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.     

15 states, DC named ‘Race to the Top’ finalists

By Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Education has named 16 finalists in the first round of its “Race to the Top” competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants. 

Selected Thursday from a pool of 41 applicants are: Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. The winners will be chosen in April. 

The grants are designed to reward and spur states to lift student achievement by developing strong standards, getting high-quality teachers in the classroom, and turning around low-performing schools. 

The money is part of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus law. 

A second round of applications will be accepted in June.

 

State News  

Schools take edge off ISAT week
Danville Commercial-News – Illinois Standards Achievement Tests, but you wouldn’t know it walking the halls of Danville District 118 elementary and middle schools. At the halfway point of testing Wednesday, teachers and administrators say they’ve done their best to keep the pressure off students. “I think it’s even worse now because (students) know how it affects everything,” 

U46 ‘integrity’ e-mail irks some teachers
Elgin Courier News – ELGIN — A School District U46 e-mail sent out to urge care against cheating on state tests this week has instead sparked resentment among some teachers. In Monday’s e-mail, which was intended for elementary school principals’ eyes only, Superintendent Jose Torres asked them to have teachers administer standardized tests with 

School district, teachers reach accord
Mundelein Review – Mundelein Elementary School District 75 and the Mundelein Elementary Education Association have reached an agreement for a new two-year contract beginning July 1. “The board is pleased that we have been able to settle the teacher contract and come to an agreement 

Districts 211 & 214 push through despite state education cuts
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – State education funding cuts that are likely won’t affect Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 and Northwest Suburban High School District 214 as drastically as some other districts 

Freeport School District Prepares for State Cuts
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – The state of Illinois may cut school funding by at least 10% next year. One local school district is preparing to deal with the drop in revenue. 

$5.5 MILLION SHORTFALL POSSIBLE: State spills red ink on District 65
Evanston Review – . The state of Illinois is facing a $13 billion deficit. “We may only receive three of four categorical aid payments, which would cost us $1 million,” said Brown, speaking to the school board Tuesday. Categorical payments are tied to specific programs, such as special education. When those revenue cuts are factored into projections that already showed an $800,000 shortfall,        

Springfield School District plans to cut 80+ teaching jobs
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – The Springfield School District plans to cut more than 80 teaching jobs. On Tuesday night, the Springfield school board approved the release of 85 employees, who are under one year contracts, at the end of this school year. These contracts leave the district with some wiggle room to see if they can afford

As many as 160 D300 teachers face budget ax
Elgin Courier News – Community Unit School District 300 confirmed Wednesday it plans to lay off more than 100 teachers in the coming school year.  And Kolleen Hanetho, president the district’s teachers union, put that number “in the ballpark of 160 people.”

More cuts needed in Dist. 89, but no specifics yet
Maywood Herald – teachers being let go last year along with a strained relationship with the district. “We don’t have a relationship with the school board or the administration,” Lisa Urso, president of Maywood Education Association said. She said if they had a better relationship things could possibly change, but it doesn’t look good. “The way I look at things right now, no,” she said 

Wright teachers: School treating us wrong
Lincolnshire Review  – “We know that input from each of us is highly valued and will be used to shape our schools’ action plans,” wrote Amy Belford, president of the Lincolnshire-Prairie View Teachers Association and a fourth-grade instructor, in an e-mail. “We strive to continually improve and have found that candid communication is an effective tool in helping us move forward.” 

Board Votes To Close Witt School
Hillsboro Journal News – Witt School will be closed down at the end of the school year, members of the Hillsboro School Board decided at a special meeting Tuesday, March 2, at the unit office.  The board also voted to begin “reduction in force” proceedings to reduce pre-K and Title programs to whatever level is funded by grants. Those two measures passed unanimously. 

Vouchers are not the answer  Chicago Tribune – Letter to Editor – The Tribune’s editorial supporting Sen. Meeks’ voucher plan missed the mark. There is no question that for the children who receive the voucher, it would be of great benefit. 

U. of I. junior wins $30,000 prize for prosthetic arm  The University of Illinois says a junior there has won a $30,000 prize for developing an affordable prosthetic arm for people in developing countries.  

Ringeisen might retain salary after retiring  University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Richard Ringeisen would make $273,500 annually as an adviser to the U of I president after his retirement this fall and through 2011, under a proposal to be considered next week by the university board.   

Ikenberry: U of I tuition on rise   University of Illlinois tuition rates will go up by 9.5-percent next fall under the best-case scenario, University of Illinois interim president Stanley Ikenberry told The State Journal-Register’s editorial board Wednesday.   

Illinois university leaders argue against deeper cuts
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – warned lawmakers Wednesday that further cuts in this year’s higher education budget could mean layoffs, the loss of top professors and more tuition fee increases. Illinois has cut higher education funding already, they said, and the state isn’t even coming up with the money it has promised. They warned more cuts would do serious harm. “It would require draconian cuts in our staff,”

 

Political News

 

Two Springfield residents apply online for lt. gov. position  As of Wednesday, two Springfield-area residents were among the more than 70 people who applied online to become the Democratic nominee for Illinois lieutenant governor.   

Our Opinion: Let voters decide lt. governor issue
Springfield State Journal Register – submitting his or her choice to the State Board of Elections. The General Assembly should approve both, sending the constitutional amendment to the voters in November and the Raoul bill to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. NEITHER PARTY distinguished itself this year in picking the person who would be Illinois’ second banana. Democratic primary victor Scott Lee Cohen had to drop out   

House votes to end scholarship perk
Chicago Daily Herald – Technically, these perks are not scholarships. There’s no money attached. Instead, the lawmakers tell the public universities that they cannot charge the winning students tuition. The schools either eat the costs or pass them along to other students. Each of the 177 state lawmakers can hand out eight 1-year tuition waivers, every year and good at any public university in Illinois.   

ILLINOIS PRISONS: Standing room only  Illinois Times –  Pat Quinn announced in December a proposal to sell the Thomson prison to the federal government, he cited overcrowding in the federal prisons as a good …   

Is Quinn turning his back on the black vote?  Austin Weekly News – ? In truth, I liked the idea that the position should first be offered to Dan Hynes seeing that he and Quinn had a neck-in-neck photo finish to their race. …   

When a candidate for governor tries to help out a puppy gas chamber  Illinois Times – Rich Miller – “When are they going to hold hearings on Quinn’s budget?” Clarke thundered last week when told of the planned budget hearings. …   

Our View: Demand a check on legislative leaders’ power
Peoria Journal Star – Last year, Democrats who control the Legislature muscled through a series of “reforms” for the state’s previously wide-open campaign finance rules, assuring folks that they were taking a significant step to clean up Illinois in the wake of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest and impeachment. But like many others, we were dismayed – if not terribly surprised – that their package of restrictions   

Republican Party’s 2010 fundraising strategy: fear  Salon – Alex Koppelman – ? It hasn’t been terribly hard to divine the Republicans’ strategy for motivating their base this year — they’ve made it pretty clear, after all. It’s fear. Fear of President Obama, fear of change, fear of some giant socialist … 

Reagan on the $50 bill?  Who says the GOP doesn’t have any ideas: The party’s quest to name everything after the 40th president rolls on

If Rahmbo is going rogue, what will Obama do?  Rahm Emanuel wins plaudits in the mainstream media, even as his boss plunges. But he isn’t talking, “on the record”

National News

 

Scholar’s School Reform U-Turn Shakes Up Debate  Diane Ravitch, who was outspoken about the power of standardized testing, charter schools and free markets to improve schools and was in the Bush Department of Education, changes her mind   

R.I. school leader calls for talks, not mass firing – Education
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – The offer includes support for a longer school day and providing before- and after-school tutoring for students, she said.The Central Falls school board voted last week to fire 93 teachers and staff from the city’s high school after the end of the school year. No more than half the staff could be hired back under federal rules.   

Protests, rallies mark “Day of Action” for education funding  San Jose Mercury News – Teachers and students from schools of all levels are fanning across the state today as part of a “day of action” that started with discussions at UC Berkeley and spread across the country.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Health Reform: Can the Democrats Cross the Finish Line?

Can the Democrats pull off their latest plan for reform?

The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh

Captain Holly Graf was relieved of her command of a U.S. missile ship after an inquiry found she had created a hostile environment

Quake Response Doesn’t Live Up to Chile’s Self-Image

The country’s legacy of military dictatorship and its new pride in its economic development may have tripped up its response to the catastrophe

Citi and the Government: Still a Close Relationship

Citigroup is now deemed to have paid back its U.S. Government assistance, so it can pay top executives as it pleases. But some critics contend that the U.S. Government’s $26 billion investment in Citi stock means that the bank is still on the dole

Why Eating Tuna Is Deadly — to Tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is considered a delicacy from Osaka to Omaha. It’s a staple in every sushi restaurant on the planet. But we are literally eating the bluefin tuna to death

Obama tells Congress to ‘finish its work’ on health-care reform
President Obama’s endorsement Wednesday of a risky legislative maneuver to complete health-care legislation sent Democratic leaders scrambling to settle policy disputes and assemble the votes necessary for passage in the coming weeks.
(By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, The Washington Post)

As political storm brews, Obama faces a test of calm
Question is whether his composure will help him on health-care effort
(By Eli Saslow, The Washington Post)

RNC fundraising document paints Democrats as evil
STEELE DISTANCES SELF
Some statements may hurt party, aides say
(By Perry Bacon Jr., The Washington Post)

FAA suspends two after child directs JFK flights
With father in tower, boy communicated with at least 5 planes
(By Ed O’Keefe, The Washington Post)

FDA cracking down on food-packaging claims, from coconut pies to olive oil
(By Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post) 

Criminal investigation opened in grade-changing scandal
The Montgomery County state’s attorney has opened a criminal investigation into a grade-changing scheme at Winston Churchill High School, officials said Wednesday, elevating the digital subterfuge into a major scandal at one of the region’s most prestigious public schools.
(By Michael Birnbaum, Dan Morse and Jenna Johnson, The Washington Post)

 The Rove-ian eye
AS HE SAW IT: Ex-aide’s memoir forcefully defends the Bush legacy
(By Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

 

Word of the Day for Thursday, March 4, 2010

didactic \dy-DAK-tik; duh-\, adjective:

1. Fitted or intended to teach; conveying instruction; instructive; teaching some moral lesson; as, “didactic essays.”
2. Inclined to teach or moralize excessively; moralistic.

