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 Assembly overhauls state pension system, cutting benefits

 A bipartisan Illinois General Assembly handed Gov. Pat Quinn a victory Wednesday, sending him an overhauled state pension system, cutting benefits for new city and state employees to save money for woefully underfunded retirement systems.

Answers to questions about pension overhaul
Chicago Daily Herald – Here are answers to some of the key questions based on information in the legislation, documents given to lawmakers, the House and Senate debates, and interviews:

Applause for Madigan, Cullerton
Chicago Daily Southtown – Bravo to Democratic leaders and Southland lawmakers who made an aggressive push for pension reform this week. We applaud those who supported the changes, which will impact only new hires once the bill takes effect. The bill does not change the pension formulas or retirement benefits for current workers. While we wish it would have, we’re pleased with the establishment of a long overdue two-tiered pension system.

Pension overhaul pleases lawmakers, not unions

Local lawmakers feel the pension reforms passed by the Illinois legislature Wednesday are a step in the right direction.  But public employee unions disagree. For example, teacher unions fear the plan’s later retirement age will saddle local school districts with an unreasonable financial burden.

Flider backs pension changes; Rose, Righter vote ‘no’
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – “The federal health care bill had more transparency than this.“What I do know is that it provides big breaks to Chicago schools and gives legislators a bigger COLA than downstate school teachers or university employees,” Rose added. “It also provides relief to Chicago pension systems which may have to be made up out of state funds. 

Quinn says he’ll be conservative with pension savings

Quinn now has taken one of those steps himself. But Quinn may pay a price in union support and campaign donations. Organizations such as the Illinois Federation of teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees strongly oppose the pension overhaul. The Brady campaign did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Don’t underfund pensions to fund CPS

Pushing pension debt into the future only exacerbates a difficult situation. We need leadership willing to make difficult but sound decisions in these challenging times. This problem can’t simply be deferred again. We can’t continue to balance budgets for CPS and the state by mortgaging retirement pensions.

Kevin B. Huber, executive director, Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund

Our View: At last, lawmakers step up to the pension plate
Peoria Journal Star – once upon a time, when government workers lagged well behind the private sector in pay, they have largely caught up (though it’s fair to point out the significant disparities in pay, particularly for teachers, and hence in pensions, across the state). Meanwhile, Illinois’ inability to keep pace with its pension obligations has become so extreme that current state workers are paying for it

The speedy sweep to a pension plan
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Editorial – Whatever the reason, thank goodness for a step forward. Still, shouldn’t we all take one breath and explore whether this approach is best? Why aren’t police and fire workers included? Teachers’ union official Steve Preckwinkle had a point. Pushing teachers to stay in classrooms until age 67 might not always be best for children.

Illinois school consolidation billed as cost-cutter, but data say otherwise

Gov. Pat Quinn jumped on the consolidation bandwagon during his budget address this month, suggesting it could help schools drowning in debt. Thirteen districts are actively researching consolidation. And one lawmaker says he intends to introduce legislation that could force small districts to merge.

School groups: Education layoffs may top 20,000

A coalition of Illinois education groups says more than 20,000 teachers and staff could be laid off in the next school year.  Schools must tell employees now whether their jobs will be cut next year.  The coalition says it has heard from three-quarters of Illinois school districts and they plan 17,000 layoffs.

School Districts Across Illinois Completely Screwed
Chicago Chicagoist – The CPS isn’t the only district in a bad financial place. School districts throughout Illinois are feeling the pinch as money coming in continues to be less than money going out. Some districts, as the Chicago Tribune reports, are finding out that their previous deficit spending is catching up with them — Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, which has run at a deficit for the last 8 years, has had to slash $14 million from its budget. One resident blames union contracts:

Teacher Reacts to Being Pink Slipped
Peoria WEEK (NBC) 25 – Hundreds of pink slips are being deliver to District 150 teachers and staff members this week.

113 more teachers to be let go in Dist. 300
Chicago Daily Herald – demote six administrators in an effort to share the pain with rank-and-file employees. It is tentatively set to meet the first week of April to formally dismiss the teachers. Reeling from Gov. Pat Quinn’s recent budget proposals, District 300 has revised its initial target of cutting $6.5 million out of its budget next year.

Layoff notices going to 29 Evanston teachers
Pioneer Press Online – Jean Luft, president of the District Educators’ Council, also urged District 65 School Board members to join with the Illinois Education Association on …

Loss Of Teachers Due To Poor Funding Forecast Likely To Affect Education Quality

WJBD Online – An anticipated 17 percent cut in state funding to Illinois schools for the next fiscal year is having consequences at every level of education. Salem and Centralia Grade Schools, Sandoval, Odin, South Central and Raccoon Schools have all announced cuts to certified staff to grapple with the possibility of a massive drop in state funding, with Kell, Central City and Willow Grove Schools likely to follow suit. Several of the schools expect to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 2010 to 2011 school year.  The only schools escaping without cutting certified staff so far are Salem High School, Patoka and Selmaville Grade School.

More teacher layoffs hit Metro East

The education budget shortfall in Illinois totals some 13 billion dollars and across the state some 20000 school district jobs could be lost.

SD124 cuts teachers amid budget woes
Chicago Daily Southtown – the progress her son has made as a result of the special education program in Evergreen Park School District 124. “All three of my sons have had tremendous help,” O’Neill said at Wednesday’s school board meeting. O’Neill was one of some 200 parents who attended the meeting at Southeast School to protest the district’s decision to lay off 11 teachers,

Unions, civic groups support Navistar plan
Glen Ellyn Sun –  We know people are hurting, and we naturally support efforts to improve our economy and bring jobs to the Naperville area.” Val Dranias, president of the Indian Prairie Education Association (the teachers’ union for School District 204), added, “As teachers, we care very much about the people who we serve. When our community suffers because of the bad economy,

‘I’m sorry we have to take this kind of action’: Quincy School Board votes to eliminate 78 positions as part of $4 million in budget cuts
Quincy Herald-Whig –  Wednesday night as part of its plan to slash $4 million from next year’s budget because of lagging state revenue. The board voted 7-0 to release 28 non-tenured full-time teachers, 10 part-time teachers and 40 full- and part-time support staff, part of a 17-point plan of program cuts and other reductions. “It’s been a very arduous process for the board,” board

Boosters seek Pepsi grant to build new Benld Elementary School

BENLD — Ben-Gil Boosters are encouraging the public to vote daily for the next week for Benld Elementary School in a competition sponsored by Pepsi for a $250,000 grant to help build a new school.

EDITORIAL: Four-day school week must be about education, not money
Jacksonville Journal Courier  –  The result has been some gut-punching cuts. Jacksonville’s District 117 was expected Wednesday night to take action on up to $2 million in cuts after already dismissing 10 teachers. Meredosia had to cut six teachers. In Carrollton, athletic transportation was clipped, and a grade school principal, six teachers and six staff members were let go.

Two area districts on financial watch list
Champaign News Gazette – Two area districts have the unpleasant distinction of being on the state’s financial watch list. Bement Unit school District 5 and Mattoon Unit school District 2 are in the 3 percent of districts that have negative account balances or other financial problems, according to the Illinois State Board of Education

School board to pay woman over $100,000 in lawsuit
Plainfield Sun – JOLIET–Plainfield school board agreed to pay a Joliet woman $105,000 for back injuries she sustained after falling into a culvert that was missing a grate cover near River View Elementary School.
SIUE expected to forgo tuition hike, despite state’s budget problems
Belleville News-Democrat –  of year when the state has more fluid cash flow because of tax receipts coming in,” Gross said.  State funding comprises about 55 percent of SIUE’s unrestricted budget.  ”At a private school, tuition covers most of (educational) costs,” SIUE budget director Bill Winter said. “At a state university, for every dollar a student is paying in tuition, the state is matching us

Political News

State Senate OKs school vouchers
Parents with students in the lowest-performing elementary schools in Chicago could obtain vouchers to move their children into better-performing private schools under a plan that passed the Illinois Senate on Thursday.

Simon said to be Quinn’s lieutenant governor choice

Gov. Pat Quinn will say Friday that he supports Sheila Simon, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, as his choice for lieutenant governor, Chicago media outlets reported Thursday night.

Quinn picking Sheila Simon as running mate: sources

She doesn’t have the bow-tie, horn-rimmed glasses or booming baritone, but she’s got Downstate roots, potential appeal to women voters and a name revered among Democrats. Sheila Simon, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, is Gov. Quinn’s choice for a running mate, a top source told the Sun-Times. Quinn is scheduled to announce his choice for a lieutenant governor nominee Friday. The Democratic State Central Committee will make a final decision Saturday.

Quinn faces balancing act with running mate
Chicago Daily Southtown – The chance to help pick his running mate offers Gov. Pat Quinn a rare political opportunity. It also offers political dangers. When the winner of the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor withdrew from the race amid scandal, it opened the door

Lawmakers warn Quinn of backlash if Turner not picked for running mate

SPRINGFIELD — A diverse group of House lawmakers today threw their support behind Rep. Art Turner to be Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate and warned the governor could suffer politically if he doesn’t go along.

House Democrats back Turner for lt. gov.
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  With just days to go before a Democratic party committee selects Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate, a group of House lawmakers from around the state on Thursday made their case on why state Rep. Art Turner, D-Chicago, should be chosen.

Turner supporters organize bus trip to Springfield
Jacksonville Journal Courier – the race amid revelations about his past. State Rep. Mike Boland, who was one of the 17 original finalists, has dropped out to support Turner. Turner is a state representative from Chicago. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he’ll announce his pick for the job on Friday.

Quinn: Pension vote a ‘political earthquake’

Calling Wednesday’s pension reform vote a “political earthquake,” Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday said it demonstrates to Illinois taxpayers that state government can make cuts. 

Bill preventing Ill. from funding Blagojevich portrait passes House

Illinois taxpayers would be off the hook for funding a portrait of former governor Rod Blagojevich in the state Capitol’s Hall of Governors under legislation that passed the House today.

National News

Study finds results of MPS and voucher school students are similar

The first research since the mid-1990s comparing the academic progress of students in Milwaukee’s precedent-setting private school voucher program with students in Milwaukee Public Schools shows no major differences in success between the two groups.

Bleak budgets force schools to consider closure

The Associated Press –  … schools this year, compared to about 3 percent in 2008-09, according to a survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators. …

Lower enrollment spells closure for city schools

Washington Times –  Closing and consolidating schools, and laying off teachers, because of shrinking enrollments are nothing new for urban districts from …

Canadian teacher’s union to buy UK lottery operator for 389 million pounds ($579 million)

A Canadian pension plan has agreed to acquire Camelot Group PLC, the company which operates Britain’s National Lottery, for 389 million pounds ($579 million), the lottery operator said Friday.  The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is buying the share stakes held by Cadbury Holdings Ltd., De La Rue Holdings PLC, Fujitsu Services Ltd., Royal Mail Enterprises Ltd. and Thales Electronics PLC, which each held a 20 percent share.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Despite New Obama Initiatives, Housing Market May Move Sideways

Big federal programs to help the housing market are soon to end, and a rush of foreclosures may be about to begin. The bottom line, analysts say, is a sideways movement for sales and prices with a risk that things could get worse

Enforcing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: Don’t Bother

The Pentagon has taken the second of what is expected to be three steps to keep Obama’s promise to repeal a law that has kept gay men and women serving in secret

Is it Too Late to Share Jerusalem?

As Netanyahu and Obama tussle over Israeli construction, many in the Holy City fear that Israeli control has extended beyond the point where the city can be shared between two states

Senate Republicans Want Another Benefits Filibuster?

There’s hardly anyone in Washington who thinks Senator Jim Bunning’s one-man filibuster of unemployment benefits last month reflected well on the GOP. So why are Senate Republicans doing it again?

After U.S. Abuse Revelation, the Vatican Fires Back

The Vatican has gone into overdrive to stanch the damage from the Milwaukee sex-abuse allegations that have drawn in Pope Benedict XVI

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Aggressive steps readied to fight foreclosures

The Obama administration plans to overhaul how it is tackling the foreclosure crisis, in part by requiring lenders to temporarily slash or eliminate monthly mortgage payments for many borrowers who are unemployed, senior officials said Thursday.

2) A critic of GOP’s health-care tactics pushed out from right-wing institute

Three days after calling health-care reform a debacle for Republicans, David Frum was forced out of his job at the American Enterprise Institute on Wednesday.

3) ‘We have to make them listen’

IOWA CITY, IOWA — He had no plans to throw bricks, issue death threats, spit in faces or scream racial slurs. But Randy Millam, 52, intended to make a scene, so he woke up early Thursday morning to prepare for President Obama’s visit.

4) The VAT-man cometh

It won’t be long before we’ll be paying European levels of taxation.

5) Is there a right to ‘reload’?

There are people who take incendiary words literally.

6) As U.S.-Israel rift continues, Netanyahu finds himself in a bind

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was welcomed home Thursday night with signs reading “Obama, No You Can’t” and “Netanyahu Stand Strong” after a trip to Washington that appeared only to widen a two-week-old rift between the close allies over Israeli housing construction.

7) Losing breast not always best for cancer patients

BARCELONA, Spain — For some women, having a breast removed once they have been diagnosed with cancer doesn’t always mean they’ll live longer, a new study says.

Bin Laden threatens to kill U.S. captives if 9/11 figure is executed

Osama bin Laden has threatened that al-Qaeda will kill American captives if the United States executes self-avowed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed or other members of the terrorist network in U.S. custody.

9) Senate, House approve ‘fixes’ to health-care law

Congress agreed Thursday to amend the nation’s new health-care law, concluding its long and contentious quest to pass major reforms, and prepared to head home for a two-week recess and to hear from skeptical voters about the legislation.

10) The pope’s ‘apology’? Not good enough.

When I was a child, Ireland was a Catholic theocracy. If a bishop came walking down the street, people would move to make a path for him. If a bishop attended a national sporting event, the team would kneel to kiss his ring. If someone made a mistake, instead of saying, “Nobody’s perfect,” we sai…

Word of the Day for Friday, March 26, 2010

impecunious \im-pih-KYOO-nee-uhs\, adjective:

Not having money; habitually without money; poor.

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.    

