money for education reform from the federal Race to the Top program, it’s going to have to reapply. State officials learned today that only Tennessee and Delaware secured grants in the first phase of the competition.
Illinois’ bid ranked fifth – behind Florida and Georgia – among 41 phase one applicants.
The $4.35 billion competitive grant program seeks to help states improve standards and assessments, develop student growth data systems, reward and retain quality teachers and improve low-performing schools.
“Obviously we’re disappointed, but we certainly intend to look at the feedback that we’ll receive,” said Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Education. She said the department plans on reapplying by June 1 for phase two grants. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that $3.4 billion is still available.
Illinois originally requested $510 million, but a new rule for phase two applicants means the state can only ask for between $200 and $400 million. The limit is based on 2008 student population counts.
Referencing Illinois’ financial problems, a fragmented local district structure and “a catastrophic failure of the standards achievement test,” one of the educators who reviewed Illinois’ application said the state’s problems, “unless overcome, will severely hamper the applicant’s ability to sustain reforms.”
Reviewers also pointed to missing details in some aspects of Illinois’ reform plan.
“We looked at this process not just as a means to get federal funding but to draw a roadmap … for the next ten years, and we intend to continue with those efforts,” Fergus said.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Quinn signs new laws
By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn signed three new bills into law that go into effect immediately.
The two bills Quinn signed today will assist Illinois in its pursuit of up to $500 million in competitive federal education grants.
SB 315 will make student performance the primary factor for evaluating teachers. Some school districts, including Chicago Public Schools, will implement the new standards in 2010, and the rest of the state will follow suit by 2016.
SB 616 allows nonprofit organizations, such as Teach for America, to offer alternative teacher certification programs independently of universities.
The sponsor of both bills, Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat, said the new regulations will give the state a higher score on its application for the Race to the Top program, which is due Tuesday.
“[Race to the Top is] an opportunity for states to compete — for states to step up to the plate and say: ‘We want to turn around our struggling schools. We want highly qualified teachers to teach in underperforming schools. We want to close the achievement gap,’” said Maywood Democrat Sen. Kimberly Lightford, also a sponsor of both bills.
Quinn signed SB 1013 yesterday. That law puts into place the reforms to the Meritorious Good Time program that Quinn laid out earlier this month. Inmates now have to serve at least 60 days before they can receive any time off their sentences for good behavior.
The new law also requires the Department of Corrections to notify prosecutors 14 days before releasing an inmate early. These changes came in response to controversy over offenders, some of them violent, being released through the program after spending only weeks behind bars.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Session Day 1 roundup
By Jamey Dunn and Rachel Wells
Legislators returned today for the start of their spring session. They will remain in Springfield tomorrow to hear Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget address. Session is expected to adjourn sometime tomorrow, and lawmakers do not plan to return to Springfield until after the primary election on February 2. They took action on several bills today, while ignoring other measures on the political radar.
Cemetery oversight
After stalling both in spring session and veto session, a cemetery regulation bill passed in the Senate today.
The measure is a response to the Burr Oak tragedy. Media reports exposed last July that bodies were moved and dumped into a mass grave in an alleged scheme to resell gravesites. (see Illinois Issues, September 2009, page 13)
HB 1188 puts the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation in charge of overseeing Illinois cemeteries.
It would require cemetery owners to maintain maps of their plots and create a statewide database that would document every burial and grave location. It would create a system for cemetery owners, managers and customer service employees to register with the state. It also contains a consumer bill of rights and protection for whistle blowers that report violators.
Family plots, cemeteries that have not had a burial in the last 10 years and ones that are less then two acres would be exempt from the new regulations. Religious cemeteries and municipal cemeteries that have fewer than 25 burials over the course of two years would be partially exempt.
Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Democrat, opposed the bill because he said that a partial exemption should be given to small private cemeteries as well. He said many of these operations do not have frequent burials, and they have no tax revenue to bolster their profits. Sullivan said he is concerned many small private cemeteries in his district could not afford to implement the new regulations.
Willie Carter, member of the governor’s cemetery task force and owner of Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, agreed that the new regulations could put an undue burden on operations such as his. “Small cemeteries like mine cannot afford some of the fees that are proposed in this bill,” he said.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Emil Jones III represents the district where Burr Oak is located. He said that some changes would be made later in a supplemental bill because it “addresses some concerns but not all of them.” Sullivan said he hopes to work with Jones and others to help protect small private cemeteries from facing bankruptcy.
Medicaid matching funds
The House passed a borrowing plan that is half of the plan Gov. Quinn proposed in December. Quinn needed Comptroller Dan Hynes and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to sign on to that proposal. Hynes, who is challenging Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor, was not on board.
SB 1425 would allow the state to take out a $250 million loan to capture matching federal Medicaid funds and start paying some of its overdue bills to medical providers. The state would be able to get back $150 million in matching funds and could then leverage that money for $80 million from the feds. The bill does not include any money for social services providers. Quinn’s original plan had $250 million for social services. Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said that the move would free up general funds that Quinn could then use toward need-based MAP grants for college students if he so chooses.
Tax amnesty
A bill proposed as another possible funding source for MAP grants didn't make it to the floor for a vote on Tuesday. A legislative panel on Monday discussed a tax amnesty measure that would allow individuals and businesses to pay back taxes without penalties or interest.
HB 4622, proposed by Hinckley Republican Robert Pritchard, would be a way to immediately bring in an estimated $100 million. It was proposed to fund MAP grants, but representatives on both sides of the aisle suggested the funds should instead be used to help pay some of the state's health and human service providers.