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  

D203, union reach tentative agreement
Suburban Chicago News – Neither side is releasing any details at this time, Jaensch said. First, the Naperville Unit Education Association will present the details of the contract to its members this week, the date yet to be determined. The members will then vote on the contract, he said.

Law requires Woodland board to negotiate
Ottawa Daily Times – The Woodland School Board and the Woodland Education Association appear to be further from reaching an agreement concerning overpayments made to faculty. Last month, the school board reported $217,360.96 was overpaid to 75 current and former 

Illinois school superintendents’ pay keeps rising  The average salary and benefits for Illinois’ top school executives grew 4.1 percent last year, and a record 150 superintendents earned $200,000 or more.  That’s according to salary information provided by the Illinois State Board of Education.   

District 220 cutting teachers
Barrington Courier-Review – Community Unit School District 220’s Board of Education unanimously approved a budget direction including about $2.39 million in cuts, including eliminating the equivalent of 15.3 full-time teachers and five other staff positions at Tuesday’s meeting. These include about $1.39 million in staff and operations cuts, and $1 million in maintenance project cuts,   

Superintendent says Palmyra school district may resort to teacher layoffs
Quincy WGEM (NBC) 10 – Superintendent Churchwell says when close to 80-percent of the school’s budget goes to paying teacher salaries, layoffs could be inevitable. Churchwell says they are also planning on not replacing teachers who retire.     

Suburban teachers fearing significant layoffs
Chicago WBBM 780 Radio –  Fewer teachers and larger classroom. Those are the predictions of school analysts and taxpayer watchdogs. A wave of teacher layoffs is underway in Chicago suburbs — and experts say that is just the tip   

Slashed state budget could mean up to $29 mil. more in cuts for U-46
Chicago Daily Herald – The gut-wrenching news followed State Superintendent Christopher Koch’s Monday message warning school officials that Gov. Pat Quinn’s office may propose a 2011 budget calling for at least $900 million in cuts to elementary and secondary education.   

Torres: U46 planning for worst
Elgin Courier News – Though the audience was small, School District U46 Superintendent Jose M. Torres reached out Tuesday evening to the Lions Club of Elgin to discuss candidly the district’s financial battle to stay afloat.  With about 15 club members present, Torres discussed everything on the chopping block — from teachers’ jobs to sports.   

Springfield School Board to decide on dismissal of employees
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – There’s a big decision before the Springfield school board. The Board is expected to approve the dismissal of dozens of Springfield Public School employees. That means teaching staff, substitutes, and non-teaching employees may soon be out   

Proposed Dist. 129 cuts include 31 teachers
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – For the second year in a row the staff of the West Aurora School District faces layoffs. The school board is considering a list of proposed financial reductions because state aid will be down by at least 10-percent to 15-percent next year. The proposed cuts include 51 staff positions;   

School board hears from parents, students, teachers
DeKalb Daily Chronicle –  Parents, students and teachers packed into the board room of the DeKalb school board on Tuesday night to hear about teacher layoffs and voice their concerns. The DeKalb school board discussed dismissing 78 teachers for the 2010-11 school year,   

H.S. students walk out to protest cuts
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Some west suburban high school students are protesting proposed budget cuts that would result in teachers losing their jobs. Like so many school districts in the Chicago area, the Morton High School District is dealing with a budget crisis.   

Naperville student who set fires to remain in class
Chicago Daily Herald – Naperville Unit District 203 gave up its fight Tuesday to keep an expelled 9-year-old from returning to school after he was accused last year of igniting bathroom fires in two schools. The school board unanimously voted Dec. 14 to expel the Naperville third-grader for the remainder of the academic year, prompting the boy’s parents to ask a judge to intervene.  

Classroom
Lincoln-Way Sun – Shoes for Haiti  – FRANKFORT — A shoe drive at Chelsea Intermediate School in Frankfort will help hundreds of people devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. The effort was organized by Nancy Sorci , field secretary for the Illinois Education Association in Matteson, physical education teacher Linda Nelson and the other encore teachers at Chelsea School.  In only a few weeks of collecting, more than 900 pairs of shoes were donated, with 720 coming from Chelsea students and staff.  

School board unanimously approves college-prep academy  The Springfield School Board on Tuesday approved plans to open a small college preparatory academy next fall, after concluding that it’s worth the extra $120,000 to run the program.   

Groups Rally for CPS Funding
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 –  deficit, but Governor Pat Quinn is proposing a 15 percent cut in state funding, and that deficit could balloon. The deficit is growing due to CPS’s pension obligations, contractual raises for teachers in addition state-wide economic problems. CPS has already cut about 536 employees and mandated furloughs this year, and are expected to have to mandate more furloughs next year.   

Chicago Quaker school would be the state’s first
Chicago Tribune –  elementary or a high school in the Chicago area, but none had seriously pursued it, Robinson said. He helped spark the effort in 2007 after finding no sense of community among parents, students and teachers at the public school where his daughter attended kindergarten. Robinson recalled being troubled that he and his wife had no telephone numbers for any of the other parents   

Chicago schools need a lesson in teaching black history
Medill News Service – Black History Month is over but students and community leaders say it never really started for Chicago Public Schools.    

University of Illinois tuition could rise as much as 20 percent  URBANA — The state’s worsening financial picture has forced the University of Illinois to consider raising freshman tuition by up to 20 percent, as well as borrowing money to ease its cash crisis — something it opposed just last month. 

Political News

School voucher idea advances in Springfield
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader  – A new school-voucher program proposed by Democratic state Sen. James Meeks of Chicago has cleared its first test, but murky waters loom ahead.  His voucher proposal would allow parents of students in the academically lowest 10 percent of Chicago Public Schools to have the option of sending their children to a private school, if space is available. Formerly a strong advocate for improving Illinois’s public schools, Meeks said his plan comes as a result of violence and increasingly poor test scores in CPS schools.   

‘A decent education’
Chicago Tribune – When state Sen. James Meeks asks fellow Democrats to give education vouchers to kids who attend some of the worst schools in Chicago, the legislators often tell him they don’t want to divert dollars from public education. Meeks’ response:  

Brady learning to think ’statewide’
Braidwood Journal – The point here is that Bill Brady is obviously not yet thinking like a statewide candidate. For crying out loud, you can’t introduce a bill to help out your local puppy gas chamber when you’re trying to be governor. I mean, seriously, what kind of thought process concocts an idea like that?   

I’ve Got a Budget Idea for Gov. Pat Quinn …
Quinn last week opened an online forum for Illinois voters to voice their opinion on how to fix the state’s $13 billion budget hole. Not all the ideas came from the fringe, but among the 2,000 comments at www.illinois.budget.gov, those are the most entertaining.  Here’s a collection of some of the more interesting budget ideas, some of which were culled by the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Peoria Journal Star.    

Dozens seek to replace Scott Lee Cohen as lieutenant governor nominee
Chicago Tribune – Substitute teachers, a one-time undercover vice cop and a Republican union worker willing to switch parties are among an eclectic group of 46 people unveiled Tuesday as applicants seeking to succeed   

Ten Most Ridiculous Lt. Gov. Applications
NBC Chicago – You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want Scott Lee Cohen back.

Question of the day, March 3: Legislative scholarships  Should General Assembly members continue to have the privilege of awarding college scholarships? more    

Our Opinion: Eliminate legislative scholarships  STATE UNIVERSITIES across Illinois are struggling today to cover basic expenses because the state owes them hundreds of millions of dollars.   

Fix Illinois without raising taxes
Chicago Tribune – Letter to the Editor – On March 10, 2010, Governor Quinn will be making his annual budget address. Governor Quinn has made it clear that he believes the only way out of the states financial mess is to raise our taxes. Americans for Prosperity strongly disagrees!   

Kirk backs jobless benefits extension  U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, opposes a Kentucky Republican senator’s stand against extension of unemployment benefits.   

Ill. Senate Dems To Dissect GOP Candidate’s Budget
WBBM TV CBS 2 Chicago – The Democrats are likely to focus on the service cuts that would be required, part of an effort to portray Brady as too extreme and to build support for other budget ideas. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cut spending but also raise income taxes.   

Laughs, boos for Blago at NU  To some, the irony was as thick as the shock of hair on his head: indicted ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich addressed Northwestern University students Tuesday night about ethics and morals in government.  One student said the event was akin to inviting Tiger Woods to speak about fidelity.   

National News

US teachers more interested in reform than money
Belleville News-Democrat  – SEATTLE — U.S. teachers are more interested in school reform and student achievement than their paychecks, according to a massive new survey.  The survey of 40,090 K-12 teachers – including 15,038 by telephone – was likely the largest national survey of teachers ever completed and includes the opinions of teachers in every grade, in every state and across the demographic spectrum.

First lady hails value of reading, Dr. Seuss
Belleville News-Democrat – Tuesday by reading “The Cat in the Hat” to a group of children wearing red-and-white-striped stovepipe hats like the book’s main character.  Mrs. Obama helped kick off the National Education Association’s 13th annual “Read Across America” celebration at the Library of Congress. The event marked the day that Dr. Seuss, or Theodor Seuss Geisel, would have turned 106.  