General Assembly passes state pension reform
Chicago Sun-Times – Will Lovett, a lobbyist for the Illinois Education Association, said surrounding states have much better retirement plans for their teachers, … 

Illinois Assembly overhauls state pension system  Forbes – By JOHN O’CONNOR – A bipartisan Illinois General Assembly handed Gov. Pat Quinn a victory Wednesday, …   

Illinois lawmakers rush through pension reforms  Chicago Tribune – Future government employees throughout Illinois would have to work longer to get full retirement … 

Pension reforms zoom through General Assembly  Chicago Tribune (blog) – Following years of calls for pension reform, changes that would raise the retirement age to 67 for government workers to collect full …  

Illinois House passes major pension-reform package  Chicago Sun-Times – ?The Illinois House overwhelmingly passed a sweeping pension-reform package this afternoon that would elevate the retirement age to 67 and restrict benefits …   

Battle Brewing Over Public Pensions in Illinois
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 –   As a drama teacher in Wheaton, Terri Tudor never thought she’d be following the theatrics in Springfield so closely. But with Illinois’ public pensions now in the spotlight, she’s worried what will happen

Pension plan primer  Chicago Sun Times – The sweeping pension-reform package would affect future government workers and teachers covered by 13 retirement systems — but not current employees or retirees. Here are the highlights:

Don’t be fooled  Chicago Tribune – ?House Speaker Michael Madigan offered numerous repetitions Wednesday of a line intended to calm public employee unions: “This bill does not affect anybody who works for a government today.”  And that’s the problem.  

Pension cuts a giant first step. Keep going.  Chicago Sun-Times – ?Sweeping, radical change to the state’s pension systems finally came to Illinois on Wednesday, an important first step toward pulling the state back from … 

State News

Lawsuit claims Illinois education funding unfair to taxpayers
Crains Chicago Business – Two Illinois residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the State Board of Education and Gov. Pat Quinn, claiming that funding the state’s public school districts mostly through property taxes is unconstitutional and unfair to taxpayers. Illinois has more than 800 public school districts. The state sets minimum per student funding levels with specified tax rates for each district. 

Cash crunch hits more schools
Chicago Sun Times – school systems all over Illinois are in deep financial trouble. On Wednesday, the state Board of Education identified which ones are hurting the most. Twenty-nine school districts statewide landed on the board’s annual “financial watch” list, based on low scores they received on financial reviews in the 2008-2009 budget year. 

Illinois schools put on financial watch list
Chicago Tribune – Illinois education officials on Wednesday put more than two dozen school districts on the annual financial watch list that is reserved for the most cash-strapped school systems. In all, 3.3 percent of Illinois school districts had the lowest financial ranking.   

School districts flagged by state for shaky finances
Chicago Daily Southtown – The Illinois State Board of Education is warning several south suburban school districts to mind their checkbooks, according to a financial list released Wednesday. Several area school districts have been placed on the state’s early warning list, meaning the state will   

Shorter school week isn’t for suburbs
Arlington Heights Daily – Daily Herald Editorial Board – Parents, school administrators and teacher unions are buzzing this week after the Illinois House of Representatives approved a measure to allow schools to operate on a four-day week. The legislation comes at the request of a downstate  

4 school days a week? Some say no way
Geneva Sun – ” The bill is in reaction to the school funding crisis, in which the state is behind $1.3 billion in payments to local districts. The budget Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed would slash an additional $1 billion from the schools next year. Chris Neidigh is principal of Somonauk High School, a rural district similar to the ones the bill was designed   

Homewood teachers union accepts pay freeze
Chicago Daily Southtown – from the pay freeze. “We’ve made other cuts where we can,” she said. “We needed to find money in salary in the form of a freeze or with (layoffs).” Based on the budget proposal Gov. Patrick Quinn made March 10, the district anticipates a budget deficit that’s $809,717 greater than an earlier estimate. Much of it is because of cuts in state payments,   

D204 parents say state to blame for situation :: Naperville Sun :: Local News
Suburban Chicago News – Anger over the state’s education funding crisis needs to hit the right target, parents in Indian Prairie District 204 said during a packed board meeting this week.   

M-R board eliminates almost 90 positions
Monmouth Daily Review Atlas – of the support staff would be called back after the logistics of transportation and school schedules are resolved for the fall. All layoffs were approved unanimously by the school board. Gov. Quinn’s budget Woehlke briefly addressed items of interest in the governor’s proposed budget, including: — A 30 percent cut in bi-lingual education — A 20 percent cut in special needs

Dist. 46 to eliminate teaching positions
Grayslake Review – The school board of Grayslake Elementary District 46 approved the elimination of five and a half teaching positions at its March 17 meeting, to help plug a projected $2.3 million budget deficit   

Board votes for staff cuts
Freeport Journal Standard – state’s inability to pay school districts. Last year, teachers took a voluntary freeze on base wages because of decreasing enrollment and revenue. Cathy Eberle, president of the Orangeville Education Association, was one of many people who appreciated the amount of time the public was given to address the board. Eberle voiced her concern to board members that cuts would jeopardize  

Dundee-Crown teens rally to support teachers
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – before the District 300 school board is set to dismiss 10 high school and central office administrators as part of an ongoing effort to cope with delayed state payments. Because of expected cuts in education funding, the district, which initially targeted about $6.5 million in reductions, is now looking to trim $13 million to $15 million from next year’s budget, Superintendent Ken Arndt said.   

Campbell: “Unprecedented” crises creates RIF of teachers
Hancock County Journal-Pilot –  late with $300,000 for the current fiscal year.The LaHarpe School board took their action after a RIF hearing on Tuesday, March 16.Joyce Crim presented the board with a letter from the LaHarpe Education Association expressing appreciation of the board’s support of teaching personnel, but giving concern for the impact reductions would have on students. Kristin Palmer addressed the board 

Protesters march for Danville teachers
Champaign News Gazette – union representatives said they hope the two sides will continue working to find a way to bring some of those people back. “That’s affecting our direct line to students,” Danville Education Association President Robin Twidwell said. “This will impact student achievement from the (pre-kindergarten) program all the way up to the high school. And it will have an impact for   

Teachers union finds way to ease Dist. 200 budget crunch
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – million budget deficit. Details of the agreement weren’t released. The contract must be ratified by both the union membership and the school board. Bryce Cann, president of the Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, said the union’s 1,082 teachers are expected to vote on the agreement Friday. “I am pleased that our combined efforts have brought us to a tentative agreement that functions as 

Despite state budget woes, Sullivan schools avoid cuts – for now
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – “We should have enough in the reserves for now. We’ll be studying the situation over the course of the next year.”Pearcy credits the board of education with being frugal and keeping expenditures down. The board has been dealing with typical business items such as resignations and hiring. 

Moline High seeks waiver for driver’s ed program  SPRINGFIELD – Moline High School has a luxury for students learning to drive.  The school has its own range course at the school, letting new drivers learn the rules of the road and get their bumps behind the wheel in a safe and controlled area. But the school is having to beg lawmakers for special permission to keep its driver’s education training area.   

Teachers must suffer with rest of us
Chicago Sun Times – Mayor Daley is absolutely right with his call for the teachers union to get into the real world. The union president’s comment that teachers “appreciate the real fiscal crisis facing Chicago Public Schools,” but do not plan to give up salary or benefit   

Supt. Flowers pleads innocent to theft, misconduct charges
Chicago Daily Southtown – Authorities alleged at the time that, in a span of about two years, he skimmed nearly $400,000 from the regional schools office, which 143 area school districts rely on for services such as teacher certification. The indictment was handed up late last month. He faces allegations he paid $340,345 in salaries and benefits to office employees out of a fund that was to be used only

Political News

Quinn’s business tax credit advancing
Chicago Daily Herald – all businesses employing fewer than 50 people that add full-time jobs. The initiative was introduced last spring by Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi of Joliet, and was embraced in part by fellow Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn earlier this month. Passing the House without opposition, the legislation awards the $2,500 tax credit for every new hire so long as the employees have never been employed by the business 

Report: State police plan massive layoffs, station closures
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – of an estimated $12 million in citation revenue for counties across the state.” Monken told a Senate appropriations committee the cuts are necessary due to the state’s budget crisis. In Gov. Pat Quinn’s latest budget, Illinois State Police will lose $32 million in general revenue fund appropriations, Monken said. Only half of the 10 officers now assigned to the Statewide Terrorism 

Bernard Schoenburg: Demuzio at odds with old friend Quinn on closure
Springfield State Journal Register – gets bad enough, it’s clear that even a longtime friendship can’t avoid some potential pain. Take the case of state Sen. DEANNA DEMUZIO, D-Carlinville. Way back in 1974, a guy named PAT Quinn ran the successful first state Senate campaign of Demuzio’s late husband, VINCE. Quinn even stayed at their home. But that didn’t stop someone from the office of now-Gov. Quinn   

Dirk Enger on list for lieutenant governor :: Glen Ellyn Sun :: News
Suburban Chicago –  At least a dozen Democrats from Naperville and surrounding towns submitted nomination forms outlining their fitness to run alongside Gov. Pat Quinn and serve as Illinois’ next lieutenant governor. In the end, only one aspirant from this part of the state wound up on the short list. Dirk Enger, 49, currently a DuPage County Board   

GOP urges AG Madigan to sue over health care
Quincy KHQA (CBS) – letter Tuesday urging Madigan to join more than a dozen other state attorneys general who are claiming in court the law is unconstitutional. Madigan’s office says it isn’t filing a lawsuit. Gov. Pat Quinn, a fellow Democrat, says Illinois won’t do anything to try to block health care reform. The letter to Madigan was signed by U.S. Reps. Don Manzullo, Aaron Schock, Peter Roskam, Judy Biggert   

National News  

Gov. McDonnell wants more time for “Race to the Top”  WSLS.com – The two-page letter to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is dated March 16 and is signed by the governors of California, Connecticut, Kansas, 

Political recriminations linger over health care  Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is accusing Republicans of engaging in a “political exercise” by slowing progress on a bill designed to complete congressional passage of the health system overhaul. 

Social Security to pay more in benefits this year than it takes in  USA Today – ? The Social Security system this year will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, The New York Times reports, quoting the Congressional …  

Social Security is reaching its tipping point  Houston Chronicle – The bursting of the real estate bubble and the ensuing recession have hammered jobs, home prices and now Social … 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories   

The Five Keys to Health Reform’s Success or Failure

Will it work? And how will it work? A guide to what the new law will mean for costs, Medicare, doctors, the states — and you

Netanyahu Heads Home, Still at Odds with U.S.

Far from resolving the crisis in relations that began during Biden’s visit, the Israeli Prime Minister’s trip to Washington has highlighted the differences between the two sides

Bailout Showdown: Greece and Germany Raise the Stakes

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, says he will go to the IMF for emergency loans if the E.U. can’t agree on a bailout for his country. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel seems prepared to call his bluff

The Costly F-35: The Saga of America’s Next Fighter Jet

The jet was supposed to be the modest alternative to the even more expensive (cancelled) F-22. But off we go into the wild blue squander!

Baby Sling Recall Highlights Moms’ Opposing Views

News of the Infantino recall is further stratifying moms into two camps: sling-wearers and those who just don’t get the whole sling thing

Word of the Day for Thursday, March 25, 2010

lucre \LOO-kuhr\, noun:

Monetary gain; profit; riches; money; — often in a bad sense.

Watch the video.

Illinois Education Association President Ken Swanson on Thursday, March 25, urged the 133,000 IEA members to channel the anger they are feeling over the passage of legislation into a positive action; convincing the same lawmakers who passed the bill that cuts pension benefits for future employees to pass a tax increase that will stop layoffs and program cuts in public education and provide needed funding for education and human services in Illinois.  See how your legislator voted:   SB 1946 Senate Roll Call 3-24-10 SB 1946 House Roll Call

Also on Thursday, Swanson sent Gov. Quinn a letter condemning the passage of SB 1946, expressing disgust over the imposition of the pension cuts for future employees without negotiating the proposals with IEA or any other impacted labor group.  Read the letter to Gov. Quinn

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.  

Pension plan clears committee. Call your state rep NOW!   March 24, 2010 – Watch the brief “Call to Action” video. The proposal by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to cut pension benefits for future teachers and state employees passed out of the… more

State News

Ill. House approves 4-day school weeks
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – On Monday, the Illinois House passed a bill that would allow some schools to have a four-day school week.  Students would be in class the same number of hours but have longer days or shorter summer breaks. It could save money on building costs, utilities and fuel for busses.  The measure was approved by an 81-21 vote. 

4-Day School Weeks May Be Coming In Illinois
WBBM TV CBS 2 Chicago – has to work, and so… what do they do with their child. There are so many problems on this issue. There’s no quick solution. Everyone has to come together and figure this out.” The Chicago teachers Union and other major education organizations are against the idea, the Tribune reported. 

Four-day school week? It’s possible
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – With Illinois schools facing major budget shortfalls, lawmakers might soon allow the switch to a four-day school week. The Illinois House voted 81-21 on Monday afternoon in favor of House Bill 4886, which would amend the school code to allow a district to operate on a four-day school week. The bill now heads to the Senate. The legislation, sponsored by Danville Republican Rep. Bill Black 

Illinois districts could have option of four-day school week
Peoria Journal Star – if (the state) would let us be creative in how we use the day, especially with technology, we could make it work. “With iPods, desktop and laptop computers, netbooks, cell phones (students and teachers) could be expected to work at home and connect to the school via electronic equipment. Our students are members of the ‘Y’ generation – they have never known a time that cell phones and computers

 Illinois House OKs 4-day school weeks
Galesburg Register Mail – “They would have as many as 36 fewer days to learn material,” Cahill said. “Kids get worn out after a while and teachers probably even get more tired out.” Cahill said that even if the bill is approved in the Senate and signed by Gov. Quinn, District 205 would not be interested.

 Four-day schools and other ideas
Phil Kadner – It was only a year ago that President Obama criticized the “agrarian calendar” of public schools in the United States and called for a longer school year. But this week the Illinois House of Representatives approved a four-day school week.

Chicago mayor says 4-day school week a bad idea
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 –  Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says the bill the Illinois House passed allowing schools to offer classes four days a week instead of 5 is just a bad idea. Daley says closing the schools one weekday would put a tremendous burden on working parents – single parents in particular. 

