Below are links to news stories of interest from newspapers that came up during a search today. These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to your computer is recommended.
State News 
Illinois Superintendents Commiserate on Budget Woes Chicago Public Radio – One estimate says the state could shed 20000 school jobs if cuts proposed by Governor Pat Quinn go through. That will mean larger class sizes in many …
Schools to state: Don’t balance budget on our backs
Elgin Courier News – School administrators from across Illinois sent a message loud and clear to the state: Pay your bills and fix education funding. Although no immediate solutions to fix the budget crisis were reached, about 25 school administrators from Springfield to Chicago met Thursday at Morgan Park High School in Chicago to discuss the repercussions of the state’s proposed spending cuts to education.
Districts That Won $10 M In Technology Grants
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – Here are the 15 school districts that were awarded $10 million in federal technology grants:
Keep universities afloat for sake of state’s future
Chicago Sun Times – Editorial – But in a meeting Thursday with the Sun-Times Editorial Board, interim University of Illinois President Stanley Ikenberry said there is no way the schools can keep doing that. “If we experience the same scenario or worse in the next fiscal year . . . somebody is going to be shutting down,” Ikenberry said.
University of Illinois president lowers tuition hike forecast
Crains Chicago Business – lead to savings, Ikenberry said, noting that he was waiting on recommendations. Ikenberry said his earlier projection of a 20 percent tuition hike was also based on the possibility that Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget would cut the university’s state appropriation by up to $120 million. But as it stands now, the cuts should be around $45 million, he said.
Chicago charter school teachers move to unionize Teachers at four charter schools operated by Aspira, Inc., voted March 19 to unionize. By mid-June, following official recognition by the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board, they will be able to start negotiating a contract. They are the latest Chicago-area schools to move toward unionization after a change in Illinois law making it easier for charter school teachers to organize
Students protest at CPS schools, HQ
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Hundreds of CPS students from ten schools walked out of class Thursday in protest of planned cutbacks. The students say the cuts will affect their educations. The school board is facing a budget deficit that is approaching $1 billion. Teacher and staff layoffs and the elimination of some programs are being proposed to close the gap.
Collin Hitt: City needs more school choices — now
Springfield State Journal Register – This year, in a city where fewer than 5 percent of black men will graduate both high school and college, Chicago’s Urban Prep Academy has accomplished what was for some unfathomable. Opened only four years ago, the all-boys public school recently announced
Political News
Illinois Comptroller Warns Of Growing Bill Backlog WJBD Online – Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes warned that the state’s backlog of unpaid bills will grow larger by June. In his quarterly report on the …
Report Shows Illinois Owes $5.5 Billion MyFox Illinois – A report from the state official that cuts state checks shows Illinois will owe about $5.5 billion …
Former Gov. Edgar Pushes For Tax Hike CBS2 Chicago – ?Pat Quinn’s push for a state income tax increase is getting a boost from a prominent Illinois Republican. Former Gov. Jim Edgar says the state can’t fix its …
Former Gov. Edgar doubts state can fix budget without tax hike WQAD – ?Pat Quinn’s proposal to raise the state income tax. Edgar says the state can’t fix its budget mess without a tax increase. The state faces a $13 billion …
Edgar says Brady wrong on tax hike
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar said Thursday his party’s candidate for governor is wrong on Illinois’ budget crisis and made the case for hiking taxes – the main plank of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s platform.
Quirky Quinn doing just what it takes — to lose election
Chicago Sun Times – Rich Miler- Gov. Pat Quinn is one odd duck. Forget about the 30-year-old briefcase he calls “Betsy.” Or the constant references to his Super 8 VIP card to stress his frugality, even though Super 8 discontinued the VIP card program years ago. Or his penchant for blue-and-purple-striped ties. That’s just quirkiness. Some of it is even endearing. Quinn also has a very big heart, and I know for a fact that he’s a decent man in private. But he’s odd, man. Really, really odd.
You Can’t Have Lisa Madigan. Or Can You?
NBC Chicago – We’re pining away for Lisa. A year ago at this time, Lisa Madigan was the Democratic Party’s best hope for holding onto Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. Rahm Emanuel even invited her to the White House, where he attempted to browbeat her into running.
No saving Illinois’ lower bond rating
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Fitch Ratings mentioned the pension changes as a plus for Illinois. But changing pension benefits for future employees is only part of the picture, and this is where things get dicey for Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers. Among the options for dealing with a $13 billion budget hole, pension changes were a relatively easy option, opposition from public employee unions notwithstanding.
Stevens retirement gives Obama second Supreme Court pick Christian Science Monitor – John Paul Stevens, the longest serving Supreme Court justice, plans to leave the bench in June. The Stevens retirement allows President Obama to name a second high court justice, opening the way for a likely confirmation battle.
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Photo Essay – The longest serving member of the high court announces his retirement.
National News
States push teacher pay based on performance – Education
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – For parents and politicians hungry for better schools, the idea of paying teachers more if their students perform better can seem as basic as adding two and two or spelling “cat.” Yet just a handful of schools and districts around the country use such strategies. In some states, the idea is effectively illegal.
DA’s sex ed warning befuddles Wis. teachers, kids
Mattoon Journal Gazette – be taught and what people think should not be taught,” said Scott Lenz, a health teacher in the New Lisbon School District. He said he would teach contraceptive use if he got the approval of his school board. Southworth said he doesn’t want to drag teachers into court but feels he was ethically responsible for warning them of the new law’s potential consequences.
Paying Kids for Good Grades: Does It Really Work? Photo Essay – Two schools in Washington DC participate in a four-city experiment to see if cash can truly make a difference in the classroom Article: Should Kids be Bribed to Do Well in School?
Teachers union memo jokes about NJ governor dying
Belleville News-Democrat – “Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor.”
TIME.com Today’s Top Stories
Tiger’s Return: Still the Master of His Golf Game
After all the scandal of the last five months, Tiger Woods returned to competitive golf with the best opening round of his glittering Masters career
Could the U.S. Lose Its Base in Kyrgyzstan?
Manas air base is a key to the American mission in Afghanistan, and officials believe that it won’t be lost amid the current unrest — although alternatives will be found
Health Care’s Ugly Aftermath: The Death Threats Mount
Passage of large pieces of legislation is never without controversy. But the violent threats against lawmakers over health care have taken it to a scary new level
The ‘House’ Effect: Are Real Patients Misled by TV Docs?
A study shows that TV doctors cross ethical lines far too often. Is that affecting real-world medicine?
FDIC’s Sheila Bair on Bank Failures and Too-Big-To-Fail
Sheila Bair oversees the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which protects depositors when banks fail. Bair says the banking crisis is now manageable but the nation could be put at risk once again if Congress fails to make needed reforms
Word of the Day for Friday, April 9, 2010
indefatigable \in-dih-FAT-ih-guh-bul\, adjective:
Incapable of being fatigued; not readily exhausted; untiring; unwearying; not yielding to fatigue.