TIME.com Top Stories 

Health Reform’s Reconciliation Ref — Alan Frumin

As Democrats try to salvage health care reform, there is one man who above all others will help determine its fate, and he is not Barack Obama or Harry Reid or even a member of Congress

Pakistan’s Taliban War: Bringing Back the Music

Little U.S. aid had been spent because of fears of corruption and violence. A brief musical interlude may now give Islamabad a chance to reform its wild frontier

The Incredible Shrinking Europe

If Europe wants to become a global power to rival the U.S. and China then it needs to stop acting like a collection of rich, insular states and start fighting for its beliefs. Now

How High Could the U.S. Tax Rate Go?

Given the ballooning federal deficit there is near unanimity among economists that higher taxes are on the way. But will the tax target high-income earners, the middle class or all Americans?

LostWatch: Thieves in the Temple

SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, find the right stone to push at the temple and watch last night’s Lost

How Rick Perry Turned Around the Battle for Texas

Hutchison was the prohibitive election favorite about a year ago but now the Daughter of Texas is identified with the Washington the Lone Star State loves to hate

In Diyala, Dangerous Omens for an Iraq Without U.S. Troops

Despite local successes against al-Qaeda, Sunni-Shi’ite and Arab-Kurd tensions raise the threat of post-election violence

Chile: Prepared for the Quake but Not the Tsunami

A significant number of the dead in Chile were victims not of pancaked buildings but of quake-caused waves that punished the country’s coast

Colombia Gets Ready for Life After Uribe

Alvaro Uribe had sought to win the right to run for President another time — like his neighbor and rival in Venezuela. But the courts have denied him that right and there is no appeal

Jay Leno’s Long Nightmare Is Over

Jay Leno’s transition from primetime failure to once-and-future host of the Tonight Show lasted about a minute and a half

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

 

1) Same-sex couples line up as D.C. gay marriage law takes effect

Sitting at a desk in the marriage bureau of the D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday morning, Angelisa Young’s eyes filled with so many tears, she eventually buried her face in her fiancee’s chest.

2) Rep. Charles Rangel to temporarily quit key tax post

Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday that he would temporarily step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, days after being admonished for breaking House rules by accepting corporate-financed travel.

3) ‘Enough!’ is enough: Bunning backs down

For five days, retiring Sen. Jim Bunning held his fellow Republicans hostage. He stood his ground, angry and alone, a one-man blockade against unemployment benefits, Medicare payments to doctors, satellite TV to rural Americans and paychecks to highway workers.

4) Ask Tom: Our food critic talks shop

Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema answers your questions, listens to your suggestions and even entertains your complaints about Washington dining.

5) New formula to give fresh look at poverty

The Obama administration Tuesday embraced an alternative way of defining what it means to be poor, stepping gingerly into a long-running debate over whether to revise the method that has been used to measure poverty for decades.

6) Rove admits to error on Iraq as Bush strategist

Former president George W. Bush did not mislead the nation about weapons of mass destruction as a way to “lie us” into war, his former top political aide, Karl Rove, asserts in a new memoir, “Courage and Consequence.”

7) Obama reaches out to GOP on health-care bill

As Democrats on Capitol Hill prepared a risky effort to muscle sweeping health-care legislation to final passage, President Obama on Tuesday made a last gambit to split Republicans on the issue, proposing to incorporate a handful of GOP ideas into his signature domestic initiative.

8.) Political theater with a point

The health-care reform debate makes ‘political theater’ sound pretty good.

9) Perry bests Hutchison in Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry cruised to victory in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night, crushing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and setting the stage for a run for a third full term this fall.

10) U.S. backs efforts to ban international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna

The U.S. government announced Wednesday that it supports prohibiting international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a move that could lead to the most sweeping trade restrictions ever imposed on the highly prized fish.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, March 3, 2010

eructation \ih-ruhk-TAY-shuhn\, noun:

The act of belching; a belch.

 A Titanic mistake or nothing at all  Phil Kadner –  In about a month, hundreds, if not thousands, of teachers are going to be getting notices that their jobs are not guaranteed next fall.  The state’s multibillion-dollar construction plan, designed to put people to work, is in jeopardy because people are voting not to adopt legalized video gambling.  And the bond rating agencies are saying there may soon come a time when loaning money to Illinois may be too great 

A video report on this weekend’s IEA Board of Director’s meeting can be found at this link:  http://ieanea.blip.tv/file/3279950/  The password is  iea (all lower case)  

State News   

Former State Schools Chief Says Time for Education Funding Reform is Now
WGIL AM Radio 14 (Galesburg) – Schools across the state are suffering large budget cuts and staff layoffs. Much of the problem comes from unpaid state bills. The state faces a multi-billion dollar budget deficit,   

Student test will grade schools’ progress
Belleville News-Democrat – Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing.  * Provide breakfast the mornings of testing.  * Remind your child to ask the teacher questions if he or she does not understand the test directions.  * Let your child know you have confidence in his or her ability to do well.   

When we don’t make money, government doesn’t, either
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald –  state revenues mean less for county and municipal governments, which also are struggling with lower sales tax receipts. Many school districts are slashing their budgets and laying off teachers. Your federal, state, property and sales taxes keep things running. And legislators, from Washington, D.C., to village hall, are struggling to deal with the shortfall, either by tightening 

State owes school $499K
Joliet Herald News – The Minooka High school board is keeping a close eye on money the state owes the district. While a half million dollars may seem like a drop in the bucket to the district’s $40 million-plus budget, 

U-46 union, superintendent detail concerns in budget cut plan
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – But, because of the board and the (teachers union) agreement we have the layoff process that we have. There is a conversation nationally that perhaps when we go through RIFs, we should go through by evaluations, not seniority and tenure. The union is not ready for that, obviously, and I’m not ready for that myself. Yet. It makes sense to cut those who are the least 

Funding loss forces Unit 2 to consider cuts
Streator Times-Press – In other action, the board employed Sandy Brown as a full-time special education route driver and accepted the resignation of Kathryn Ewers as high school biology teacher at the end of the school year. 

United superintendent addresses staff about budget situation, facing $400K in cuts
Monmouth Daily Review Atlas – but had to address the funding issues for the good of the school. He said Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget, posted online just Wednesday, called for a reduction of $1.5 billion dollars in K-12 education funding. “It will absolutely hit everybody and anybody,” Whitsitt said. “We won’t know all the details until April or May or more likely June. 

State’s red ink likely to mean cuts for schools
Mattoon Journal Gazette – And the question of whether Congress will send more money to states remains unclear. Clearly, though, Quinn wants them to help chip in. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., the governor asked officials from the Obama administration to send more cash Illinois’ way 

Teachers tell Hare NCLB all about scores
Galesburg Register Mail – We are feeding kids, getting them health care. We are practically raising kids now — not teaching them.” Campagna said his letter to Hare questioned President Obama’s Race to the Top agenda, which proposes to evaluate teachers based on student’s test scores. “To me there are so many variables when it comes to students,” he said.

Seniority may save some D150 employees
Peoria Journal Star – at the district are eligible by law to return to the classroom to teach, provided space is available and depending on seniority of those vying for a particular job. Bob Darling, a teacher at Richwoods High School and Peoria Federation of teachers union president, saw his extra duties as the district’s driver education manager among those highlighted for possible change.

OPINION SHAPER: Should teachers get merit pay?
St. Clair County Journal – OPINION SHAPER: Should teachers get merit pay? By Carl Peterson A standardized test almost ruined my life.I was 12 and transferring from a rural Illinois K-8 school to a junior high 

JWCC reacts to state’s $1.5 billion cuts in education
Quincy WGEM (NBC) 10 – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposes cutting more than one-point-three million dollars in state education funding. That includes four thousand for higher education. John Wood Community College is just one school that’s looking into tuition changes to supplement the shortfall. 

CPS Faces Possible $1B Budget Gap
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – “We have simply not kept pace with the rest of the country on how we fund public education.” The union representing Chicago’s public school teachers released a statement in support of Huberman’s work for more school funding, but they call talk about potential job cuts and pension changes a threat they will not tolerate. 

Facing $1 Billion Deficit, CPS Plans Big Cuts
Chicago Chicagoist – The projected budget shortfall for the CPS is $700 million but Gov. Quinn’s new budget adds in an additional $275 million in cuts. Huberman is also asking the Chicago teachers Union, due a four percent cost of living increase in wages next year ($169 million), for concessions as well as for pension reform and a delay in payments due to the pension.

Political News  

Cullerton: Lawmakers not cheering for tax increase
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – llinois Senate President John Cullerton believes any income tax increase must pass with bipartisan support. That’s according to Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon. She was responding to Gov. Pat Quinn, who said Friday that Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan aren’t “cheerleaders” for an income tax increase. 

Madigan May Not Support Tax Hike
WGIL AM Radio 14 (Galesburg) – but a new Democrat lieutenant governor candidate is. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is not saying if he and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) have advised Gov. Pat Quinn to leave an income tax hike out of his budget proposal. But he is hinting that it’s a non-starter. He reminds lawmakers that Quinn’s tax hike proposal won only 44 votes last year, 

A no-tax-hike option  Chicago Tribune Editorial – Gov. Pat Quinn is 10 days away from a budget address in which he’ll reassert that you should pay higher taxes. He’ll say the State of Illinois cannot eliminate a $12.8 billion shortfall that’s been years in the making without more of your money. 

A different way for Illinois to put in the fix  Could there be a bigger waste of time than having to listen to a group of Illinois politicians collectively make excuses about our school funding crisis?  Although, when you think about it, being subjected to a gaggle of incoherent tea baggers trying to make sense of the same thing would be worse. Pitting the merits of politicians versus tea baggers ain’t exactly setting the bar too high.  