School cuts hit below the bottom line
Chicago Tribune –  And while officials hope to hire some back, there’s little hope of salvation from the state since Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed slashing $1.3 billion in education funding. Many other school districts also are facing the possibility of eliminating dozens of teaching jobs and dealing with the fallout of larger class sizes and fewer options for students 

Illinois Schools Cut Teachers and Staff
NBC Chicago – Another Illinois school district is trying to erase budget woes by cutting teachers.  School board leaders in Indian Prairie School District 204, covering Bolingbrook, Aurora and Naperville, voted to approve the release of 145 non-tenured teachers at the end of this school year, marking the biggest ever release for the district. 

Illinois’ public schools hit by ‘double whammy’ of economic pain
Addison Press – “We’re paying the things that have to be paid every month,” Henry said, and education funding has to compete with other state priorities, including debt payments, Medicaid reimbursements and a working state government. The state makes its general state aid payments

State cuts force Sparta schools to cut 45, including 13 teachers
Randolph County Herald Tribune – Sparta, Ill. – With state legislators unwilling to pass the 33 percent state income tax hike Gov. Pat Quinn wants, he has proposed a $1.3 billion cut in educational funding, about $500 per student. School districts, already cash-strapped because of delays in state payments 

Naperville area school district cuts 145 teachers (WBBM) — The school board in Indian Prairie District 204, which serves the Naperville area, is cutting 145 non-tenured teachers.   Chicago WBBM 780 Radio – school board in Indian Prairie District 204, which serves the Naperville area, is cutting 145 non-tenured teachers. One district official calls it a “sobering moment.” 

Indian Prairie school board eliminates 145 teacher jobs
Chicago Tribune – Monday approved $12.2 million in cuts, which come on top of $9.2 million in cuts approved in December. School officials blame the state’s ongoing financial woes and the governor’s proposal to reduce education funding next year. District 204 comprises 33 schools and about 29,000 students from Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.   

School board votes to lay off 41 teachers  The Springfield School Board voted to lay off 41 classroom teachers and eliminate dozens of other positions during an emotional meeting Monday night at Grant Middle School.  The meeting was moved from the nearby boardroom to Grant’s gymnasium to accommodate a large audience, mainly composed of teachers. Many teachers wore pink shirts to support colleagues receiving pink slips. 

More than 40 Springfield teachers are getting pink slips
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – pink slips along with some other Springfield School District employees. At Monday night’s meeting, the school board made it official. They voted to cut teacher’s jobs. The Springfield Education Association is the union representing them. Six jobs that were on the chopping block were saved last night. Some workers spoke up, and the board took them off the list. 

Emotions Run High At Springfield School Board Meeting  WCIA-3 News –  A comment from a Springfield School Board member sparked emotions at a meeting Monday night.  When the board was discussing cutting a program geared towards helping behavioral issues in classrooms, board member Judith Ann Johnson spoke up. She said if children were learning what they needed to learn, there wouldn’t be as many issues. “They don’t know how to do some stuff, and they’re treated like crap,” Johnson said.  The comment drew gasps from the crowd. Teachers in the audience took it as a direct attack.   

Our Opinion: Johnson owes an apology  The State Journal-Register – ?THIS IS A tense and emotional time for the Springfield School District. With a fiscal 2011 budget shortfall likely in the millions, …  

Second weapon found at Grant Middle School  A student at Grant Middle School, 1800 W. Monroe St., was found with a weapon Tuesday, the second such incident in as many days.  After finding a .22-caliber Derringer handgun on a 15-year-old boy Monday, police and school officials used hand-held metal detectors Tuesday morning.   

Ball-Chatham schools hike fees for next year  CHATHAM – The Ball-Chatham School Board is raising fees for registration, athletic participation and parking to help make up for a projected $2.2 million loss in state funding next school year.

Kaneland notifies teachers of potential job cuts :: Beacon News :: Local News
Suburban Chicago News – The Kaneland School Board on Monday authorized formal release notices to 94 non-tenured first-, second- and third-year teachers; nine non-tenured four-year teachers; and 15 part-time teachers as part of a second phase of budget cuts to make up for losses in general state aid next year.   

Mokena 159 to parents: Raise $250,000, we’ll bring back extracurriculars next year
Frankfort Neighborhood Star – of the arrangement, including when payments would be due to the district, will be ironed out later. Perry emphasized the need to get a jumpstart on fundraising before time runs out to hire a band teacher for next year or renew its membership in its athletic conference. “There’s a sense of urgency,” she said. The Illinois Elementary School Association, which coordinates sports and other   

Nearly 100 District 205 Positions Eliminated
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – The layoffs come as a result of Superintendent Dr. Lavonne Sheffield’s plan to reform District 205 by eliminating teachers who she says do not deserve to be tenured. So far, first and second year teachers have been dismissed from their positions. Some 3rd and 4th year instructors are also not being renewed   

District 205 to cut language program, change class sizes
Elmhurst Press – Assistant Superintendent for Finance Pat Masterton presented the Board with four different state education funding scenarios, which projected additional losses ranging from about $275,000 to $3.1 million on top of the planned 10 percent reduction. Saying additional cuts were necessary   

Charleston school board to consider schedule reductions, more cuts Wednesday
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – Still, a scenario of eliminating funding for all extracurricular activities and trying to rely on booster club funding instead is another option Superintendent Jim Littleford plans to present to the school board tonight. The board won’t vote on any of the long-range options tonight and probably won’t have to really consider them until more is known about Illinois school finances,   

School board eyes $52,000 more in reductions, fee hikes
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – No Charleston High School sports or activities would be eliminated but nearly all would see schedule reductions with the latest round of proposed budget cuts that go before the school board tonight. But while the CHS boys’ and girls’ swimming teams wouldn’t be eliminated as once proposed, the program is among those that would have to rely on volunteer coaches   

Planning for the future of Decatur’s two public high schools
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 –  has been meeting for months, narrowing down options to improve MacArthur and Eisenhower High Schools. The task force has received community input, and on Tuesday will give its recommendation to the school board. The plans include renovating existing facilities, new construction, creating one main high school, or doing nothing. And doing nothing, Superintendent of Decatur Public Schools,   

Four More Chicago Charter Schools Face Unionization
Chicago Chicagoist – Teachers who work at the campuses of ASPIRA schools in Chicago have begun organizing a union, asking principals at their schools to recognize the Chicago Alliance of Charter teachers and   

CPS Officials Rally for Funding   MyFox Chicago – … causing many charter schools to close. Huberman spoke at the rally, saying they will push Quinn to support the tax increase for education.   

Duncan’s list symbolizes split   When he led the Chicago schools, Arne Duncan kept a list of all the big shots who asked for help in getting certain children into the city’s best public schools.  A spokesman for Duncan, who is now U.S. education secretary, said Wednesday that Duncan used the list not to dole out rewards to politicians and other insiders but to shield principals from political interference   

Arne Duncan’s list and the Chicago Way
Chicago Tribune – They were edgy and many were considering leaving Chicago. In response, the mayor built top magnet and college prep high schools, pushing through work-rule changes to attract the best teachers. He produced the schools that nervous white-collar voters demanded. Members of the professional class wanted city life. But they wanted their children educated.   

Clout In CPS Admissions Under Duncan?
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – the children of well-connected parents into the best schools. The Chicago Tribune traces it all to former Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer Arne Duncan, who is now U.S. Secretary of education. The Tribune obtained a log of people who stepped in to help get children into schools while Duncan was at the helm of CPS. Among them were Mayor Richard M. Daley’s office,   

CPS officials plan menu overhaul  Chicago public schools plan to ditch their daily nacho service in high school and get rid of doughnuts and Pop-Tarts for breakfast as part of a major nutritional overhaul of menus, according to interviews and documents examined by the Tribune.

Illinois ’ Race to the Top bid marked by aggressive timeline
State Supt. Chris Koch and others are grilled about the state’s capacity to implement dramatic change in short order, especially with the budget crisis. 

New Chicago schools program helps preschoolers get to class
The first preschool walking bus in which parents get paid to escort little ones to school gets started in Chicago.  

Chicago schools looking for partners in bid for more federal dollars
In a bid to win more stimulus money, CPS wants to identify non-profits that can help the district bring reforms to scale.

Audit of Chicago selective and magnet school admissions finds lax oversight
CEO Ron Huberman says he’s not surprised that the system was gamed and introduces new guidelines for accepting students outside of the official process. 

McCorkle continues to fight
Teachers, parents and students rally to keep a South Side school from closing, despite a School Board vote to shut it down this year.

Political News

  Forum: Keep Illinois politicians’ hands off education dollars
Peoria Journal Star – if they have any chance of keeping control of their respective governments. In Illinois the state Constitution states that the Legislature has the primary responsibility for the funding of public school education. The politicians on the Supreme Court have ruled that primary does not mean 50 percent. Now that the country is going through a near depression, the politicians realize   

Lawsuit claims Illinois’ education funding system is unconstitutional and …  WQAD – ?Pat Quinn, claiming the way the state funds schools is unfair to taxpayers. Illinois’ public schools are funded mostly through property taxes. 

Kirk, Giannoulias and the Illinois income tax
Chicago Current – Giannoulias reiterated his support for the tax on Saturday, during an appearance with the Illinois Education Association, a powerful teachers’ union.   

EDITORIAL: Stop stalling and balance the budget — without a tax hike
Berkeley Suburban Life – Regardless of what’s going on around them, Gov. Pat Quinn and members of the Illinois General Assembly don’t seem to feel any urgency to resolve the state’s budget crisis. Both the House of Representatives and Senate passed a woefully 

State Capitol Q&A: Many opinions on lieutenant governor job  When it comes to Illinois’ lieutenant governor, everybody has an opinion. This week’s State Capitol Q&A covers the latest efforts to reform the office and who may be in line to be the state’s next second in command.   

Boland drops out of lieutenant governor race  Bloomington Pantagraph – One of the finalists vying to become the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor has dropped out. State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, …   

Four leaders for lieutenant guv — if it matters  Crain’s Chicago Business (blog) –  For a job with no power and no future — at least most of the time — the race to replace Scott Lee Cohen as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor …   

State Senator Susan Garrett as Lt. Gov Front Runner?  WCIA-3 News –  State Senator Susan Garrett of Lake Forest says she is still in the dark about whether she will be picked as the Democratic nominee for …   

Democrats’ lieutenant governor favorites emerging  Herald & Review – ? A Lake County Democrat acknowledged Tuesday that a top aide to Gov. Pat Quinn contacted her about joining the race for Illinois lieutenant …   

Garrett downplays Lt. Gov. front-runner talk  Chicago Daily Herald – SPRINGFIELD – Several of Susan Garrett’s colleagues touted her as likely to end up with the Democratic nomination for …

National News

National reading scores stagnant   Despite “No Child” law, students are mired at a basic level of reading, federal report finds.

Conservative-leaning social studies textbooks alarm liberals
Belleville News-Democrat – When Texas’ conservative-leaning Board of education voted for new social studies standards this month, parents, teachers and lawmakers far beyond the Lone Star state – particularly the liberal ones – took notice

China Slams Google For Ending Censorship
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 –  “Business is business. But when it involves political tricks, business will come to an end soon,” the China Daily wrote. Beijing encourages Internet use for education and business but tries to block access to material deemed subversive or pornographic, including Web sites abroad run by human rights and pro-democracy activists. 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

Once Opponents, Insurers Back Effort to Make Health Reform Succeed

The health-insurance industry has shifted focus in the wake of the reform bill’s passage, pivoting from opposition to making sure the new law succeeds beyond most expectations

Do Statins Work Equally for Both Men and Women?

Millions of American men and women take statins. But do they work equally for both sexes?

Washington’s Shrinking Options on Iran Nuke Sanctions

Obama Administration officials are promising Israel that they will “prevent” Iran from going nuclear, but the sanctions strategy may not deliver the desired outcome

American Idol: Judging the Final Eleven

Legendary music veteran Miley Cyrus imparted her decades of showbiz wisdom to the young whippersnappers of tonight as they chose #1 songs from the Billboard Hot 100

Study: Money Isn’t Everything — But Status Is!

Absolute wealth makes people happy, studies show. But a new paper says having money isn’t enough; what matters is having more than your neighbor (or friend or co-worker)

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) In Senate, GOP has last chance to change health-care overhaul

Hours after President Obama signed sweeping health-care legislation into law Tuesday, the Senate began a debate on another piece of the package, giving Republicans one last chance to alter the bill before it begins to transform insurance coverage for millions of Americans.

2) Stupak’s original sin

In one feckless moment, a House member goes from health reform hero to heel.

3) Three points for conservatives

Current forms of conservatism seem thoroughly un-conservative.

4) For some, a disquieting shift in U.S.-Israel ties

The two-week-old dispute between Israel and the United States over housing construction in East Jerusalem has exposed the limits of American power to pressure Israeli leaders to make decisions they consider politically untenable. But the blowup also shows that the relationship between the two all…

5) Cuccinelli forges his own path in suing U.S. government over law

RICHMOND — Not five minutes after President Obama signed health-care legislation into law Tuesday, top staff members for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II made their way out of his office, court papers in hand and TV cameras in pursuit, and headed to Richmond’s federal courthouse to sue…

6) Finally, Democrats govern

Democrats discover how to govern — and do their November prospects some good.

7) A healthy dose of caution

The most honest rhetoric for health bill backers would have been “Gee, I hope this works.”

8.) Awaiting Discovery: Sarah Palin’s Alaska

After trying, apparently unsuccessfully, to sell a travelogue TV series about Alaska that . . . zzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

9) With a signature, Obama seals his health-care victory

His replies of “Thank you, thank you” were barely audible over the applause, whistles and shouts that filled the East Room on Tuesday, and when the noise finally faded, President Obama nodded to history in summing up the moment and the celebration unfolding before him.

10) Illegal withdrawals tied to ATM card skimmer

Thousands of dollars in unauthorized withdrawals were made from bank accounts in the Washington area after a skimming device was attached to an ATM in Alexandria, authorities said. 

Word of the Day for Wednesday, March 24, 2010

defenestrate \dee-FEN-uh-strayt\, transitive verb:

To throw out of a window.

The Illinois House already voted today, and passed, a proposal that would cut pension benefits for future members of the state pension systems, including TRS and SURS. You are urged to contact your state senator NOW and tell them to vote no on HB 1946. They could vote AS SOON AS TONIGHT on this issue!

Click this link to get your legislator’s phone number.  You also can email your legislator though this link.

PLEASE DON’T COMMENT ON THE IEA WEBSITE.

CLICK THIS LINK AND CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR NOW!