Race to the Top
Two measures that would help the state’s bid for the competitive federal education grant program Race to the Top, passed through the House:
SB 616 Would broaden teaching certification requirements to include nonprofit programs such as Teach for America.
SB 315 Would base the way teachers are evaluated mainly on student performance. Both moves will help the state score higher on its application for the federal program. Rep. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican opposed the change to teacher evaluations. He said he was concerned that downstate schools would invest more money in the changes than they would potentially get back from the federal grants.
"Meritorious Good Time” reforms
Legislation requiring inmates to serve at least 60 days in state prison before receiving time off of their sentences for good behavior passed in the House. Danville Republican Rep. Bill Black offered the only opposition. He said the minimum stay should exceed 60 days.
SB 1013 would also establish procedures for determining and recording reasons for giving good behavior time and provide notification to prosecutors at least 14 days in advance of a prisoners' early release. The measure is a reaction to December findings that the Illinois Department of Corrections was releasing freshly imprisoned offenders, some violent, after only a few weeks in prison under the secret "Meritorious Good Time Push" plan.
Budget address
Quinn may not get any extra time to craft his budget plan this year. Legislators took no action Tuesday on a bill that would move the budget address from the third Wednesday in February, as is currently required by law, to sometime in March. A similar measure proposed during the fall veto session was never called for a vote.
Legislators returned today for the start of their spring session. They will remain in Springfield tomorrow to hear Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget address. Session is expected to adjourn sometime tomorrow, and lawmakers do not plan to return to Springfield until after the primary election on February 2. They took action on several bills today, while ignoring other measures on the political radar.
Cemetery oversight
After stalling both in spring session and veto session, a cemetery regulation bill passed in the Senate today.
The measure is a response to the Burr Oak tragedy. Media reports exposed last July that bodies were moved and dumped into a mass grave in an alleged scheme to resell gravesites. (see Illinois Issues, September 2009, page 13)
HB 1188 puts the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation in charge of overseeing Illinois cemeteries.
It would require cemetery owners to maintain maps of their plots and create a statewide database that would document every burial and grave location. It would create a system for cemetery owners, managers and customer service employees to register with the state. It also contains a consumer bill of rights and protection for whistle blowers that report violators.
Family plots, cemeteries that have not had a burial in the last 10 years and ones that are less then two acres would be exempt from the new regulations. Religious cemeteries and municipal cemeteries that have fewer than 25 burials over the course of two years would be partially exempt.
Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Democrat, opposed the bill because he said that a partial exemption should be given to small private cemeteries as well. He said many of these operations do not have frequent burials, and they have no tax revenue to bolster their profits. Sullivan said he is concerned many small private cemeteries in his district could not afford to implement the new regulations.
Willie Carter, member of the governor’s cemetery task force and owner of Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, agreed that the new regulations could put an undue burden on operations such as his. “Small cemeteries like mine cannot afford some of the fees that are proposed in this bill,” he said.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Emil Jones III represents the district where Burr Oak is located. He said that some changes would be made later in a supplemental bill because it “addresses some concerns but not all of them.” Sullivan said he hopes to work with Jones and others to help protect small private cemeteries from facing bankruptcy.
Medicaid matching funds
The House passed a borrowing plan that is half of the plan Gov. Quinn proposed in December. Quinn needed Comptroller Dan Hynes and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to sign on to that proposal. Hynes, who is challenging Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor, was not on board.
SB 1425 would allow the state to take out a $250 million loan to capture matching federal Medicaid funds and start paying some of its overdue bills to medical providers. The state would be able to get back $150 million in matching funds and could then leverage that money for $80 million from the feds. The bill does not include any money for social services providers. Quinn’s original plan had $250 million for social services. Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said that the move would free up general funds that Quinn could then use toward need-based MAP grants for college students if he so chooses.
Tax amnesty
A bill proposed as another possible funding source for MAP grants didn't make it to the floor for a vote on Tuesday. A legislative panel on Monday discussed a tax amnesty measure that would allow individuals and businesses to pay back taxes without penalties or interest.
HB 4622, proposed by Hinckley Republican Robert Pritchard, would be a way to immediately bring in an estimated $100 million. It was proposed to fund MAP grants, but representatives on both sides of the aisle suggested the funds should instead be used to help pay some of the state's health and human service providers.
Race to the Top
Two measures that would help the state’s bid for the competitive federal education grant program Race to the Top, passed through the House:
SB 616 Would broaden teaching certification requirements to include nonprofit programs such as Teach for America.
SB 315 Would base the way teachers are evaluated mainly on student performance. Both moves will help the state score higher on its application for the federal program. Rep. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican opposed the change to teacher evaluations. He said he was concerned that downstate schools would invest more money in the changes than they would potentially get back from the federal grants.
"Meritorious Good Time” reforms
Legislation requiring inmates to serve at least 60 days in state prison before receiving time off of their sentences for good behavior passed in the House. Danville Republican Rep. Bill Black offered the only opposition. He said the minimum stay should exceed 60 days.
SB 1013 would also establish procedures for determining and recording reasons for giving good behavior time and provide notification to prosecutors at least 14 days in advance of a prisoners' early release. The measure is a reaction to December findings that the Illinois Department of Corrections was releasing freshly imprisoned offenders, some violent, after only a few weeks in prison under the secret "Meritorious Good Time Push" plan.
Budget address
Quinn may not get any extra time to craft his budget plan this year. Legislators took no action Tuesday on a bill that would move the budget address from the third Wednesday in February, as is currently required by law, to sometime in March. A similar measure proposed during the fall veto session was never called for a vote.
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