Our View: Share your budget opinions on Web site  Mt. Vernon Register-News – ? Pat Quinn apparently wants to hear from you. The recently launched Web site, budget.illinois.gov, aims to communicate with residents the current financial …   

Finke: Budget Web site gives forum for venting
Peoria Journal Star – Finally, a government program that is popular. Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration posted some outlines of the state’s budget crisis and asked the public for input. As of mid-afternoon Friday, nearly 2,000 comments had been recorded.   

Mike Lawrence: Those who betray public trust must pay a high price
Springfield State Journal Register – tapped to head a presidential commission that forthrightly addressed racism in America after the urban riots of the late 1960s, eventually installed as a U.S. Appellate Court judge. But his education, military record and rise to prominence did not matter on this day or in the ensuing litigation. Two years after he donned judicial robes, federal investigators became convinced   

CAPITOL FACTS: ‘Brady budget’ to get hearing
Streator Times-Press – “Brady budget” proposal may finally break the media coverage logjam. But the coverage might not all be positive. “When are they going to hold hearings on Quinn’s budget?” cracked a Brady campaign aide yesterday afternoon when told of the planned hearings. The aide accused the Democrats of using a Senate committee and state agency higher-ups   

Now Hiring: State’s No. 2 Executive
NBC Chicago – Illinois Democrats have posted a job application to their Web site in hopes of finding a good No. 2 to run with Gov. Pat Quinn in the fall election.   

Want to be lieutenant governor? Apply online
Chicago Tribune – the debacle that led to their lieutenant governor nominee dropping from the ticket, Illinois Democrats on Friday began an online open casting call for applicants interested in serving as Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate in November. Though the decision of who will be paired with Quinn on the fall ballot will ultimately be made by the 38-member Democratic State Central Committee,   

Our View: Time to reform pensions, not add more sweeteners
Peoria Journal Star  – People in Illinois can disagree over what to do, if anything, about public pensions in Illinois, but what is not in dispute is that the state’s $54 billion unfunded pension liability – the state’s auditor general puts the number as high as $78 billion – represents the worst record of fiscal irresponsibility in the nation, by far, bar none. It is painfully, abundantly clear that Illinois hasn’t   

National News

 

Obama to focus on education
Washington Post – President Barack Obama begins the week with a focus on education and keeping kids in school. At an event Monday hosted by former Gen. Colin Powell and his wife, Alma, Obama will announce new steps aimed at improving the nation’s schools. Later, Obama receives his daily briefing on the economy and meets with senior advisers.

Obama takes on high school dropout crisis, proposing $900 M in return for drastic changes   …economy, giving up on your education and dropping out of school…including teacher effectiveness, instruction, learning and teacher planning…personalized and individual instruction and support to keep students…announced his plan Monday at an education event sponsored by the America… 

Wash. Teacher’s Stalker Waited Outside School for Hours Before Shooting
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – about once a year, from an old college acquaintance. Then, flowers and unwanted visits, an anti-harassment order, an arrest — and bail. Jennifer Paulson, a 30-year-old special education teacher at a Tacoma elementary school, knew she was in danger this week when her alleged stalker was released from the Pierce County Jail, three days after she had him arrested.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

Top 10 Memorable Moments of the Winter Olympics  It started with tragedy, and technical mishap or two, but the Vancouver Winter Games also had its share of athletic triumphs. Here a look at this year’s Olympic highs and lows   

Chile and Haiti: A Tale of Two Earthquakes  The Chile quake was 500 times stronger than the Haiti quake, so why did it cause so much less destruction?   

The Loneliest Senator: Can the Democrats Forgive Joe Lieberman?  Working with the White House but still at odds with Democrats, Lieberman tries to overcome the past 

How Governors Could Be Key to GOP Resurgence  If Republicans can take advantage of the prevailing political winds to reassert control at the state level this year, that could in turn provide an opening for the GOP to win back the White House in 2012 

In Haiti, Aid Workers Help Orphans Find Relatives  An army of aid workers is helping orphans and displaced children find their families

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

 

1) Gun case presents quandary for court

As a member of the Junior ROTC, teenager Antonin Scalia toted his rifle on the subway ride back and forth to Queens. As a hunter, he speaks lyrically of stalking wild turkeys. And as a justice, he may have reached the pinnacle of his more than two decades on the Supreme Court when he wrote the ma…

2) Democrats will have votes for health bill, Obama aide says

Raising the prospect of a “simple up-or-down vote” on health-care reform, White House adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle said on Sunday she thinks Democrats will secure enough ayes on the measure and signaled that the administration could be moving toward trying to pass it along party lines.

3) Court dismisses appeal of Uighurs detained at Guantanamo Bay

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a major separation of powers case that would have determined what rights judges have to free detainees at Guantanamo Bay who have been found not to be enemy combatants.

4) Misdials help ‘crammers’ ring up millions in phone bill scam

Roy and John Lin made a devilish fortune in the details of phone bills, according to a federal investigation.

5) Bomber’s video says he lured CIA targets with misleading data

The suicide bomber behind the Dec. 30 attack on a CIA base in eastern Afghanistan claims in a posthumously released recording that he lured U.S. and Jordanian intelligence officers into a trap by sending them misleading information about terrorist targets as well as videotapes he made of senior a…

6) Rising with a bullet among top pollutants: Number Two

Nearly 40 years after the first Earth Day, this is irony: The United States has reduced the manmade pollutants that left its waterways dead, discolored and occasionally flammable.

7) Medvedev demands resignations over Olympic flop

MOSCOW — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev demanded Monday that sports officials step down over the country’s dismal performance at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

8.) Obama to announce get-tough strategy for struggling schools

President Obama outlined Monday a get-tough strategy for turning around persistently struggling schools, offering an unprecedented increase in federal funding for local school systems that shake up their lowest-achieving campuses.

9) Living with partisanship

Sometimes, ‘cheap partisanship’ is actually a fundamental divide.

10) The right count

Why the Census Bureau is courting conservatives.

Word of the Day for Monday, March 1, 2010

pablum \PAB-luhm\, noun:

1. Something (as writing or speech) that is trite, insipid, or simplistic.
2. (capitalized) A trademark used for a bland soft cereal for infants.

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  

State superintendent says Illinois schools face funding cliff
Streator Times-Press – The state’s superintendent of education says he sympathizes with local school administrators’ dilemma of dealing with late payments from the state.  But with the state mired in a deep budget crisis, Chris Koch said there’s not much he or the state can do. 

Quinn unveils $2B in cuts; budget director says more than $920 million will have to be cut from elementary and high schools
Quincy Herald-Whig –  Gov. Pat Quinn used a Web site to unveil more than $2 billion in cuts for the state budget year that will start July 1, but said another $11.5 billion needs to be accounted for.  

Schools prepare for massive cuts
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Governor Pat Quinn’s new proposed budget calls for a reduction of at least 11-percent in state funding for schools, which could lead to teacher layoffs. One suburban district is even suggesting the school year may need to be shortened because there won’t be enough money to pay for staff.  

D118 to announce staff cuts
Danville Commercial-News – District 118 school officials announced Thursday they would conduct a press conference this morning to announce staff cuts for next year. Danville Education Association President Robin Twidwell said the union was told in negotiations that 60 to 90 jobs could be cut, including 40 funded with state grant money.  

Wheaton Warrenville schools face $8.6 million deficit
Chicago Tribune – “If we protect jobs, if you could at least freeze salaries, you can deal with some of these problems over time.” Bryce Cann, president of the Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, said the union wants “to make sure that things are being done reasonably and responsibly.” “Obviously, everybody’s disappointed with the fact that cuts have to be made,” 

Teachers turn out for school district budget forum
Springfield State Journal Register – the roughly 320 seats set up in the Grant Middle School gymnasium were taken. Dozens of people also sat on the bleachers. Most in the crowd were wearing T-shirts boosting the Springfield Education Association, the teachers union. School Superintendent Walter Milton wants to eliminate 56 non-classroom teaching positions and increase class sizes as part of his plan to cut $5.3 million  

Mercer County school board, education association agree on a contract
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – The Mercer County School District Board of Education and the Mercer County Education Association formally ratified a two-year labor agreement Wednesday. The agreement covers wages, benefits and working conditions for 116 teachers, counselors, coaches and a nurse. 

South Pekin to cut music, art teachers
Peoria Journal Star – South Pekin Grade School students will lose music and arts programs next year, thanks to funding woes throughout the district. The South Pekin School Board this week gave notices to teachers who will not have jobs in the 2010-11 school year. They include the music teacher, the art teacher, an elementary-level special education teacher and three teacher’s aides. 

Woodland District 50 to cut 16 teachers
Chicago Daily Herald – were eliminated Thursday night at Woodland Elementary District 50 in Gurnee in an effort to shrink a $3.5 million budget deficit projected for the 2010-11 academic year. In addition to trimming some teachers and other employees, District 50 board members agreed to increase student registration fees and lunch prices 

Dist. 201 eliminates 40 positions
Morris Daily Herald – $1.2 million of a $3.4 million deficit, Minooka Dist. 201 board members Wednesday night approved a reduction in force by 40 employees. Of those 40 eliminated positions, 23 are support staff, 14 are teachers who had been employed by the district four years or less, and three are tenured teachers. 

Tough calls ahead in U-46 budget
Chicago Tribune – Everything from coloring books to special-education teachers are on the chopping block in Elgin-based School District U-46 as officials try to balance a budget with a projected $40 million deficit. “My goal is to see that deficit disappear,” 

First Southland charter school deserves nod
Chicago Daily Southtown – Editorial – From school board fights to test score scandals, the state of Rich Township High School District 227 is an unmitigated mess. Yet those who are in charge of educating its young people are fighting to hang on to the very students they are failing. 

Your View: Should D-99 retain popular chemistry teacher?
Romeoville Reporter –  School District 99 officials announced that chemistry teacher Andrew Klamm would not be rehired for the next school year. Students started a “Keep Klamm” campaign, and the Downers Grove Education Association is investigating the matter. Should district officials reconsider their decision? 