Among the provisions of SB 1946:

• New retirement age – 67 with 10 years of service (Penalty for those that retire before 67 but after 62)

• Final Average Salary (FAS) – Calculates the pension of educators by using the 8 highest consecutive years of salary in the last 10 years of service.  (Currently, 4 of 10)

(Maximum pensionable salary equal to $106,800 and indexed to 3% or ½ of CPI, whichever is less.)

• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) – Reduces the COLA to 3% or ½ of CPI, whichever is less.

• Addresses some issues of double dipping.

• Legislates a Chicago Teacher Pension Holiday of $400 million in FY 2011.

CHECK OUT THE IEA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FACT SHEET ON THE BILL

PLEASE DON’T COMMENT ON THE IEA WEBSITE.

CLICK THIS LINK AND CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR NOW!

Contact your colleagues and and urge them to do the same!

Barrington CUSD 220 High School in Barrington IL participated in Pink Friday to show solidarity with our pink slipped colleagues

IEA members and staff show their support for pink-slipped colleagues Friday, March 19. Click here to view photos from across the state.

Virtually all of the 1,268 delegates attending the 2010 IEA Representative Assembly are wearing pink today.

“Pink (slip) Friday” is intended as a show of solidarity by IEA members with the thousands of education employees who are being “pink-slipped” by their school districts, receiving layoff notices due to the state budget crisis.

As many as 17,000 education employees are expected to be laid off unless the state legislature increases revenue for school districts.

Those layoffs will undoubtedly be a big issue when the two major party candidates for governor, Republican State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) and Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn, make their first joint appearance since each was nominated.

The two have agreed to answer questions from IEA President Ken Swanson.  The questions will be based on input from members of the IEA Board of Directors.

IEA members will urge the candidates to increase state revenues by supporting two revenue proposals; a proposed one percentage point increase in the state income tax for education and HB 174, comprehensive tax reform that will provided needed funding to education and state human services agencies.

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.     

In the News will return Thursday, ‘live’ from the IEA Representative Assembly.   

State News

Elgin schools outline deep cuts  Elgin-based School District U-46 “dug deep” Monday, outlining potential cuts of nearly 1,100 jobs — 732 of them teaching positions — and program reductions including middle school football and art and music lessons for kindergartners.   

Elgin-based school district outlines hundreds of job cuts  Among the teachers who received pink slips is Carolyn Gilbert, the fashion teacher who lost an eye when she was stabbed by a student two years ago at Elgin High School. Her attacker, then-16-year-old Angel Facio, is now in prison for attempted murder. Gilbert said Monday she intends to fight for her job. “I feel the district at least owes me my job here at Elgin,” she said. “I never ruffled any feathers, and I came back to the school where I was stabbed because I like the school and staff and, of course, the students. Quite frankly, I think I am getting the short end of the stick.”   

Dist. 203 does about-face on layoffs
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said there would be no staff cuts. Mitrovich on Monday said the terms he used in discussing the matter last week may have caused some confusion. On March 8, the school board approved a new teachers contract that calls for a salary freeze for most teachers in the first year of the three-year pact, followed by increases of 2.84 percent in year two   

Taxpayers fleeced by Dist. 203 contract
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Letter to the Editor – The outright winner in the new Naperville Unit District 203 teachers agreement was the teachers, with the taxpayers taking another tough beating.  School board members must deem themselves as economists, projecting an economy improvement by next year and thereafter, because salary increases are back by 2011.   

District U-46 board approves layoffs for 1,037 employees
Arlington Heights Daily – the Elgin Area School District U-46 board approved layoffs for 1,037 employees Monday night – the most in decades. That include all first-, second- and third-year teachers, as well as tenured teachers across various departments. Along with employees, the cuts will hit students in the 41,000-student district hard next year.   

Elgin-based school district outlines hundreds of job cuts
Chicago Tribune – of the cuts Monday, but put off its decision on food service, custodial, grounds and maintenance workers until next month. Gov. Pat Quinn announced last week that he would cut $1.3 billion from education funding. But as he begins budget negotiations with state legislators that could take months, local school boards must start handing out pink slips   

NEW: Collinsville schools cut 29 jobs
St. Clair County Journal – including to pre-kindergarten, reading improvement and building trades programs. Superintendent Dennis Craft said the reductions are necessary because of late state payments, expected cuts in state education funding, and anticipated reductions in property taxes.The only no vote was by board member Wayne White. He said that although he respects the work done by the board’s Finance Committee 

Despite protest, District 201 teacher cuts still on table
Brookfield Suburban Life – Morton High School District 201 teachers have received notices that their positions may be cut, as the district struggles to fill a $6.8 million budget gap. Of those 230 teachers, the district has targeted 65 full-time certified

District 186 sets special meeting on teacher cuts  The Springfield School Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. next Monday to decide whether to cut an estimated 56 teaching positions. Some teachers had expected a decision about layoffs at Monday night’s meeting, which was attended by dozens of teachers’ union members.   

CHATHAM: Pre-K to continue in Ball-Chatham, but cutbacks slated  The Ball-Chatham School District will continue its pre-kindergarten program in some form, though state funding will dictate how many students it can accommodate.  In the meantime, however, school board members voted Monday to lay off all the pre-kindergarten staff, except for two teachers, for the time being.   

ROCHESTER: School employees OK pay freeze to protect programs  Rochester school employees have accepted wage freezes that will avert major cuts in programs during the next school year.  The Rochester Education Association, which represents teachers, and a support staff union accepted the freezes, School Board President Randy Hawkins said Monday. The Rochester School Board approved the agreements Monday.   

Teaching Positions Eliminated at Mt. Vernon High School
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – Six teachers will not be returning to Mt. Vernon High School next year after the school board voted Monday night to eliminate positions. Members voted unanimously to eliminate positions from a list of subject areas including French, English and science; for about an hour   

West school cuts will reach deep
Beacon News –  In addition to the staff cuts, ranging from a bare minimum of 31 to the full 127, the district will seek $6.4 million in concessions from its labor organizations. Aurora West Education Association co-president Terry Collette said the district generated the figure, and he could not say if it was a reasonable amount, pending negotiations. A reduction of 31 employees,   

Despite protest, District 201 teacher cuts still on table
Brookfield Suburban Life – Morton High School District 201 teachers have received notices that their positions may be cut, as the district struggles to fill a $6.8 million budget gap.  

91 may lose jobs in Oswego schools
Beacon News – The anticipated shortfall of $7.1 million for Oswego’s 2010-11 school year was calculated according to Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal last week that called for a 17 percent cut to education. As for proposed expenditure cuts, the plan includes:   

Orland SD 135 to reduce teaching staff
Orland Park Star – Orland School District 135’s teaching staff may be a bit smaller next school year. The school board will likely send letters to three full-time first-year teachers and one part-timer to let them know they will not be needed.  

State slow to pay some area agencies
Oswego Ledger Sentinel –  The overdue state funds prompted the school district Board of Education to vote last week to approve sweeping budget cuts that include laying off 80 district employees, including 68 teacher assistants for the 2010-11 school year. School Superintendent Dr. Dan O’Donnell told a gathering of local governmental officials at Oswego Village Hall Feb. 16 that the district may have  

Batavia Schools: Parents Must Pay For Sports
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 –  to have their children play on sports teams. As WBBM Newsradio 780 reports, Batavia School District 101 is not alone in looking in every nook and cranny to find ways to save money. The school board is studying how much of the cost of athletics families should be responsible for. 

Dist. 203 won’t expel student found with weapons
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Lincoln Junior High student who brought a knife and a glove with scissor blades sewn into the knuckles to school will not be expelled. Naperville Unit District 203 Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said school board members discussed the boy’s case behind closed doors Monday and decided against expelling him.   

Bus driver’s DUI arrest called ‘districtwide failure’  Suspicions that a Mount Prospect school bus driver had been drinking on the job were brought to the attention of her supervisor the day efore the driver was arrested last week, the school board president said he learned Monday. 

Bill Would Do Away With CPS Teacher Residency Rule
Chicago WBBH (CBS) – As It Is Now, teachers Must Live Within City Limits

Quinn to discuss importance of community colleges
Jacksonville Journal Courier – Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to talk about the importance of community colleges. Quinn will appear at Morton Community College in the western Chicago suburb of Cicero on Tuesday morning. The Democratic governor has been visiting schools and libraries in recent weeks to sell his educational policies. He’s proposed cutting $1.3 billion from education without an income tax 

Political News

Quinn won’t talk about options to tax increase
Peoria Journal Star – Gov. Pat Quinn refused to say Monday whether he has a plan to avoid deep cuts in education if lawmakers resist his call to raise the state income tax. Quinn continued to insist he was optimistic that lawmakers

Gov. Quinn won’t discuss Plan B on education cuts, lieutenant guv pick
Crains Chicago Business – Gov. Pat Quinn won’t say if he has a plan to avoid deep education cuts if lawmakers resist his call to raise the state income tax. Quinn insisted Monday he’s optimistic lawmakers will do what he wants so the

Quinn Refuses to Name Lt. Gov. Pick
WGIL AM Radio 14 (Galesburg) – Gov. Pat Quinn isn’t saying who he wants to be his running mate as the state Democratic Party gets ready to pick a lieutenant governor nominee. Quinn on Monday said he’s talked to House Speaker Michael Madigan

State has yet to seriously start cutting
Chicago Sun Times –  reduced fares had worked fine until Blagojevich needed a cheap way to ingratiate himself with some voters. Though the House has passed its bill to correct Blagojevich’s irresponsible ways, Gov. Quinn doesn’t think it will pass the Senate. More telling, Quinn wouldn’t say if he would sign the bill if it were to pass the Legislature.

Cross: Funds will be coming for agencies
Oswego Ledger Sentinel – ahead to next school year, Cross said, “no one knows” how much in state aid payments local school districts will receive. He noted that he expected Governor Quinn to propose a significant cut in education funding in a budget address to the General Assembly scheduled for Wednesday in Springfield. Cross said he had heard reports that Quinn’s education funding cut could be as high as $900 million

Brady has bunch of work to do to win, experts say
Chicago Daily Southtown – he is and what does he stand for,” Streb said. “I don’t think people in this area really thoroughly digested his voting record and his position on issues.” That leaves the door open for Gov. Pat Quinn, Brady’s opponent, and other Democrats to try to define Brady, Redfield said. Given Brady’s conservative credentials – he opposes gay marriage and abortion and supports school prayer

Our Opinion: Don’t roll back new FOIA rules
Springfield State Journal – should kill this bill and any other bill that attempts to roll back the progress that was made last year. This legislation follows the General Assembly’s vote earlier this year to exempt teacher evaluations from disclosure. THERE IS a particularly disturbing provision in both bills, which were sponsored by Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat.

Farnham opposes plan to cut local funds
Elgin Courier News – According to published reports, there is little support among legislators in Springfield for Quinn’s suggested cuts in such funding. Quinn also has proposed either making $1.3 billion in education funding cuts or raising the state’s income tax rate from 3 to 4 percent, a move Farnham says he doesn’t favor, either. Before any tax hike is considered, Farnham said,

Budget could cut 400 state troopers
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  the Illinois State Police said he cannot guarantee Illinois will be any safer next year. Jonathon Monken told Illinois lawmakers Monday that he’s planning for a “doomsday budget.” Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget, he said, would leave the state police with the fewest number of troopers in at least 20 years. “I have to say this is a doomsday scenario for the Illinois State Police

Kane County may lose $1 million on Quinn proposal
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  Kane County will see a major reduction in state revenue if Gov. Pat Quinn is successful in his call to slash the share of state income taxes distributed to local governments. Quinn’s budget plan scales back the amount of state income tax given to local governments

La Grange area officials brace for state budget cuts
La Grange Doings – La Grange area school and municipal leaders are bracing for the pain of budget cuts proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn, and two groups are taking action. La Grange Village President Liz Asperger Friday wrote a letter urging the governor to oppose reducing municipalities’ share of state income tax receipts

State budget cuts to hit local child health services :: Batavia Sun :: News
Suburban Chicago News — Cuts in state dollars to Kane County could mean a loss “in the millions,” county officials estimated Monday. Last week, Gov. Pat Quinn announced a budget proposal that included a tax increase and budget cuts. Quinn’s budget proposal would slash the income tax revenue local governments receive from 10 percent to 7 percent,

Ill. lawmaker diagnosed with cancer
Jacksonville Journal Courier – SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Veteran Illinois lawmaker Rich Myers has cancer. Myers announced in a news release Monday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He says he will undergo testing in the coming weeks to determine the best method of treatment. The 62-year-old Republican from Colchester has been in the Illinois House since 1995. Myers says he will continue his work in the House 

National News

Firing teachers: First step to reform or useless effort?  Is the wholesale firing of teachers and administrators at an underperforming Rhode Island high school just the kind of get-tough intervention students need? Or is it an unproven, risky disaster waiting to happen?  President Obama angered teachers unions last week by coming out in favor of the firings at Central Falls High School. 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories   

The Juárez Killings: Are the Narcos Fighting Scared?

The vicious attack on individuals connected to the U.S. consulate in the border city may be a reaction to improved coordination between Mexico City and Washington

What the U.S. and Israel Are Risking in the Settlements Standoff

While a confrontation carries domestic political risks for both sides, their differences over Jerusalem could sabotage peace efforts

Behind the Data: Why Drugs Don’t Help Diabetes Patients’ Hearts

New data suggest that aggressive drug treatments to reduce known heart-disease risk factors don’t actually help diabetes patients. Why? And what now?

Heated Health-Reform Ads Give Taste of Fall Campaign

Across the country, groups on all sides of the health care reform debate have been targeting swing members of Congress with costly ad campaigns

German Priests’ Sex Abuse Scandalizes Church

German Catholics are stunned at the revelations in a decades-old case that occurred under the watch of the Archbishop of Munich — now Pope Benedict XVI

‘No Child’ update would be tough on ‘worst schools’
For most public schools, the perceived heavy hand of the federal government would become a lighter touch under President Obama’s plan to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law. But for some, the consequences of academic failure would stiffen considerably.
(By Nick Anderson, The Washington Post)

Thousands face furloughs; schools may lose millions
Maryland’s two largest counties outlined spending cuts Monday that would reach from children’s health clinics to nursing homes, slice tens of millions of dollars in education spending and furlough thousands of public employees.
(By Michael Laris and Jonathan Mummolo, The Washington Post)

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) The Fix: The politics of health care passage

Even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) scrambles for the 216 “yes” votes she needs to pass President Obama’s health care reform bill later this week, strategists on both sides of the partisan divide have begun to debate the political impact of what passage will mean.