Education advocates rally for preschool funding
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – A demonstration of the importance of preschool education funding took place in Springfield Thursday. A group called Illinois Action for Children set up a live preschool classroom, complete with kids and teachers from the Decatur School District. 

SIUE named innovation leader for fifth year
Edwardsville Alestle – Each department has the chance to put its own unique spin on the senior assignment. Nicole Aydt Klein, assistant professor for the Department of Kinesiology and Health education gave an example of senior assignments health and kinesiology students have done in the past. “Students evaluate different health education programs in the area,” Klein said. 

Chicago Public Schools cuts jobs in face of deficit
Chicago Daily Southtown – job cuts and three weeks of furloughs for nonunion workers still on the job. CPS chief executive Ron Huberman predicted an “incredibly serious” fiscal year ahead and said he would need help from teachers and other union members to avoid “devastating effects” on students. To make ends meet this year, the school system is cutting back some spring non-varsity sports and eliminating lacrosse 

Chicago Schools CEO Projects $1.2 Billion Deficit
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – Huberman told reporters that he might avoid some drastic cuts if Springfield and the teachers Union provide help. At the top of Huberman’s wish list: reducing by $300 million the amount the Board of Education must pay into the teacher’s Pension Fund. 

More CPS job cuts as $975 million deficit looms
Chicago Sun Times – job cuts — and three weeks of furloughs for nonunion workers still left on the job. Schools CEO Ron Huberman predicted an “incredibly serious” fiscal year ahead and said he would need help from teachers and other unions to avoid “devastating effects” on students. 

No way around CPS teacher pay freeze
Chicago Sun Times – on Thursday painted the grimmest financial picture the Chicago schools have ever seen. The budget deficit could top $900 million, a hole so big that Huberman says he needs major concessions from teachers — a move that could easily lead to a teachers’ strike if the unions refuse to play ball. We’re not alerting parents to cause a panic or to bash beleaguered teachers. 

Schools find ways to fit in fitness
Chicago Tribune – $1,000 and $3,000 for a 10-week program depending on their size, and parents can pay for after-school programs. Armstrong Principal Otis Dunson brought the program back after hearing from teachers and students. “With the growing childhood obesity rates and our only being able to offer gym once a week, we wanted to bring in another kind of physical activity,” Dunson said.

Political News

‘Think tank’ launches classic attack on ‘government’
By Jim Broadway, Publisher, State School News Service

Every opportunist welcomes a crisis. The Illinois Policy Institute is no exception.

 Illinois faces a budget crisis estimated on average at about $12,800,000,000. In a publication it calls the “2010 Illinois Piglet Book” (you get the feeling cold objectivity is not a high priority) the IPI identifies $350,000,000 in state government “waste.”

Public offers budget-balancing suggestions
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – The Illinois Education Association, a large teachers union, is encouraging members to write to the governor’s website.  In most of the comments ABC7 saw, people said they believe the state government can do more to cut spending. They are also very concerned about the size of pensions that the state pays retirees.

Where would we be if Poshard had beaten Ryan?   BY RICH MILLER  I ran into Glenn Poshard the other day. As I walked away from our pleasant little chitchat, I told my intern that Illinois would be a far different place today if Poshard had been elected governor in 1998 when he ran against George Ryan. 

Editorial: Near-bankrupt Illinois needs someone to do the right thing
Westchester Herald – self-respecting bookies would likely lay odds on state government doing nothing – again – to confront the crisis. Indeed, what Democrat will take on state government’s largest union, AFSCME, or the teachers’ unions, all resistant to negotiating cost-saving changes? Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Madigan has said he won’t carry any tax increase unless Republicans are on board. 

Smoldering reform
Chicago Tribune –  Gov. Pat Quinn, the Boy Scout who replaced bad boy Rod Blagojevich, had commissioned a blue-ribbon ethics panel to draw up an agenda for reform. House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton had formed a joint committee to propose and pass improved ethics laws. Republicans were complaining about being underrepresented in the effort. It was a five-alarm call. 

Some Budget advice: Give back your salary
Chicago Daily Southtown – Phil Kadner – Gov. Pat Quinn has asked Illinois residents for their suggestions on cutting the budget. Well, governor, I’m glad to offer you my ideas.  First, give back your salary.  You’ve failed the people by allowing a $13 billion budget deficit to go unattended. 

Editorial: State budget crisis hurts all
Belleville News-Democrat – When we speak about the state’s financial woes, it is easy to turn away because of the vastness of the problem.  Now we can no longer turn a blind eye to the state’s insolvency, though, as cities work around hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of delayed payments and schools face the prospect of emptying reserve coffers to compensate for a lack of education funding from the state. 

Dave Bakke: Lieutenant governor’s office: Unloved … and unneeded?
Springfield State Journal Register – Nobody with an impressive political resume seems to want the job. We aren’t sure we even need it, especially when the state’s budget is so far in the red. That is why the Illinois legislature is being asked to decide whether we should vote to keep or deep-six the office of lieutenant governor. Illinois has seen this movie before. 

Quinn Howls Over Brady’s Pet-Kill Legislation  NBC Chicago –  There’s a political dog-fight brewing between Governor Pat Quinn, a dog owner, and his likely Republican rival Senator Bill Brady. 

Meet The Bumbling GOP Gubernatorial Ticket  Progress Illinois (blog) – ?The Democrats haven’t chosen a lieutenant governor nominee just yet, but their incomplete ticket already seems stronger than the GOP’s slate. … 

Quinn Up On Both Possible GOP Foes  National Journal (blog) – IL Gov. Pat Quinn (D) holds double-digit leads against both GOPers locked in a recount battle for their party’s …   

Giannoulias Senate bid threatened by family bank’s losses  Chicago Daily Herald – ? Fridays are getting tense in the Chicago campaign office of Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat seeking the US Senate seat once held by President Barack …  

National News

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Obama Finds No Common Ground at Health Care Summit

By the end of the bipartisan gathering, it was clear that the two parties have fundamentally different views of how to go about fixing the nation’s health care system

Eastern Exposure: With Kim’s Gold, Asian Skaters Come Into Their Own

With Yu Na Kim of Korea’s gold medal and Mao Asada of Japan’s silver medal skates on Thursday, athletes from the Far East earned five of the twelve figure skating medals in Vancouver

 

Killer-Whale Tragedy: What Made Tilikum Snap?

Something about the swish of a trainer’s ponytail may have sparked the whale’s fatal attack

 

How the Initiative Culture Broke California

The federal government may be broken but the richest state in the union is hobbling badly because of self-inflicted wounds

 

TigerText: An iPhone App for Cheating Spouses

TigerText says it had its name before the golfer’s problems emerged. But he sure could have used it to cover his tracks   

Stark divide on display at health summit
President Obama declared Thursday that the time for debate over health-care reform has come to an end, closing an unusual seven-hour summit with congressional leaders by sending a clear message that Democrats will move forward to pass major legislation with or without Republican support.
(By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut, The Washington Post)

Prof. Obama walks tall and carries a big paddle
(By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)

Switching sides in Afghanistan
Taliban fighters accept government offers of jobs and money but have yet to see payday
(By Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post)

Rep. Rangel’s trips broke congressional gift rules, panel says
He is responsible because staff knew of corporate sponsorship
(By Paul Kane, The Washington Post)

U.S. probes big banks’ role in Greek fiscal crisis
Goldman Sachs, others may have helped mask nation’s ballooning debt
(By Neil Irwin and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)   

Va. moves to limit special-ed test’s use
Virginia officials are moving to sharply limit an alternative testing program that many schools in the Washington suburbs use to measure the abilities of special education students who traditionally have fared poorly on the state’s Standards of Learning exams. 

Brewing a progressive alternative to the Tea Party
Coffee Party says its civic dialogue is tastier choice
(By Dan Zak, The Washington Post)

Apollo’s greatest hits, onstage and off
In video and memorabilia, exhibit at Smithsonian will show just why that joint’s still jumpin’
(By Jacqueline Trescott, The Washington Post)

They’re tracking our tears: NBC says athletes aren’t the only ones crying during the Olympics
(By Lisa de Moraes, The Washington Post)

 

Word of the Day for Friday, February 26, 2010

mulct \MULKT\, noun:

1. A fine or penalty.

Katie B., a teacher with the Charleston Education Association is the second winner of a $100 VISA gift card. You can enter to win a VISA gift card by sending us an e-mail with VISA in the subject line. Readers of the insider have a chance to win valuable prizes all year long!

You are an IEA member. You know that schools across the state are suffering financially, due in great part to the state’s budget crisis. IEA is asking you to take a moment to let the governor know what you’re going through, what students are facing and what kind of effect this crisis has on our state.

For the first time ever, Gov. Pat Quinn is opening up the state’s books to the public AND allowing you to comment on the budget. We’re asking you to take a moment to do so. This video will walk you through the very simple process that actually gives you a voice in the process.

And, if you want legislators to hear your voice loud and clear, come to IEA Lobby Day on April 21. There is strength in numbers. We want it to be impossible for legislators to ignore IEA members’ collective voice and are expecting thousands to show up in Springfield to talk to lawmakers, encouraging them to invest in our state’s future by investing in education.

Save time and money

Find great values online and save using your membership card. Save on tax services, search for products or download grocery coupons. Go to the IEA website and enter your 10-digit member ID number, then click “go.”

Tell us your Read Across America plans!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with Read Across America. Dr. Seuss was right that people can guide themselves on any path in life. And, those who are good navigators are almost always good readers. There are great ideas out there to help you get started. Then be sure to send us pictures of your event.

NEA Member Benefits

NEA Member Benefits wants to help you stretch your hard-earned money with the best value on insurance vehicles, as well as everyday products and services. Visit the NEA MB website to find out all the ways they are there for you.

Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge

The White House and the Department of Education have announced a new Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge competition to have President Obama speak at their graduation.

The challenge encourages schools to show how they are making great strides in personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness.

Applications must be completed by students and submitted by a high school’s principal using the Commencement Challenge Application Form no later than March 15.

Website of the Week

This week’s Website of the Week will help you put together a strong resume when looking for a teaching position. Experienced members as well as student members can benefit from this website.

 

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 faces $2 billion in cuts; education hit hard   More than $2 billion will have to be cut from the state budget next year — nearly half from public grade and high schools — budget information released Wednesday by Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration shows.  The dismal news is contained on a Web site — http://budget.Illinois.gov — created by the administration give the public more details about the state’s pre­carious finances and to seek suggestions from them about what to do. 

Schools to take wallop in 2011 state budget  Without an infusion of cash, Gov. Quinn plans to slash more than $2 billion from next year’s state budget and make already cash-strapped public school systems across Illinois bear the brunt of that cutting, his budget director confirmed Wednesday.   

State $33M behind in payments to EIU
Mattoon Journal Gazette – higher education committee colleagues to have the state set a timeline for paying money owed to public universities and community colleges.On Monday, the 10 legislators sent a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Daniel Hynes asking them to notify the higher education institutions of a payment timeline. If a timeline is not available, the legislators have asked to meet with Quinn 

Budget “Catastrophe” Predicted for Schools
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – Illinois State Superintendent of Schools Christopher Koch is predicting a “catastrophe” for Illinois schools in the next fiscal year– a one billion dollar shortfall.   

School supts. preparing for cut in state aid  Williamson County school leaders braced in February for worst-case scenarios as they began to plan budgets for the 2011 fiscal year without clear direction from the General Assembly or state board of education.  All five districts discussed cuts this month to prepare for possible layoffs or reductions in force to be decided in March.   

Auburn considers cutting teachers, other employees  As many as 8 1/2 teaching positions and 20 other jobs in the Auburn School District could be eliminated next year as Auburn school officials deal with the expected loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars of state aid.   

Scores of local teachers get notice of potential cuts
Lake Forester – Probationary teachers in Lake Forest Elementary District 67 and Lake Forest High School District 115 received Reduction in Force (RIF) letters in the last two weeks as part of cost-cutting measures   

State of Illinois currently owes AFC CUSD 275 more than $444,000
Ashton Gazette – AFC school board approved the amended agreement between Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD #275 regarding reimbursement of expenditures   

Large crowd expected for school budget forum  The Springfield School Board’s public forum on budget cuts tonight at Grant Middle School will jumpstart a budgeting process that will take months to complete. School Superintendent Walter Milton last weekend proposed $5.3 million in budget reductions during the next school year.

Proposed charter school would ‘devastate’ SD 227: Lawyer
Chicago Daily Southtown – charter school in Rich Township High School District 227 will “devastate” the district financially, and could lead to an illegal admissions policy, according to an attorney for District 227. The school board recently voted to oppose the creation of the Southland Charter Prep School, championed by proponents as a college prep-oriented alternative to district high schools plagued by years

Dist. 200 cuts irk parents, teachers  As Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials continue to develop a strategy to address a projected $8.6 million deficit in their 2010-2011 budget, a growing number of parents and teachers are voicing their opinions. 

SCHOOL DISTRICT 89: Teachers may have to pay back salary overages
West Proviso Herald – Some School District 89 teachers were paid higher salaries than their classification warrants and they may have to pay back the school district. An audit discovered 35 teachers have discrepancies in their pay,   

Limited English students face daunting task in the ISAT
Medill News Service- “We have linguistically modified language forms for math and science tests. For open-ended math questions, students can respond in Spanish.”  Still, some bilingual teachers say the the accommodations don’t go far enough.   “If students can’t understand English, it will not help even if teachers read the directions and questions to them,” said Fareesa Khan,   

 Sangamon school district reps agree on necessity of sales tax  CHATHAM — Representatives of nine school districts, including Springfield, agreed Wednesday night that the projected $19 million in revenue from a proposed Sangamon County schools sales tax is sorely needed. 

Illinois ponders ‘sexting’ trend   Explicit images by phone Only charge is child porn, even for teens in the photos. Who should be punished? Many say ’sex offender’ label doesn’t fit in these cases.  

School districts plow through snow days
Macomb Journal – districts use the five snow days built into the calendar, they can apply to the State Board of Education for Act of God days,” Messersmith said. “That is my intent.” Under illinois school Code, school calendars must include 176 days of student attendance and at least five emergency days. When things happen that are beyond their control,   

School Board too busy to let honor student talk
Julian High School senior Shantell Steve was walking on air last year after she was commended as a role model during a national address to schoolchildren by President Obama. But in her own hometown Wednesday, Shantell said she walked away from a Chicago School Board meeting feeling insulted and disrespected.   

8 schools to be closed or overhauled  After a turbulent month of public outcry and reversals by the district, the Chicago Public Schools administration received approval Wednesday to overhaul eight schools for low enrollment, poor facilities or struggling academics.   

Political News    

Bill would let schools skip mandates
DeKalb Daily Chronicle –  Over the past 17 years, the Illinois Legislature has passed 110 unfunded mandates, many targeting public schools, according to State Rep. Robert Pritchard. And Pritchard thinks enough is enough. “Every year (districts) talk to me about the mandates we pass here, and they generally talk about how ridiculous the mandates are and how many don’t apply to them,” he said.

 Our View: Whom to turn to in near-bankrupt Illinois?
Peoria Journal Star – It’s not exactly like the Civic Federation is some leftist organization, eager to tax Illinoisans into oblivion. Indeed, the 116-year-old institution headquartered in Chicago is officially non-partisan, though it’s always had a pretty pro-business, conservative slant. Its current leader worked for Republican governors Jim Edgar and George Ryan.   

Editorial: Illinois must reform pensions, make cuts before tax talk
Westchester Herald –  Illinois’ budget hole — almost $13 billion — is the result of years of the state spending beyond its means, years of neglecting pension reforms and years of mismanagement. The solutions will be painful, but doing nothing would be worse. One potential solution, proposed by the Civic Federation, calls for $2.5 billion in cuts, an income tax increase and pension reforms.   

Committee OKs plan to eliminate lieutenant governor  An Illinois House committee has approved a plan to allow voters to decide whether to abolish the state’s No. 2 post. 

Madigan plan to abolish lieutenant governor office advances
Chicago Daily Herald – approved by both houses of the General Assembly, Madigan’s measure would go before voters in November along with the proposed recall amendment, an idea championed by Gov. Pat Quinn that would enable Illinoisans to oust a governor from office. In a letter to Democratic leaders, House Republican leader Tom Cross warned that a “judicious and prioritized approach” is needed   

Senate panel advances legislative scholarship changes  Illinois Senate President John Cullerton Wednesday said he hopes a set of proposed changes in the way lawmakers hand out scholarships will put to rest the notion that the tuition waivers are just a political perk.   

National News

 

Getting Rid of Bad Teachers   In an article this week, The Times described the slow progress New York City officials are making in their efforts to get rid of teachers who have been judged incompetent. Despite a two-year push by the city, only three teachers have been fired, a rate of success that Schools Chancellor Joel Klein called “far too modest.” He and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have blamed the teachers’ union for defending the rules governing the system, which requires that teachers receive full pay while their cases are being decided (they spend the days in one of the system’s so-called rubber rooms), a burden that costs $30 million a year. The city’s critics point out that its officials approved many of the rules in the teachers’ contract.   

Los Angeles Times: LAUSD teachers gain control of 22 campuses in reform effort  (Howard Blume, News, California)  “In an unlikely victory, groups of teachers, rather than outside operators, will run the vast majority of 30 campuses under a controversial school reform effort, the Los Angeles Board of Education decided Tuesday.” 

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego teachers, parents, students protest — millions cut from San Diego Unified budget  “(Maureen Magee, News, California)  The San Diego school district would cut all salaries by 6 percent, impose five furlough days and raise medical co-payments. More than 232 probationary teachers would get laid off. And dozens of programs — including free school bus transportation for some families — would be eliminated in the fall.”

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. school board votes to send out nearly 900 pink slips  (Jill Tucker, News, California)  “Nearly 900 San Francisco teachers and administrators will see a dreaded pink slip in their mailboxes next month, a mass mailing made necessary bythe district’s need to brace for a $113 million shortfall over the next two years.”

Columbia Missourian: Senate committee considers bill to give children of illegal immigrants in-state college tuition  (Theo Keith, News, Missouri)  “No one voiced opposition to a bill providing children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition in a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, something the bill’s sponsor said was a surprise.”

USA Today: Mass firings at RI school may signal a trend  (Greg Toppo, News, National)  “The mass firing of teachers at a Rhode Island high school this week is hardly new: For nearly two decades, states and school districts have been “reconstituting” staffs at struggling public schools.”                                                                                                                                            

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

5 Things to Watch at Obama’s Health Care Summit

Renewal in the West Bank: A Little Noticed Mideast Success  The Palestinians have made real progress toward stability. Israel should reward them for it 

In Medellín, a Disturbing Comeback of Crime  After a few years respite, the drug wars are reigniting the hills around the city, raising fears of a return to the very, very bad old days 

An Outrage Smackdown: Family Guy Defeats Palin  Politics’ master of cultural outrage and personal offense meets her match — a cartoon character   

Why Washington Can’t Fix Itself  Congress and the President have broad powers to find and fix what ails government. Congress has oversight and investigative authority granted implicitly by the Constitution and explicitly by statute

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Looking outside the race box  So many black women are single, she says, because they are stuck in the groove of a one-track song: sitting alone, waiting for that one “good” black man to come along and sweep them off their feet.