2) Pelosi may try to pass health bill without vote

After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate’s health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

3) Thirteen years hunting for a PREDATOR

He lurks at gas stations and pay phones and bus stops, blending in so well that people don’t notice him at first. He has a smooth, deep voice. He is black, he smokes and he is right-handed. He is in his early to mid-30s, is fit, stands about 6 feet tall, likes wearing camouflage clothes and black…

4) Wife of Justice Clarence Thomas starts group for ‘citizen activists’

Into the heightened political atmosphere between the Supreme Court and the Obama administration comes now Virginia Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, who is founder of a new nonprofit lobbying and political-organizing group catering to the “citizen activists” o…

5) For Israeli leaders, snubbing the U.S. may not be a political win

So who wins politically when the United States and Israel feud?

6) U.S. Chamber sets sights on vulnerable Democrats ahead of midterm vote

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, already one of Washington’s largest lobbying groups, is gearing up to play a major role in this year’s midterm elections on a scale to rival the nation’s two main political parties.

7) Deem this

WE UNDERSTAND the administration’s sense of urgency on health-care reform . But what is intended as a final sprint threatens to turn into something unseemly and, more important, contrary to Democrats’ promises of transparency and time for deliberation.

8.) Obama to appear on Fox News Wednesday

By Howard Kurtz Hell has officially frozen over. President Obama is going on Fox News. He must really want to pass that health-care bill. No, he’s not going to get emotional with Glenn Beck. But Obama will sit down with anchor Bret Baier for an interview that will air Wednesday on the 6 p.m….

9) Honda to recall 410,000 vehicles for brake problem

DETROIT — Honda Motor Co. will recall more than 410,000 Odyssey minivans and Element small trucks because of braking system problems that could make it tougher to stop the vehicle if not repaired.

10) Tiger Woods plans Masters return

Tiger Woods, who hasn’t played golf in public since a Thanksgiving-night car accident unleashed a slew of revelations of marital infidelities that led him to take a leave of absence from the game, announced Tuesday he will return at the Masters, the season’s first major championship.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, March 16,  2010

erudite \AIR-yuh-dyt; -uh-dyt\, adjective:

Characterized by extensive reading or knowledge; learned.

March 16, 2010 — Springfield, IL – This Friday, public school employees hope the public and especially policymakers will “think pink.”  March 19 has been declared Pink Friday by the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the state’s largest education employees’ union.

According to union President Ken Swanson, all IEA members are encouraged to wear something pink as a gesture that is intended to raise awareness of the thousands of “pink slips” or layoff notices that education employees are receiving this month due to the Illinois budget crisis.

“These layoffs not only are a tragedy for the employees and their families, but they are devastating to education quality in Illinois.  It would mean bigger class sizes and the elimination of key programs, such as arts, language and sports,” Swanson said.

“Mass layoffs will delay Illinois’ economic recovery for years.  By wearing pink, we’re sending an SOS to House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross and telling them to put the people first, Save our Schools and Save our State.”

Swanson said IEA supports Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed 1 percent income tax surcharge for education, but says the crucial needs of the state go well beyond schools.

“State agencies that care for so many children who come into our schools, agencies that aid our state’s senior citizens and the physically and mentally ill, are all on the verge of collapse. That is why, in addition to the surcharge, we strongly urge support for comprehensive tax reform, as found in HB 174,” Swanson said.

It is estimated as many as 17,000 education employees will receive “pink slips,” known in education as RIF (for reduction in force) notices.  State law requires that public school employees receive early notice that their positions are not guaranteed for the next school year.  Most RIF notices are being delivered in the month of March.

For more information about Pink Friday and other issues of interest to education employees, parents and guardians of students, visit the IEA website:  www.ieanea.org.

Illinois Education Association-NEA is a statewide organization, with more than 133,000 members, representing teachers and education support professionals, along with higher education faculty and staff, graduate assistants, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers.

IEA is a state affiliate of the 3.2 million member National Education Association (NEA).

# # #

 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 heading to DC to pitch for Race to the Top funds  Called upon to defend the state’s bid will be: Miguel del Valle, Chicago City Clerk and chairman of the state’s P20 Council, and Audrey Soglin, executive director of the Illinois Education Association. They will be joined by Chris Koch, superintendent of Illinois schools, his general counsel, Darren Reisberg and his chief of staff Susan Morrison. 

Poised to get 5.6% raises, Kaneland teachers willing to talk cuts
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – In the wake of spending cuts made by the Kaneland school board, the teachers union has offered to talk about ways to save money. The Kaneland Education Association this week asked to “engage in informal conversations” regarding the budget, to “determine if there is a way to mitigate the negative effects of budget decisions on students,”   

Schools are more anxious than usual this year
Chicago Tribune – “They don’t answer anything.” Such uncertainty has been widespread across Illinois, and it was exacerbated by Gov. Pat Quinn’s pronouncement last week that he would slash $1.3 billion from education funding. The final budget numbers won’t be set for several weeks, if not months, as Quinn battles lawmakers to reach consensus. Local school officials must create spending plans now   

Budget cuts, layoffs expected for Elgin district U-46  WGNtv.com – ?ELGIN, Ill. – The second largest school district in Illinois is expected to announce Monday night if there’ll be major budget cuts and layoffs. …   

 U46 to vote on cuts, layoffs   ABC7Chicago.com – ?But they’re also bracing for a much larger $44 million deficit if Governor Quinn’s education funding cuts hold up in Springfield. …   

Belvidere District 100 Job Cuts
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 –  It all depends on when the state solidifies its budget and decides how much it will pay the district. A large public turnout is expected for the Belvidere school board. The meeting will be held at Belvidere Central Middle School tomorrow night at 6pm.   

Kaneland coaches, AD prepare for budget fallout
Geneva Kane County Chronicle – “If you lose a level [of competition] to save a couple teachers’ jobs, then yeah, I guess you’ve got to be OK with that.” The District 302 school board on Monday approved its first phase of budget cuts. Those scale-backs included the loss of 10 high school coaching positions and Kaneland’s middle school, interscholastic sports   

218 jobs on layoff lists for Oswego, West schools
Fox Valley Villages – in at the level we hope it would, we have every intention of recalling employees,” he said, adding that the governor’s proposed budget would cut another $9 million from Oswego’s budget. West Aurora Education Association representatives could not be reached Friday. West plans another layoff list in April — one that includes administrators, Chapin said.   

District 207 to recall five dismissed custodians
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  to pare down an anticipated $19 million deficit in the 2010 budget. Overall, the school board authorized $13.5 million in cuts for next year, including laying off 75 certified, largely nontenured teachers and 62 employees in nonteaching jobs, and reduced spending for technology, supplies and energy use. Despite such measures, the district is facing anywhere from a $4 million to $9 million   

Riverton cuts 10 teacher jobs to reduce deficit
Springfield State Journal Register – a rainy day. And believe me, it’s a rainy day right now,” he said. The district’s $500,000 in personnel cuts includes eliminating the pre-kindergarten program, which employs three teachers, three paraprofessionals and a parent coordinator. But Mulligan said the district is forming a group to look at the possibility of a fee-based program   

Federal stimulus funds won’t save District 186 jobs next year  The Springfield School District has started receiving nearly $15 million in federal economic stimulus funds. But most of the highly regulated money won’t help the district with its $8 million budget deficit or avert the need to eliminate 56 teaching positions and other proposed cuts next year.   

In My View: Teacher cuts should be last resort
Springfield State Journal Register  – Cut classroom teachers. Oh, no, we’re not going to cut classroom teachers. Well, OK, cut some classroom teachers.  Smaller class sizes promote better learning. No, wait on second thought, smaller class sizes really don’t matter.  And, above all, “Believe.”  District-speak during these recent budget discussions. Inconsistent? Confusing? Double talk? How about all of the above?   

School districts consider consolidation  Citing declining enrollments and slashed budgets amid state government’s financial crisis, several central Illinois school districts are considering consolidating.   

Illini West schools announce first-ever staff cuts in wake of state budget crisis
Quincy Herald-Whig – of summer custodial help; $152,732 through personnel reduction; and increased revenue of $7,500 with a still-to-be-approved $25 student participation fee. Under the budget proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn, the district stands to lose approximately $330,00 in revenue next year, not including special education reductions. Quinn proposed an approximate $1.1 billion reduction in the   

Urbana school board to vote on cuts at rare Sunday meeting
Champaign News Gazette – more than what we were working with when we set our ($2 million) goal for cuts,” Dimit said. The district must make decisions about reductions in staffing now. If the cut to the state’s education funding is as deep as Quinn proposed, it could mean a deficit budget for the Urbana school district next year, or further cuts in areas other than jobs,   

Urbana school board approves $2 million in budget cuts
Champaign News Gazette – cover programs previously paid for by a state safetey block grant. Dimit said he is concerned about what will happen next year if Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal – which would reduce education funding by 17 percent – stands. “We have the greatest fear that unless things are resolved in Springfield, we’ll be back here in a year from now having to do something   

Catlin school board cuts $350,000 from districts budget
Champaign News Gazette  – cials are looking to cut more than $350,000 in education-related and building-related expenses next year, and to tap into the district’s reserves to cover any remaining shortfall. The Catlin school board voted Thursday to eliminate the district’s pre-school program, and to reassign the two teachers who had been working in the Children At Risk Educationally program into other areas.   

Special Report: Quincy schools in crisis over costs of education
Quincy Herald-Whig –  members as part of $4 million in budget cuts because of a projected $6.5 million deficit this year and a $7.5 million shortfall next year. The same night, the Galesburg School Board announced 77 teachers and support staff, along with an elementary school principal, would lose their jobs because of a $3.3 million state funding shortfall and uncertain funding of other state grants.  

‘Perfect storm’ hits our schools
Joliet Herald News – You know the phrase “good news, bad news”? Unfortunately I have some bad news, and some worse news for Plainfield School District families and taxpayers. The bad news is that we recently finished a process by which we cut about $22 million from next year’s budget to help alleviate a projected $16 million deficit in our operating fund. Some of these cuts and reductions rely on one-time, unsustainable savings   

It’s crunch time for sports funding  While most suburban school districts and their extensive sports programs were feeling the economic squeeze in the last few months, the Chicago Public Schools waited for the hammer to fall. And waited. And waited. It fell earlier this week, with a loud thud.   

Naperville career center braces itself for suddenly unemployed teachers
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  “The hope is that letting the affected staff know far enough ahead of the cuts gave them time to work and make plans for what was going to follow professionally.” St. Charles Education Association President Pam Turriff said she also worked “very hard” with the administration to “make this difficult time as easy as possible.”   

Your Legislators save corrupt schools post
Chicago Daily Southtown – Phil Kadner – This state’s budget may be roughly $13 billion in the red, but Illinois lawmakers saved at least a few jobs this week. Legislators killed a bill that would have abolished the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, where Charles Flowers reigns as superintendent and has been charged with theft and official misconduct, both felonies, by the Cook County state’s attorney. 

UIC takes a stand for higher education  Chicago Flame Online – Such an increase, explains the letter written to Governor Quinn by the furlough day organizers, threatens “to cut off the promise of a superior higher …   

Students rate Harper faculty among best in nation
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  Associate psychology professor Helen Burroughs, who boasts one of the highest scores, has a theory why students regard her colleagues so highly. “I have never met a teacher at Harper College who doesn’t have the same the goal as I do, which is success for students,” the Barrington woman said. “There’s a positive and supportive culture throughout the campus.”   

State schools’ money woes may mean students will find better deals  Frankie Tiberio has wanted to go to U of I since she was little. But with potential tuition increases – and a $16,000-a-year scholarship to Augustana – she feels the private school might be a better deal. She’s applying for every scholarship imaginable to offset U of I costs.    

Higher education should be a high priority for Illinois
Chicago Sun Times – Budgets reflect our priorities translated into dollars. Gov. Quinn’s original state budget proposal was to cut an additional 16 percent, or $400 million, from funds for higher education. That threatened both the quality and the affordability of higher education   

Political News

Illinois budget ‘belt-tightening’ won’t squeeze all
Medill News Service –  won’t mean fewer ethics manuals for executive branch employees. While funding for the State Universities Retirement System is set to drop 97 percent to just more than $4 million, and the state’s teachers’ Retirement System will lose nearly $800 million, the Executive Ethics Commission would receive millions of dollars under a proposed spending increase of more than 2,000 percent.   

Statehouse Insider: Quinn left people want more … of something
Springfield State Journal Register – Gov. PAT Quinn was roundly and deservedly criticized in January for his state of the state speech, which went nowhere in particular and took forever to not get there   

Mayors say cut to income tax money would devastate local budgets
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn appears to be breaking a promise to suburban communities that he wouldn’t toy with their share of the state’s income tax revenue, and area officials say such a move could have a   

Pension pressure on taxpayers builds
Chicago Tribune – An influential group of Chicago business leaders last week offered support for Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to boost corporate taxes 21 percent. But there’s a catch: They want major budget cuts, a cheaper pension plan for state workers and scaled-back health benefits for state retirees.   

State still seeking a real budget plan  Southtown Star – Rich Miller – ? Pat Quinn’s spending outline last week was an almost complete fantasy. It has pretty much zero chance of surviving intact and will have to be tossed out and …   

Quinn’s budget counts on lawmakers’ help  Rockford Register Star –  Pat Quinn’s new budget plan sent at least one clear message to legislators last week: Unfortunately, lawmakers don’t necessarily agree. …   

Quinn, Cross Disagree on Income Tax Hike
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 –  After an appearance at a West Side school, Quinn said without the income tax hike, the statewide cuts would be devastating. “I don’t want to see 17,000 teachers get pink slips and laid off,” he said. “I don’t think that’s good for Illinois. It’s not good for jobs.” House minority leader Tom Cross also stopped by FOX Chicago Sunday   

Quinn Tours Schools, Stumps For Education
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – about the importance of fitness and fighting childhood obesity. On Wednesday, Quinn proposed a budget without any tax increases, which called for cutting $1.3 billion from state education funding. But he then asked Illinois lawmakers not to pass that budget, but to pass a 1 percent income tax “surcharge” to fund education instead.   