2) Teacher’s body may have been moved   The teacher slain at a state-run juvenile detention facility in Prince George’s County appears to have been attacked in a stairwell of a campus building, her body then dumped just outside a door, sources familiar with the investigation said.

3) At summit, Obama urges parties to focus on areas of agreement  President Obama opened a bipartisan conference on health-care reform Thursday in a last-ditch effort to secure a compromise bill, urging lawmakers on both sides of the issue to focus on areas of agreement.

4) Trainer killed at SeaWorld loved killer whales  ORLANDO, Fla. — Trainers will continue to interact with a killer whale that grabbed one of their colleagues and dragged her underwater, killing her, but procedures for working with him will change, SeaWorld said Thursday.

5) X-Games skier dies after fall at Calif. ski hill  SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Current Olympians and others in the ski community are mourning the loss of professional free skier C.R. Johnson, who died in a fall while skiing a steep chute at California’s Squaw Valley.

6) Nation Digest

7) Obama opens health summit with plea for agreement  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama pleaded for bipartisan agreement at a last-ditch summit to save his healthcare overhaul on Thursday, but quickly clashed with Republicans who urged him to scrap his plan.

8.) Democrats already look past health summit  Congressional Democrats are already looking beyond the White House health-care summit, reckoning that Thursday’s session will amount to little more than political theater and focusing instead on a final round of intraparty negotiations that are likely to determine the fate of President Obama’s to…

9) When the filibuster is the enemy  For liberals, the constitution is the greatest enemy.

10) Many Americans see U.S. influence waning as that of China grows   Facing high unemployment and a difficult economy, most Americans think the United States will have a smaller role in the world economy in the coming years, and many believe that while the 20th century may have been the “American Century,” the 21st century will belong to China.

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 25, 2010

gregarious \grih-GAIR-ee-us\, adjective:

1. Tending to form a group with others of the same kind.
2. Seeking and enjoying the company of others.

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  

 

U-46 details cuts: Early childhood center, teacher layoffs on list
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – than $31 million in budget cuts for Elgin Area School District U-46 were announced Monday, with more to be hashed out in the coming weeks. Closing an early childhood center, laying off hundreds of teachers and cutting kindergarten art, music and gym time all will help the district pare down its $48.6 million deficit and deal with a likely reduction in state aid, board members heard. 

U-46, teachers union move up contract negotiations
Chicago Daily Herald  – With an eye on looming budget cuts, Elgin Area School District U-46 and its 2,500-member teachers union has announced it will begin contract negotiations several weeks earlier than originally scheduled. 

Ax falls in Oswego
Beacon News – The Oswego school board voted 6 to 1 to approve a $5.5 million reduction plan that would include 80 employee reductions, furlough days and program cuts, the first phase of reductions to help balance a  

Dwindling education funds concerns many in Decatur
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Decatur’s dwindling education fund causes concern. The Decatur Education Association and the Federation of Teaching Assistants say at the end of fiscal year 2008, the balance was almost $18 million. They project the fund’s balance to be less than $3 million  

Cuts wouldn’t hit classroom teachers, Milton says  No classroom teachers would lose their jobs under Springfield School Superintendent Walter Milton’s budget-cutting plan, Milton said Monday.

Our Opinion: Spare front-line workers from school cuts
Springfield State Journal Register – question is whether the lion’s share of $5.3 million in budget cuts should come from removing front-line workers from our education system. We don’t think so. We suspect Milton and the school board will hear as much when they meet with parents and other concerned citizens on Thursday night.  

Our Opinion: 186, SEA must face new realities
Springfield State Journal Register – THIS WAS NOT going to be a kind year to school districts anywhere, but some of the problems the Springfield public schools are facing have roots that pre-date the current state budget crisis.    

Moline schools prepare for nearly $4 million in cuts
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – MOLINE — Superintendent Cal Lee on Monday recommended slashing nearly $4 million from the school’s budget for the 2010-0 2011 school year.   

Chatham schools may cut pre-kindergarten, increase fees  The Ball-Chatham School Board endorsed a plan Monday to eliminate the district’s pre-kindergarten program until state funding is known and increase student registration and athletic fees.  The reductions should save more than $1 million, which will help ease a projected $2.2 million loss in state funding for fiscal year 2011, which starts July 1.   

District 69: Board approves $1 million in spending cuts
Morton Grove Champion – put together by interim Superintendent Kenneth Cull and Business Manager Crystal LeRoy, range from elimination of administrative and teaching staff, elimination of several support positions, freezing teachers’ contractual pay hikes and reducing spending for equipment and supplies. One of residents’ main concerns at the January board meeting was the planned elimination of the School Resource   

Time to reconsider school mandates
Chicago Daily Herald Editorial – A recent outcry from educators has made “mandates” almost a dirty word.The truth is, some of the state and federal school requirements are worthwhile, and some are obtuse and unneeded. Many come without any funding, and that’s unlikely to change.   

New state law has caused changes in driver’s ed program
Springfield State Journal Register -Bethany Williams is learning how to navigate street intersections and what it takes to drive a vehicle with a stick shift. But instead of sitting behind a steering wheel, Bethany is learning these lessons at a desk in Tom Johnson’s classroom at Glenwood High School. The 15-year-old freshman won’t receive her driver’s license when she turns 16 in September,   

School districts ax teachers, blame state for financial meltdown
Chicago Tribune – Chicago-area school districts already struggling with multimillion-dollar budget deficits are warning of mass teacher layoffs and deep program cuts for the coming school year — an impending crisis they blame on the recession and the state’s chronic financial woes.   

Resolution calls for school-closing moratorium
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – A Chicago City Council committee is discussing a moratorium on the city’s planned school closings. It comes as parents, students and teachers rally against the board of education’s latest plan to overhaul several schools. Nine schools are slated to be closed, consolidated or turned around after this school year. 

Political News

Only big tax increase can dig out Illinois  Chicago Sun-Times Editorial – The respected Civic Federation put it on the line today: Illinois desperately needs a major income tax increase to clean up the financial mess it’s in.  That’s called leadership. Now let’s see if our elected officials in Springfield, from both political parties, finally are prepared to step up and lead as well. Or will they continue to skulk about in denial, displaying zero political courage, while our state circles the drain?   

Quinn: Duckworth rejects Lt. Governor offer  Journal Gazette and Times-Courier – ? Pat Quinn says Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth doesn’t want to be considered for lieutenant governor. Quinn said Duckworth told him Tuesday she will keep …   

Quinn To Launch Budget Website Tomorrow  WCIA-3 News – Governor Pat Quinn is expected to launch a state website tomorrow that asks for the public’s opinion on his budget proposal to be unveiled …

 Is Pat Quinn a frugal fraud?  Southtown Star (blog) –  Pat Quinn repeatedly touts his membership in Super 8 hotel’s VIP club as testament to his frugality,” the Daily Herald reports. But Quinn didn’t like being …   

Cullerton asks Brady to reveal budget fix
Chicago Sun Times –  a combination of budget cuts and a tax increase to right the state’s finances. Brady said he has laid out the broad parameters of his budget plan and will offer more details after Democratic Gov. Quinn delivers his budget address March 10, thus illustrating the difference between “what we’re talking about, what they’re talking about.” The Downstate lawmaker said raising taxes would   

Ill Gop Governor’s Race Still Undecided
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – Republican Kirk Dillard says he will wait for results from the state before deciding what to do after the GOP primary for Illinois governor ended in a virtual tie. Tuesday is the deadline for the state’s 110 local election authorities to declare their results and then report them to the state. State Board of Elections executive director Dan White says results from 32 election agencies  

Lt. Gov Duties in Other States ‘Substantial.’ What Will Happen in Ill.?
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – The larger-than-life cardboard cut-out is hard to miss amid the traditional ornate trappings on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse. It’s a bold billboard of sorts that on one hand overtly informs Hoosiers they’re at the office of Indiana’s Lieutenant Governor, but on the other hand seems subtly designed to showcase Becky Skillman, their state’s second-in-command,

National News

New York Times: Obama Pitches Education Proposal to Governors

(Peter Baker & Sam Dillon, News, National)

President Obama kicked off a drive Monday to upgrade American education, unveiling a plan requiring states to adopt new reading and mathematics standards and committing his administration to “breaking down some of the barriers to reform.”

Education Week: House Committee to Hold Hearings on New ESEA

(Michelle McNeil, News, National)

“Congress plans to kick-start the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this week with the first in a series of hearings in a key House committee, where members pledge a “bipartisan, open, and transparent” process in rewriting the version of the law enacted under President George W. Bush.”

Huffington Post: Arne Duncan And The State Of College Debt

(News, National)

“Duncan says that by shifting savings into early childhood education, foundations are set for later educational success. “We want to be supporting students from birth until the ultimate goal of graduating from a two- or four-year college institution,” Duncan said. The legislature would also increase Pell Grants and Perkins loans.”

Denver Post: Colorado could be stuck in a race to the middle

(Dick Hilker, Opinion, Colorado)

“A year ago, Obama issued a challenge to states: Evaluate teachers, reward the good ones and eliminate the bad ones, increase the number of charter schools and clear the way for the takeover of failing schools by non-profit groups. And here’s a whole bunch of taxpayer money to help you do it.”

Seattle Times: Bill would ease way to demote Seattle principals

(Linda Shaw, News, Washington)

“In an effort led by state Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, the lawmakers hope to amend an education bill — one aimed at helping Washington compete in the federal Race to the Top competition — by adding a section that would lower the bar for removing Seattle principals from their jobs”

Sun-Sentinel: Three aim to lead Miami-Dade teachers’ union

(Kathleen McGrory, News, Florida)

“Whoever wins will face a wide range of challenges, including negotiating salaries in the middle of a financial crisis. This year, the Miami-Dade district built its bare-bones budget with the help of federal stimulus dollars. But that money will sunset in two years, likely leaving the school district with an even bigger budget gap.”