Quinn Wants To Borrow Nearly $5 Billion _ But How?
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 –  While laying out his budget plan, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn sounded less like the leader of a state facing a $13 billion deficit than a guy looking to find a credit card with a better interest rate. When the state fails to pay public schools, colleges   

Kass: Tax Increase Bad Idea
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 –  There has been lots of reaction to Governor Quinn’s plans to balance the state’s budget. One of the most controversial proposals is to raise the state’s income tax 33 percent. Tribune columnist John Kass joined us with his take.     

Playing pretend in Springfield
Chicago Sun Times – Phil Kadner – Let’s pretend Pat Quinn is the governor. And let’s make believe that every penny of the income tax increase he’s proposing would actually fund education.  Now, close your eyes and imagine that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats, no longer exist.  You have to do this because both of those guys have said there will be no income tax increase without Republican support in the Legislature.   

OUR VIEW: Governor’s budget plan not much help
Mattoon Journal Gazette – Gov. Pat Quinn took an extra month to lay out his budget plan to the people of Illinois. He asked for 30 more days for this? The governor’s budget calls for spending $32 billion in the general revenue   

OUR VIEW: Governor’s budget plan not much help  Journal Gazette and Times-Courier – ? Pat Quinn took an extra month to lay out his budget plan to the people of Illinois. The governor’s budget calls for spending $32 billion in the general …   

Finke: Quinn’s no-win situation  Peoria Journal Star –  Pat Quinn was roundly and deservedly criticized for his state of the state speech in January that went nowhere in particular and took forever to not get …   

Our View: Bury this budget plan
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – than taking stock of the state’s ever-expanding list of programs and making appropriate cuts based on public priorities. The governor used his address to lament the loss of 17,000 teachers if the tax is not passed, while touting “targeted investments” that save jobs. He called education “the key to economic opportunity,” while making it his largest   

Print preview: You say taxes, they say ‘responsibility’  Chicago Current – Pat Quinn called for a one-percent tax increase to avoid education cuts. The coalition is pushing for more. Its backers include unions like AFSCME and SEIU, …   

Governor Looks for Someone to Lend $4.7 Billion
WGIL AM Radio 14 (Galesburg – So, who can lend Illinois the $4.7 billion Gov. Pat Quinn wants to borrow to move the state closer to balancing the budget? Following Quinn’s proposal to borrow the money, his budget director says the state can borrow from other state funds   

Democrats to pick Quinn’s running mate March 27
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – The party would then officially vote for its nominee March 27 in Springfield, he said. About 200 Illinoisans have applied for the job, which has sat vacant since Gov. Pat Quinn’s ascended to the governor’s mansion following Rod Blagojevich’s ouster.   

Quinn budget has no money for lt. gov.  Southtown Star  – Pat Quinn’s budget proposal wouldn’t fund state government’s second-ranking position of lieutenant governor. But that shouldn’t be taken as a hint Quinn’s …   

At least change how we choose lt. gov. candidate  Bloomington Pantagraph – ?Pat Quinn, as lieutenant governor, became involved in many conservation-related issues. So a law was passed to have the lieutenant governor chair the …   

Brady rails against tax increase as he kicks of gubernatorial campaign
Chicago Daily Herald – State Sen. Bill Brady renewed attacks on the governor’s call for a tax increase Sunday in Addison and promised to increase private-sector jobs as he officially began his campaign to be the next governor of Illinois. With running mate Jason Plummer and other GOP office candidates at his side, Brady said Gov. Pat Quinn’s idea was nothing more than borrowing from the future to pay for the past.   

GOP’s Brady Kicks off Chicago Area Campaign for Governor  MyFox Chicago – Pat Quinn’s backyard on Sunday, and introduced himself to the biggest bloc of voters in Illinois. Before a cheering crowd in west suburban Addison, …   

Brady rails against tax increase as he kicks of gubernatorial campaign  Chicago Daily Herald – Pat Quinn’s idea was nothing more than borrowing from the future to pay for the past. “It’s not enough to fight against a tax increase. …   

Brady should support moderate tax increase  Bloomington Pantagraph – ?Tuesday night the Republican candidate for governor, Bill Brady, spoke about changing Springfield and making Illinois a better place for his family and …   

Green Party’s Whitney Proposes Alternate Budget
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 –  Whitney released his proposal on Thursday, the day after Gov. Pat Quinn released a budget proposal that called for increased borrowing and a $1.3 billion cut to education funding, then called for a 33 percent income tax hike to prevent the cut. Whitney claims his plan would “solve the budget crisis in Illinois and build a full employment economy   

Forget budget — some lawmakers more concerned with monkeys
Chicago Daily Herald – Lawmakers introduce thousands of proposals that have nothing to do with the budget and ethics debates that are gripping the state Capitol. While many never see the light of day, that doesn’t stop lawmakers from suggesting unique laws dealing with everything from the pets we can keep to when we turn on our car’s headlights.   

STATEHOUSE  ; What’s caused this mess?
Streator Times-Press- Scott Reeder – Gov. Pat Quinn wants to raise your income taxes by one-third, and if you don’t end up forking over the dough he’s going to punish the schoolchildren of Illinois.  In case you missed it Wednesday, that was the governor’s budget address in a nutshell.

New Web Site introduced to create more transparency in honor of Sunshine Week  Daily Illini – ? Pat Quinn announced the launch of the Sunshine Project Web site, designed to increase accountability and openness in state government. …   

Blagojevich serves up humiliation in ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ debut
Arlington Heights Daily Herald -Condemned for his crimes against the gods, Sisyphus of Greek mythology was sentenced to roll a boulder up a mountain for eternity. Impeached and humiliated, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich seems destined to drag his mountain of shame from TV show to TV show. The man who once dreamed of ascending from the governorship to the White House, now shuffles along his downward spiral as a walking 

‘Apprentice’ contestants poke fun at Blagojevich  Review of Sunday night’s premiere: If Rod Blagojevich is trying to rehabilitate his image on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” he first needs to win over the Victoria’s Secret model. Then he can worry about potential jurors.   

National News

‘No Child’ left behind in Obama overhaul  No Child Left Behind created “perverse incentives” for states to lower academic standards, according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who said the Obama administration’s new proposal is designed to reward schools that boost student achievement.   

Obama seeks to overhaul No Child Left Behind
Chicago Tribune – Reporting from Washington President Obama said he would send to Congress on Monday a blueprint for overhauling the nation’s education program and the No Child Left Behind project to improve schools, support teachers and set standards that would give high school graduates “the best chance to succeed in a changing world.”   

Duncan: Education proposal broadens focus beyond math, reading, to ‘well-rounded education’
Chicago Tribune – President Barack Obama’s proposal to overhaul education standards championed by his predecessor aims to broaden the focus beyond math and reading to “a well-rounded education,” education Secretary Arne Duncan says.   

Obama’s education law overhaul to focus on college
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – for the United States of America.”The blueprint also would allow states to use subjects other than reading and mathematics as part of their measurements for meeting federal goals, pleasing many education groups that have said No Child Left Behind encouraged teachers not to focus on history, art, science, social studies and other important subjects.   

The New Poor – For-Profit Schools Cashing In on Recession and Federal Aid – NYTimes.com  One fast-growing American industry has become a conspicuous beneficiary of the recession: for-profit colleges and trade schools. At institutions that train students for careers in areas like health care, computers and food service, enrollments are soaring as people anxious about weak job prospects borrow aggressively to pay tuition that can exceed $30,000 a year.   

Laid off-teacher tells students she might become stripper
Belleville News-Democrat This year, high school teacher. Next year, stripper and egg donor?  When students asked an Enochs High School English teacher this week what she’d do if she lost her job to budget cuts, she said she’d have to become a stripper and sell her reproductive eggs to pay the bills.  Though it was a sarcastic comment, some parents are not taking it so lightly. As the retort was relayed to parents, one mother thought it was inappropriate and complained to Enochs High officials.  

TIME.com’s Top Stories

Twitter and TV: How Social Media Is Helping Old Media

A new medium gives an old one a lift, as TV fans gather around the Twittercooler

The Falklands: For Argentina, Oil Reopens Old Wounds

Almost three decades after they launched a disastrous war to reclaim the territory they call ‘Las Malvinas’, Argentina’s leaders are again pushing their claims against Britain

10 Ideas for the Next Ten Years: Bandwidth Is the New Black Gold

HBO’s The Pacific: What Fresh Hell

The Pacific makes painfully clear in its early episodes, the Marines that it follows had no idea what they were getting into.

Giving Afghans (and More) a Vote in Britain’s Election

As part of a new project, U.K. residents are allowing people in developing countries to tell them how to vote in parliamentary elections. The aim: to give poorer countries a say in elections that could end up impacting them

What a Health Care Loss Would Mean for a President Used to Winning

If the President fails to win the upcoming congressional votes designed to get a health care bill to his desk, it will be one of the few times a loss truly threatens his future

A Tale of Two Taliban Reveals U.S. Afghan Dilemma

Mullah Zaeef and Mullah Zakir are both former Gitmo inmates. While one is now leading the Taliban insurgency, the other is suing for peace — but warning that this would require an American withdrawal

Study Suggests Lead-Poisoning Risk Could Lurk in Spice Racks

A study by Boston researchers finds that excess lead may be ingested through commonly used Indian spices and ceremonial powders

China’s Property: Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

A high proportion of China’s growth comes from investment in real estate. That’s why we should all be worried

Box Office: Alice Turns Damon a Sickly Green

Yet another Iraq war movie, even one with Matt Damon, couldn’t withstand the appeal of Tim Burton’s psychedelic Alice in Wonderland

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Rielle Hunter speaks for the first time in GQ interview about John and Elizabeth Edwards, Andrew Young, and the big-money donors

For more than two years after Rielle Hunter emerged at the center of the John Edwards love-child scandal, the former campaign videographer kept quiet — while Edwards denied fathering her daughter (before finally acknowledging it) while Elizabeth Edwards wrote a book describing her as an aggress…

2) Democrats upbeat on health-care bill

Democratic leaders scrambled Sunday to pull together enough support in the House for a make-or-break decision on health-care reform later this week, expressing optimism that a package will soon be signed into law by President Obama despite a lack of firm votes for passage.

3) The Beck Factor at Fox

NEW YORK In just over a year, Glenn Beck’s blinding burst of stardom has often seemed to overshadow the rest of Fox News.

4) Health reform’s ruins

The reconciliation process shows the Democrats want to win at all costs.

5) A Network Divided: The Glenn Beck Factor

NEW YORK — In just over a year,Glenn Beck’s blinding burst of stardom has often seemed to overshadow the rest of Fox News.

6) Obama priority shift could help his party

Despite holding high-profile meetings last week on energy and immigration reform, President Obama will focus the next few months on two issues that could help his party in November: stronger financial regulations and ways to mitigate a Supreme Court ruling that allows direct corporate spending on…

7) Obama’s happiness deficit

Obama should show Americans that he’s happy they made him the president.

8.) Chinese assert new power, in defiance of the West

BEIJING — China’s government has embraced an increasingly anti-Western tone in recent months and is adopting policies across a wide spectrum that reflect a heightened fear of foreign influence.

9) Simpson’s ‘Beauty’: The bloom’s gone

Back when dinosaurs in low-rise denim roamed the land, a barely famous, chastity-promoting pop singer from Texas named Jessica Simpson had a show on MTV, “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica,” which chronicled her nascent marriage to a man who’d sung in a barely famous boy band.

10) A cost-control mirage

Obama is telling people what they want to hear, not what they need to know.

Word of the Day for Monday, March 15, 2010

gravitas \GRAV-uh-tahs\, noun:

High seriousness (as in a person’s bearing or in the treatment of a subject).

The White House this weekend unveiled its proposal for reauthorizing the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind law but the result is a disappointing outline for more of the same focus on one-size-fits-all testing. As a result, the NEA cannot support the plan as released, President Dennis Van Roekel said.  (More)

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.  

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State News

FRIDAY MARCH 19 IS PINK (SLIP) FRIDAY

We are asking all IEA members across the state to stand in solidarity with our laid-off members on Friday March 19^th by wearing pink. 

In Ill., choice is higher taxes or education cuts
Chicago Defender – Education groups say it’s imperative the state come up with the money to avoid the threatened cuts because school districts are already struggling to make ends meet by laying off teachers and eliminating programs. Quinn’s administration has estimated 17,000 teachers and staff could lose their jobs. “We hope, but can’t guarantee, it won’t rise above that,” said Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. 

Buget dilemma: Tax hike vs. education cuts
Peoria Journal Star – income taxes or deep education cuts, either choice could have dire consequences for schools, businesses and taxpayers. In schools, Quinn’s proposed $1.3 billion education cut could mean massive teacher layoffs, ballooning class sizes and the loss of extracurricular activities. For businesses, a bump in the income tax rate could force them to cut jobs to save 

Quinn pushes to raise taxes for education
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Springfield, IL – The day after his budget address Governor Pat Quinn takes his proposal to raise taxes for education funding on the road. Governor Quinn says that without the additional tax money, education spending will have to be cut by $1.3 billion 

Quinn Responds to Education Funding
Peoria WEEK (NBC) 25 – After delivering his budget address to the General Assembly on Wednesday, Governor Pat Quinn was visiting schools in Springfield and Chicago to tout his idea of an increase in the state’s personal 

Many Opinions Following Quinns Budget Address
WGIL AM Radio 14 (Galesburg) – The suggestion of a 1 percentage point income tax increase to help pay for education was not the only part of Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget message that is getting attention. Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute, says the state pension system is still a huge problem. 

‘Bigger is not always better’
Joliet Herald News – Gov. Pat Quinn supports consolidating school districts as part of his budget proposal, but local educators don’t believe the move would save money for the cash-strapped state 

Budget Cuts Could Boost Charter School Applications
Peoria WEEK (NBC) 25 – If the governor’s proposed income tax increase is not approved, Peoria’s District 150 could lose $6 million dollars. Z Mann attended Thursday’s Charter School Forum to learn 

Editorial: Quinn’s budget shows how bad fiscal picture is
Downers Grove Reporter – billion: The amount the tax increase will generate. Quinn wants the money to go toward education. $1.3 billion: Budget cut for education. School districts across the state already have laid off teachers and cut programs to reduce costs. Further cuts in the state budget would force school districts to go to voters and ask for property tax increases. 

Many Opinions Following Quinns Budget Address
WGIL AM Radio 14 –  pension system is still a huge problem. Rasmussen says younger generations expect a retirement plan such as a 401(k), not the kind of retirement benefits public employees get. “Do you fund another teacher in the classroom,” she asks, “or do you continue to give every teacher a very generous retirement benefit?” Business groups did not find Quinn’s remarks all bad. 

Local leaders lament Quinn budget plan  Southtown Star – Pat Quinn’s proposal to cut their towns’ revenue from the state income tax, saying the proposal would impose an even greater financial burden. …  

Quinn appears at Springfield school to defend tax plan
Springfield State Journal Register –  Despite a frigid reception from state lawmakers to the idea, Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday launched a public marketing effort to win support for a 33 percent income tax hike to support education.  

Several school districts expect budget cuts
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 –  Decatur Public Schools expects to have $6 million to $8 million cut from its budget. That leaves the district with less than $3 million for the education fund. In Springfield, $5.3 million could be cut. About $2.3 million could be cut from Champaign’s education budget. educational leaders say now is the time when parents need to step up 

Quinn Stumps For Education
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – Gov. Pat Quinn is continuing his tour of Illinois schools just days after calling for an income tax increase to prevent deep education cuts.  

Guess How Much the 1% Tax Increase Will Cost You…
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – from their household could be terrible,” Jinger Christal said. A student herself… Christal could use that money for books. She is also one of many who supports education funding, but wishes there was another way besides the tax increase to offset the billions in cuts. 

Quinn’s cuts could mean big boost in tuition costs
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – Pat Quinn’s plans to send less money to universities next year could show up on students’ tuition bills once again, university officials say.Federal stimulus money is running out soon, and Quinn isn’t planning to send more state money to Illinois public universities to make up the difference.On Thursday, an Illinois House panel heard testimony from Eastern Illinois University  

WIU administrators told to cut spending by 3.5%
Peoria Journal Star – Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb is telling university administrators to cut spending next year by 3.5 percent to prepare for upcoming cuts in state funding. Gov. Pat Quinn introduced a budget this week that would make deep cuts in education spending as part of a plan to reduce the state’s budget deficit.  

Superintendents: Solutions for budget woes aren’t pleasant   Morris Daily Herald –  Patrick Quinn’s budget proposal, which suggested a 1-percent income tax hike to support public education. “An opportunity to really dig in and evaluate the …   

DuPage Dist. 88 may reopen contracts to save jobs
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Administrators and teachers union officials in DuPage High School District 88 may reopen teacher contracts with an eye toward concessions that could save jobs in the face of a $3.2 million budget shortfall   

Belvidere School District 100 Talks Job Cuts
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – though the pink slips may be issued the district intends to hire back as many teachers as possible. They are only recommending the move as a precautionary measure until the state of Illinois and the school board can determine a final budget.   

Budget address leaves schools scrambling
Harrisburg Daily Register – but the talk last fall started getting dire, he said. By spring, talk in education circles pointed to deep cuts coming down from Springfield. Administrators started preparing. The Harrisburg school board started talking about possible cuts in December and took a straw poll in January, just in case cuts had to be made in March . Quinn’s budget proposal made the predictions seem true.   

145 D204 teachers to be cut; class sizes to grow :: Beacon News :: Local News
Suburban Chicago News – School District 204 has announced it will lay of 145 teachers as a result of the state financial crisis.  

Calculating the real costs of District 300’s cuts
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Community Unit District 300 school board President Joe Stevens warned me to get to Monday’s board meeting early. It’s a good thing I followed his advice. The Carpentersville Middle School auditorium was almost completely filled   

District 204 may eliminate 145 teachers, 19 administrators
Chicago Daily Herald – Unit District 204 may eliminate as many as 145 nontenured teachers and 19 administrators to offset projected budget deficits, officials said Thursday. The tentative plan, which still requires school board approval, aims to slice an additional $12.2 million from next year’s projected $288 million budget on top of the $9.2 million the district already has cut.   

Harrisburg School Board makes tentative cuts
Harrisburg Daily Register – extracurricular activities. “I think this is a travesty. We’ve sacrificed academics and kept most sports intact. What are we here for?” Andrea Pesavento said. The Harrisburg Education Association wants to open impact bargaining on the cuts before the March 23 meeting. However, impact bargaining does not take the final decision out of the hands of the board   

Cicero residents protest possible school cuts
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Quinn in Chicago to tout budget plan Quinn insists billions of dollars will be generated by the income tax hike and that will nullify the $1.2 billion hole in education funding. If lawmakers reject his plan, schools could face teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and cutting extracurricular activities.   

Peru schools prep for budget cuts  LaSalle News Tribune –  Pat Quinn announced a state budget that would cut 17 percent of funding to schools, Peru public school district’s finance committee discussed the impacts. …   

Parents, teachers make cutback plea
Danville Commercial-News –  Board President Bill Dobbles suggested in closing remarks some positions could be saved if the union would agree to a wage and benefits freeze. Danville Education Association President Robin Twidwell, before leading the procession out of the board room, indicated the proposal had never officially been offered to the union.     

School funding talks continue in Wheaton :: Wheaton Sun :: News
Suburban Chicago News –  freeze and other cuts to be negotiated, the committee hopes to avoid the layoffs that could increase class size throughout many district schools. Bryce Cann, president of the Wheaton-Warrenville Education Association, seemed sympathetic to the district’s plight. He spoke of “factors beyond our control,” a reference to the state being behind in its payments to the district.   

Dist. 25 hears bad news, approves faculty layoffs
Chicago Daily – to more than $2 million during the next school year, the board of Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 heard Thursday night. Stacey Mallek, assistant superintendent for business, said Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposals this week would cost the district about $1 million in surprising areas like special education, transportation and bilingual education.   

Wethersfield board trims costs
Kewanee Star Courier – education budget last year and this year and would insure that state aid and other payments are made on schedule next year. The board also ratified a new one-year contract with the Wethersfield Education Association. The contract is normally three years in length but due to the uncertain economic situation, a one-year agreement was put in place   

Delayed state funds prompt District 86 transfer
Willowbrook Suburban Life – With the state lagging in its scheduled reimbursements to public schools, the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of education approved an inter-fund loan of $900,000 from the working cash fund to the transportation fund  Monday. “This loan is necessary because the state is far behind   

Why it costs so much to run School District U46
Elgin Courier News – ELGIN –  A high school student buys a slice of Pizza Hut pizza and a carton of milk in the cafeteria. teachers hand out assignments on paper. Elgin School District U46 pays a vendor to provide those commodities. A contract with Pizza Hut costs the district more than $12,000 annually   

Kudos to Dist. 203 for skipping raises
Chicago Daily Herald – times of compounding bad news, it was incredibly heartening to read of the selfless act of sacrifice and support for students and their needs on the part of the members of the Naperville District 203 Education Association. As their contract was expiring, these teachers opted to freeze their salaries for next year to provide their district the opportunity to use every available resource   

Saving some children and failing the rest
Chicago Daily Southtown – Phil Kadner – here that can’t be ignored. Davis has proven that a public school system can be successful, even in a minority community, even in a community that is impoverished. She hasn’t found teachers unions to be a problem. She has reached out to parents and gotten them involved. Davis said she stresses character education, not only in her students but for parents as well.   

U Of I Wants Students To Finish In 3 Years
WBBM TV CBS 2 Chicago –  Ikenberry has said freshman tuition will increase next year by up to 20 percent.  On Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn suggested a 1 percent income tax “surcharge” to restore education funding for schools and universities, but his proposed budget calls for cutting education funding by $1.3 billion. Ikenberry said previously that with no state money forthcoming,   

Community colleges raise tuition as enrollment soars
Chicago Tribune – The same recession that is driving record numbers of students to community colleges in Illinois is being blamed for tuition hikes expected this summer and fall as school officials look for ways   

District 57 ‘reviewing procedures’ in wake of bus driver DUI arrest
Chicago Daily Herald –  the buses left the school, district officials said. District transportation Director Vince Ramirez heard about it an hour later and thought it would be too late to catch the driver at the school, school board President Joe Leane said, so he intercepted her at her first bus stop. Ramirez got on the bus to talk to the driver, but did not smell alcohol, and let her drive, Leane said   

Looking Into Lottery Funds for Education 
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 –  Representative Bill Black says the lottery will never make much of an impact on our state’s education. “You can say that when the lottery profits went into the common school fund, general assembly’s often took out an equivalent amount of money and put it elsewhere. So in effect the lottery turned out to be kind of a wash,” says Black.  

Political News

Little Tyke Takes Pat Quinn to Task  NBC Chicago –  Kids say the darndest things, but some times they manage to utter wise gems. One Berwyn youngster gave Illinois Governor Pat Quinn a jolt when he asked the governor a tough political question.  “Why don’t you pay your bills?” the child asked Quinn as he met with protestors outside a Berwyn school that may cut some programs.   

CAPITOL FACTS: Welcome to the game, Bill
Streator Times-Press –  ”I have to cut state spending by 10 percent if I’m going to pay for my tax breaks, if I’m going to reconcile the budget in a balanced way, and pay back the backlog of unpaid bills that Gov. Quinn and Gov. Blagojevich have accumulated,” he said. “We’re going to begin this campaign with a listening tour,” Brady announced in Quincy. Indeed, he is about to get an earful.   

Green Party’s Whitney calls for income tax hike, legalized pot  Bloomington Pantagraph – In Whitney’s second bid for governor, the Carbondale lawyer criticized Republican Bill Brady and Democrat Pat Quinn as “corporate-sponsored candidates. …   

Blagojevich’s attorneys ask to postpone trial
Crains Chicago Business – Ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attorneys asked a federal judge Thursday to postpone his corruption trial, saying so many uncertainties surround the charges it would be “playing Russian Roulette” with his future if the court went ahead with the June 3 start date. Blagojevich’s attorneys also said that despite working seven days a week, they can’t be ready by that date because it’s not enough   

Blagojevich Does Letterman’s Top 10
Chicago Chicagoist – While Gov. Quinn was giving his budget address and asking for an income tax hike to help fund education and prevent cuts, his disgrace predecessor made a stop by David Letterman’s set to have a little fun   

National News

Whose State? My State!  With two consecutive New York governors in ethical imbroglios, New Yorkers may think they’ve got the sleaziest state political culture in the country. But plenty of other states are in the running.   

Heartland Values 
It’s practically mandatory to indict governors in the Land of Lincoln.
By Jonathan Alter
I’m not prepared to say that Illinois takes the gold in every corruption category…But Illinois has a special place in the Hall of Shame going back to the 19th century.   

Governors, state school superintendents propose common academic standards  Maryland and several other states are pushing rapidly toward adoption of new academic standards proposed Wednesday for English and math, adding momentum to the campaign to establish common expectations for public school students across the country.   

Draft K-12 Common Core State Standards Available for Comment  WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today released the first official public draft of the K-12 standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a process being led by governors and chief state school officers in 51 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. These draft standards, developed together with teachers, school administrators and experts, seek to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce   

As part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), the draft K-12 standards are now available for public comment. These draft standards, developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, seek to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.   

School cuts a painful no-win lesson for all  Msnbc.com readers sound off on impact of slashed education budgets Kansas City, Mo., plans to close nearly half its public schools by fall. Illinois’ governor wants to raise state income taxes by 1 percent to continue funding schools and prevent the layoffs of thousands of teachers. Hawaii, President Barack Obama’s home state, has whacked 17 days from the school year and says it’s not done with educational cost-cutting.   

Rome school’s condom machines create uproar – Kids and parenting
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – The decision by a Rome high school to install condom vending machines has set off a storm in Italy, with the Catholic Church charging the move will encourage young people to have sex and Rome’s mayor saying it sends the wrong message.   

Time.com Today’s Top Stories  

Iraq: Political Turmoil Threatens as Votes Are Counted

Sunday’s poll appears likely to yield an indecisive result, while accusations of ballot fraud by opposition parties could challenge the legitimacy of the new government that eventually emerges  

Ivory Wars Redux? African Nations Move to ‘Downlist’ the Elephant

African elephants have slowly rebounded since the end of the Ivory Wars in 1989, but two nations are now petitioning to drop the animals’ conservation status  

Greek Austerity Measures Spark Rising Protests

Anger is rising in Greece a week after leaders announced a new austerity package to rein in the deficit, with protesters taking to the streets and workers walking off the job  

German Clergy Scandal Reaches the Pope’s Family

The Vatican faces a growing scandal as allegations have emerged that priests sexually and physically abused students in a choir run by the Pope’s brother, Georg Ratzinger  

Tropicana: Trying to Make a Greener Orange Juice

PepsiCo, which owns the juice brand Tropicana, is experimenting with greener farming methods in order to reduce the carbon footprint of a morning glass of OJ

 Word of the Day for Friday, March 12, 2010

solecism \SOL-uh-siz-uhm\, noun:

1. A nonstandard usage or grammatical construction; also, a minor blunder in speech.
2. A breach of good manners or etiquette.
3. Any inconsistency, mistake, or impropriety.

Race to the Top, RtI, budget cuts, pending pension legislation, school testing, IEA Lobby Day. Are you overwhelmed yet? Rest assured – IEA is keeping tabs on the issues, programs and legislation important to you. Stay informed with us by reading the insider, Capitol Report, website, facebook and twitter.

Quinn proposes tax increase for education

Gov. Pat Quinn today unveiled a state budget plan calling for massive cuts in state spending, but also proposed raising the state income tax (to 4 percent from 3 percent), with the extra money dedicated to education.  The governor’s proposal is intended to avert massive layoffs, estimated at up to 17,000, of education employees.  President Swanson urges lawmakers to pass the education tax proposal but also is calling for the passage of tax reform legislation, such as HB 174,that would provide funding for all state services, including agencies and vendors that serve the state’s neediest citizens. 

IEA Representative Assembly in Rosemont March 18-20

Gov. Quinn is likely to talk about his proposal when he speaks next Friday at the IEA Representative Assembly (RA).  The appearance of the governor and his election opponent, State Sen. Bill Brady (their first joint appearance), will be streamed live via the IEA website, which you can check for the complete streaming schedule.

Find out more about the IEA RA on the IEA website.

GPAs plan their advocacy

The annual Grassroots Political Activist mini-convention was held in

GPAs listen as legislative issues such as school funding and pensions are discussed during their mini-convention.

 Springfield Feb. 19-20. Each GPA was encouraged to bring their GO-Team (Grassroots Organizers). The IEA Professional Development Center was bursting with more than 100 participants.

Save wherever you are

Find out what vendors participate in cost-saving programs with NEA Member Benefits and through the Access Development Corp. Online shopping, local restaurants, vacation packages and more are available with merchants added frequently.

Go to the NEA MB website and register, or visit the IEA website and enter your 10-digit member ID number for more information.

Website of the Week

Blogging about the web 2.0 connected classroom is a blogsite chock full of resources, technology and education. Lots of short videos help any educator stay afloat in the sea of technology.

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.    

Gov. Pat Quinn wants 33 percent tax hike for education  Gov. Pat Quinn today called for a 33 percent increase in the state income tax rate to raise money for education and ease deep cuts he’s proposed in his new budget plan.  In his short budget speech to the House and Senate, Quinn argued that an income tax “surcharge” would be enough to restore Illinois’ education budget to current levels and allow the state to get caught up on some of the millions owed to public schools, community colleges and four-year universities.

Quinn calls for raising income tax to 4 percent  Gov. Quinn called today for a one percentage point increase in the state income tax to fund education. Quinn is asking legislators to raise the income tax to 4 percent from the current 3 percent. “That 1 percent will be enough to restore our education budget to current levels,” Quinn said in his budget address in Springfield. The increase would fund education from kindergarten through high school and also cover higher education. 

Quinn proposes 1 percent income tax surcharge for education  In his annual budget address to the Illinois General Assembly today, Gov. Pat Quinn proposed taking an extra 1 percent out of Illinoisans’ paychecks to support education. More info soon.

 Quinn gets scary on budget — but not scary enough  One of the oldest chapters in the good book of politics is to scare the bejabbers outta people, to tell them that if a certain program or policy or tax isn’t approved, the heavens will part, small babies will babble and civilization will end.  In other words, the bloodier and more ominous the better — a tactic the folks who run the Chicago Transit Authority learned long ago.

Quinn calls for education tax in annual budget address  Chicago Current – Pat Quinn’s dare to Illinois legislators during his annual budget address today. The speech, 22 minutes, was a dramatic contrast with his nebulous State of …

 State News

Batavia teachers agree to pay, benefit cuts :: Batavia Sun :: News
Suburban Chicago News – The teachers union and the Batavia School Board have reached an agreement for salary and benefit reductions for teachers for the next school year.  The agreement — approved Monday night by the School Board and last week by members of the Batavia Education Association — will save the School District $2.3 million in the 2010-11 school year, school officials said Tuesday.

District 207: Teachers union rejects job-saving concessions
Morton Grove Champion – Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education and Administrators have been informed that a majority of the Maine teachers Association membership voted “no” today (March 9) on a board request that the teachers open their contract, a district news release stated. The Board and Administration had proposed salary   

Teacher’s Union Contract Approved by School Board
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – The food services and teachers union accepted a wage and health insurance freeze for next school year. The Rockford Education Association overwhelmingly agreed on the contract extension during a private vote over the weekend. Around one thousand teachers met at Guilford High School to Ratify the agreement.   

Dist. 203 defends continued pension benefits
Chicago Daily Herald – amount of money and point the finger at legislators for letting the state budget deteriorate. The District 203 school board on Monday approved a new three-year contract with the Naperville Unit Education Association that represents roughly 1,350 teachers. The deal renews a provision giving teachers annual pay raises of up to 6 percent for as many as four years before retirement.   

D-302 teachers, district officials to talk budget
Geneva Kane County Chronicle – now meet with administrators in the school district to discuss how the two sides can work together to avert some budget reductions that could negatively impact students. Tuesday, the Kaneland Education Association and Kaneland School District 302 announced that the two sides would “engage in informal conversations” regarding the 2010-2011 budget   

Cary Dist. 26 places burden on union to save jobs
Chicago Daily Herald – Cary Elementary District 26 placed the ball in the teacher’s union’s court Monday night, asking the union to agree to concessions for its members in exchange for saving some jobs. The offer came as the district is attempting to slash $5.4 million   

D-26 union must do part to pare losses
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – If there ever was any doubt, Monday night’s District 26 school board meeting put the debate to rest. We now know that, for the District 26 teachers’ union, it’s not about the kids. Maybe it was before. It certainly isn’t now. Greed? Yes, it’s about that. An unwillingness to   

Kaneland teachers, officials to meet
DeKalb Daily Chronicle –  now meet with administrators in the school district to discuss how the two sides can work together to avert some budget reductions that could negatively impact students. Tuesday, the Kaneland Education Association and Kaneland School District 302 announced that the two sides would “engage in informal conversations” regarding the 2010-2011 budget.   

More than $2 million cut from Champaign School District budget
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 –  Board members say public input was vital to this process, and it helped save jobs and programs.  Some of those items saved include occupational therapy jobs and teacher aides in elementary school computer labs. The board will not raise textbook rental fees, and it will keep a driver’s ed program.   

Morrison Schools Face ‘Funding Challenges’
Lanark Prairie Advocate – fees for specific programs. The superintendent and school board are looking at other things as well. For instance, they have already approved an Early Retirement Option that will be offered to teachers and staff. There are some concerned parents and alumni looking at starting up a Morrison Schools Foundation to help with funding some of the programs, especially the Pre-K program.   

Vote on school cuts could be delayed
Peoria Journal Star – One issue that’s not disappearing is a wage freeze for teachers and administration as a measure to save jobs. Teachers and administrators will receive their regular pay increases. Superintendent Jim Colyott said the Princeville Unit District Education Association was notified last fall that if the teachers’ union agreed to a wage freeze, so would the district’s administrators. The freeze never came up for a vote by the teachers union’s members, Colyott said. The union disputed that claim Tuesday night.   

24 teachers will go, world language will stay
Elmhurst Doings – Following months of discussion, Elmhurst Unit District 205 Board members unanimously approved $2.82 million in budget cuts. The cuts translate into layoffs for about 24 certified teachers and six non-certified staff members. The cuts will be paired with about $541,000 in revenue enhancements, which will be achieved through an increase in student and building fees.   

EVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL: $1.6 million in cutbacks unveiled
Evanston Review – reductions amid ever-rising personnel costs, School District 202 officials Tuesday outlined $1.6 million in tentative budget reductions for fiscal 2011 that would trim the work force by roughly six teachers and several administrators. A wave of 20 faculty retirements this year will allow the district to avoid layoffs mostly   

U-46 not shy about fighting state education cuts
Chicago Daily Herald – Elgin Area School District U-46 is using its school marquees to make an 11th-hour appeal to Gov. Pat Quinn. With Quinn expected to announce a $1.4 billion decrease in education funding Wednesday during his budget presentation, the 41,000-student district has begun posting “Fix School Funding” on its signs. U-46, currently $48.6 million in the hole,   

U46 to cut ‘Newcomers’ transition for immigrants
Elgin Courier News – ELGIN — To save money, School District U46 plans to shut down its “Newcomers” program, which helps immigrant students transition smoothly into school and American life. Teachers Jeff Miller and Miguel Renteras, who run the small program at Hilltop Elementary School in Elgin, say the move not only will hurt the students academically and emotionally,   

Chicago area schools weigh cuts to fix budgets
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 –  Positions and programs are being cut. Up until now, most of it has been caused by the state’s inability to pay its bills. But Governor Quinn’s ‘bad news’ budget address Wednesday is expected to force even deeper cuts. Related Content Story: Local School Cuts: A Timeline The singing will be silenced next year for 1,400 students   

Political News

Gov’s scare tactics — or the grim reality?
Chicago Sun Times – Quinn’s budget for fiscal year 2011, which starts in July, will call for $2.2 billion in cuts — taken out in large part on the backs of the elderly, the mentally ill, children, abused women and teachers — and yet it will leave a deficit of almost $11 billion. And why? Because our weak-kneed Legislature has refused so far in this election year to do what most of them know must be do   

No tax hike? Then it’s loans under Quinn’s budget
Chicago Daily Herald – outlining his version of budgetary doomsday, calling it the “consequences of inaction.” Kindergarten through high school funding would be cut nearly $1.2 billion, resulting in at least 13,000 teachers being laid off and possibly many more, said Jerry Stermer, Quinn’s chief of staff. That’s likely to translate into larger class sizes and reduced programs in districts across the suburbs   

Time for reality to intervene in state budget mess
Chicago Daily –  Maybe former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his wife aren’t so crazy. They’ve been able to tap into reality shows to bring in much-needed personal income and stir public sympathy. We should consider the same idea for the General Assembly. 

Former Governor Jim Edgar Talks Budget Crisis, Calls Bill Brady’s Budget Ideas ‘Naive’  Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar spoke on WBEZ’s “Eight Forty Eight” Tuesday morning about the budget crisis in Illinois. While offering his opinion on what it will take to fix the nearly $13 billion deficit, he called Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady’s budget plan “naïve.”    

Bill Brady: Minimum Wage Is ‘Government Intrusion’  “I think supply and demand in the marketplace determines the rate of minimum wage,” then-freshman state senator Bill Brady said in 2003.   

 Rasmussen Poll Gives Brady Lead Over Quinn    Progress Illinois (blog) – ? Quinn by 10 points, 47 percent to 37 percent. But the crosstabs are raising some eyebrows. From Capitol Fax: We’ve known for a while that Quinn had trouble … 

Brady in crosshairs for views on abortion, women’s issues
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader -A coalition of pro-choice and women’s groups on Tuesday took aim at Republican Bill Brady’s bid for the governor’s mansion, blasting the Bloomington senator for his social conservatism. Beth Kanter with Illinois Planned Parenthood’s political action committee and several other activist groups gathered in Chicago to declare Brady “anti-woman,” 

AP-GfK Poll: Obama more popular than Congress
Boston Globe – Americans have come to detest Congress ever more deeply as it nears the end of a nasty fight over health care. But more than half still back President Barack Obama, a bright spot for a Democratic Party counting on its leader to help stave off expected losses in elections this fall. The latest Associated Press-GfK poll found that fewer people approve of Congress than at any point

Obama Pushing on Health Care End Game
Time Magazine –  President Barack Obama has chosen a suburban St. Louis high school to make his closing argument for a health care overhaul, pushing a new anti-fraud plan as he cranks up the pressure on skittish Democratic lawmakers to act fast. Obama is to speak Wednesday at St. Charles High School, his second health care address in three days. His speech comes as congressional Democrats stand

National News

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

The Massa Circus Takes the Air out of Glenn Beck  Many conservatives had rightly warned the Fox News superstar to steer clear of the aggrieved Democratic congressman, but he just couldn’t resist   

Is East Africa the Next Frontier for Oil?  New drilling in and off countries up the coast of East Africa shows that the region may have massive reserves of natural gas and oil   

Bloomberg and Baseball: The Perfect Match?  The media giant is selling its analytical expertise to baseball fans, and Major League Baseball teams. Can a Bloomberg consumer business hit it out of the park?   

Beyond Sanctions: How to Solve the Iranian Riddle  Pro-democracy campaigners need time to achieve their aims. There’s no time left

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Massa flirts with the right, but Beck isn’t tickled

Just seven minutes into Glenn Beck’s hour-long interview of Eric Massa on Tuesday evening, things had already gone very wrong.

2) Talking shop while buffing up but not often while in the buff

It’s no secret that members of Congress broker deals on the treadmill or in the weight room of the House and Senate gyms. But former congressman Eric Massa’s accusation that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once berated him in the gym’s shower over his vote against President Obama’s budget…

3) Male Massa staffers reported groping

Not long after Eric Massa joined Congress in January 2009, several male staff members began to feel uncomfortable with the sexually loaded language their boss routinely used, according to accounts relayed to the House ethics committee.

4) For former NBA star, a game plan for life and love

SACRAMENTO — For months, Kevin Johnson walked around with an engagement ring wrapped in tissue. He wanted a sweet movielike moment to give it to his Michelle.

5) With ‘JihadJane,’ a new kind of threat

A petite, blond-haired, blue-eyed high school dropout who allegedly used the nickname JihadJane was identified Tuesday as an alleged terrorist intent on recruiting others to her cause, as federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges that could send her to prison for life.

6) Killing of D.C. teen linked to ‘gun’ ruse that angered suspect

The 15-year-old teen was having fun, hanging out with some friends last month in Northwest Washington. Then, police said, some other teens “faked” on them, or pretended to have a gun.

7) ‘Lost Boys’ actor Corey Haim dead in Burbank at 38

The Los Angeles coroner’s office says “The Lost Boys” actor Corey Haim is dead at 38.

8.) Common set of school standards to be proposed

The nation’s governors and state schools chiefs proposed standards Wednesday for what students should learn in English and math, from kindergarten through high school, a crucial step in President Obama’s campaign to raise academic standards across the country.

9) What Obama has lost

The squandered moment on health reform cost the president his chance to unify.

10) Supper on the QT: The volume’s turned up

On Feb. 23, a select group of Washingtonians received an intriguing e-mail: “The orange arrow is pointing at you,” the subject line read.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, March 10, 2010

phantasmagoria \fan-taz-muh-GOR-ee-uh\, noun:

1. A shifting series or succession of things seen or imagined, as in a dream.
2. Any constantly changing scene.

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  

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.

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

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.

(The following letter to the editor appears in Saturday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune)

Necessary taxes

The Tribune editorial wisely stops short of claiming a tax increase is not needed in Illinois. When fairness, political 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

A teacher and member of the Education Association of Fox Lake IEA/NEA, is our latest winner of a $100 VISA gift card.  Congratulations to Joseph Fernandez! Enter to win a VISA gift card: Send us an e-mail with VISA in the subject line — insider readers win valuable prizes all year long!
 
The state’s budget crisis is causing pink slips being sent school employees statewide. Take a moment to let Gov. Quinn know what you’re going through, what students are facing and what kind of effect this crisis has on our state.
 
This video will walk you through the very simple process that actually gives you a voice in the process.  Please send your budget input to the governor today!
 
There is strength in numbers, so be among the thousands who will come to IEA Lobby Day on April 21. Let’s make it impossible for legislators to ignore IEA members’ collective voice.  More information here.
 
 
 
It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday!
 
Why not take a few minutes this week to celebrate reading in your classroom, your school or your community and encourage kids to become avid readers, strong thinkers and good “steerers” in life in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
 
Springfield’s Feitshans Academy celebrated Read Across America early this year, serving students in the Pre-K through fifth grade green eggs and ham for breakfast and inviting community members in to read to students.
 
Let us know how you commemorated Read Across America in your school.

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 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.