NEA Website: NEA applauds President Obamas health care reform proposal

(Press Release, National)

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel: “Millions of our nation’s children have gone without health insurance and proper medical care for far too long.  Over the course of the last year, the nation has watched as this political debate wound its way through a political obstacle course.  A year later, far too many children in this country are still without critical medical attention.  Now is the time to rectify this wrong.  There has been enough talk. There has been enough blame and finger pointing.  Now is the time for action.                                                          

Albany Times Union: Need money? Tax the rich

(Rick Karlin, Blog, New York)

(Albany, N.Y.) Members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign joined together today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to explore alternatives to state budget cuts that would further erode jobs and desperately needed services. The group, a diverse coalition of statewide and local labor, faith-based, human service, non-profit and environmental organizations, released an extensive list of revenue-raising and cost-saving options that can help New York State achieve a balanced budget without destroying vital programs and services.

The Grio: Obama enlists governors to raise the education bar

(News, National)

“In a release issued Sunday, the White House said the initiative will develop and implement new reading and math standards that prepare high school students for college and careers. State governors will call on Obama on Monday, as they wrap up their National Governors Association meeting, to discuss the blueprint to prepare students to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

 

Obama’s Plan Raises Stakes Ahead of Health Summit

If Democrats win this game, they may still be able to pass health care reform. If Republicans prevail, they will hand Obama a stunning defeat that could set the tone for the 2010 midterm elections

 

Israel Faces Growing Fallout Over a Hamas Hit

Israel denies it was behind the assassination of a Hamas leader. But Dubai says it has the evidence and the U.S. may be drawn into the international furor

 

Olympic Curling: Vancouver’s Strangest Obsession

Curlers scream weird instructions and dress funny. But it’s blood sport on the ice sheets of Vancouver

 

Term Limits: No Magic Pill for Washington’s Woes

In theory, it’s a way to bring government back to the people. In practice, it doesn’t quite work out that way

 

Mario Batali, Celebrity Chef, Gets Back to Cooking

Like most celebrity chefs, Batali wants to be a real working chef again, not just an empire builder, so he’s cooking up a storm for six new restaurants

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

 

1) The deadly plates under the world’s megacities

Megacities are something new on the planet. Earthquakes are something very old. The two are a lethal combination, as seen in the recent tragedy in Port-au-Prince, where more than 200,000 people perished — a catastrophe that scientists say is certain to be repeated somewhere, and probably soon, w…

2) From the bluest of states, a red senator of a different color

So much for the Massachusetts Miracle. The election of Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat was supposed to bring a seismic change to national politics. It did just that Monday night, but not in the way Republicans had hoped.

3) 1 dead, 1 wounded in shooting at military base

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Authorities say two men were shot by security officers after they drove a stolen car through a gate at an Air Force base outside Phoenix during a police chase.

4) Replacing BPA in cans gives foodmakers fits

Major U.S. foodmakers are quietly investigating how to rid their containers of Bisphenol A, a chemical under scrutiny by federal regulators concerned about links to a range of health problems, including reproductive disorders and cancer.

5) Golden ice dancers banish Canadian blues

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – A young pair of ice dancers lifted the host country out of its Winter Olympic gloom with a golden performance Monday just as Canadians were questioning their team’s medal-winning capability.

6) Late in the game, White House isn’t playing defense

There had been rampant speculation that the White House would narrow its ambitions for health-care legislation after the loss of the Democrats’ filibuster-proof Senate majority last month. Instead, the president’s proposal is striking for the extent to which it hews to the basic scale and framewo…

7) When a rout is path to parity

VANCOUVER, B.C. The United States and Canada have mowed their way through the women’s hockey field like the custom cutters who harvest wheat each year from Texas up through the plains to the Great White North.

8.) Ready for an Iran war?

Barack Obama won’t launch it. But he should be ready to deal with whoever does.

9) With GOP help, Senate advances job-creation bill

Aided by a handful of Republicans, Senate Democratic leaders on Monday kept alive a $15 billion job-creation measure and are poised to pass the measure later this week.

10) Health reform: Act now

With or without Republican participation. Democrats must move forward on Obama’s health-care proposal.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 23, 2010

fructuous \FRUHK-choo-uhs\, adjective:

Fruitful; productive.

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

Schools being squeezed by late state payments  School districts across central Illinois are slashing their budgets, and in many cases, classes and teacher positions, in anticipation of a sharp drop in state funding for public schools next year. Here’s a look at what area school districts have cut or are proposing to cut for the 2010-2011 year.

Frustrated schools advertising how much they’re owed
Chicago Sun Times – The cash-starved State of Illinois is months late and more than $700 million behind in paying its education bills, and at some school districts, taxpayers don’t have to go far to find out exactly how much their schools are owed. Districts stretching across Naperville, Carpentersville and Rockford have posted signs outside their schools announcing how much the state owes them.   

State backlog totals $725 million
Springfield State Journal Register – grade schools totals about $725 million, according to Carol Knowles, spokeswoman for Comptroller Daniel Hynes. The backlog consists of grants for the following categories: $372 million for special education, $153 million for transportation, $5 million for breakfast/lunch, $5 million for summer school, $25 million for textbooks and $164 million for all others. General state aid payments,

School Districts Forced To Lay Off Staff
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – School leaders across southern Illinois say they were promised money, but it hasn’t arrived. It is now forcing them to make layoffs.  “Everything is cutting into the flesh at this point,” Harrisburg School Superintendent Dennis Smith said. “There is no program that we can cut and say that’s fat.” 

Kaneland plan: Lay off 112 teachers to prepare for budget disaster
Geneva Kane County Chronicle – Thus, the workforce reduction plan proposed by administrators is, at this point, a worst-case scenario, Schuler said. Linda Zulkowski, president of the Kaneland Education Association, said the teachers union did not have a response to the proposal at this time. “We obviously did not anticipate that the state was going to pull a last-minute surprise   

U46 looking for more state aid
Elgin Courier News – only problem is, as district officials reiterated at a community forum at Bartlett High School Thursday night, Illinois has no money to pay its current bills and state officials plan to cut even more education funding next year. Currently, U46 is classified as a Kane County district since the majority of its property taxes in the past stemmed from there.  

District 214 not anticipating layoffs, big cuts
Chicago Daily Herald – We will prepare a balanced budget and there will need to be some reductions, but overall we’re OK. We’re not great, but we’re OK.” The Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board unanimously approved 2010-2011 budget guidelines and assumptions on Thursday. The budget includes revenues and expenditures each totaling about $223 million.   

District 186 has high number of officials  Chances are, someone will ask about administrative expenses during the Springfield School District’s public forum Thursday at Grant Middle School to discuss Superintendent Walter Milton’s proposal to cut roughly $5.3 million — including 56 teaching positions. Last school year, the Springfield School District had more administrators per pupil than any other large public school district in the state. 

Milton budget plan would cut 56 teaching positions   Springfield School Superintendent Walter Milton is calling for elimination of 56 teaching positions – roughly 5 percent of the district’s teaching staff — as part of $5.3 million in budget cuts for the 2010-2011 school year. 

School Districts Forced To Lay Off Staff
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – the primary election on February 2nd,’” Siebert said. “Guess what we’re hearing now? Wait until after the general election in November.” Siebert says he cannot wait. Thursday night, he and the school board dismissed 17 employees for the next school year. They include a bus driver, assistant principal, nine teachers, three teacher’s aids, and three others. 

Forty Triad jobs on chopping block
St. Clair County Journal – 2 million from its annual budget of about $37 million, including 25-0 certified staff and 15-20 non-certified staff. The district has approximately 270 certified and 195 non-certified staff. The school board has to approve the plans. The district is expected to lose at least $1 million in general state aid, as well as significant losses of other state funding like transportation   

D-47 board to cut $2.35M from budget
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – The District 47 school board approved a staffing plan that would trim $2.35 million from the next budget as a first step in addressing the district’s deficit   

Unit 5 authorizes early childhood co-op reduction in force
Marion Daily Republican – Carterville’s school board on Thursday completed the final vote to rif Williamson County Early Childhood Co-op staff as a budget precaution. The cooperative’s executive board voted for the reduction in force last week, but as the program’s administrative district, the Unit 5 vote finalized the decision.   

CUSD #139 School Board looking for public input on budget crisis
Chester Sun Times – The Board of Education of Chester Unit School District #139 is looking for comments and suggestions from the public about the budget crisis the district is facing for Fiscal Year 2010-2011.  

District 118: It may get worse
Danville Commercial-News – cuts are all but guaranteed, could extend past state-funded programs and will likely affect the district’s course for years to come. Superintendent Mark Denman will make a final pitch to school board members at Wednesday’s regular meeting about the necessity of staff cuts in the face of uncertain state funding for next year. If approved, he said an official staff-reduction   

Superintendent turnover continues in Pawnee schools  PAWNEE — It isn’t uncommon for school superintendents to change jobs in Illinois, but it’s become almost a regular occurrence in the Pawnee School District.   

Local schools contending with state’s new unfunded mandates
Chicago Daily Herald – In mid-December, Eddy went to bat again, filing legislation that, if approved, would allow districts to get around complying with certain unfunded mandates with a school board’s vote. The legislation would not apply to special education, transportation, lunch programs or coursework required for high school graduation.  

Chicago high school considers required drug tests   CHICAGO — Multiple choice. Essays. Pop quizzes. Students at Marist High School may be subjected to yet another test next school year, but it’s one they can prepare for by doing nothing at all. Principal Larry Tucker insists a proposed new drug testing policy at the school isn’t geared toward punishing students at the coed Catholic school in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.

Political News

‘Doomsday is here for the state of Illinois’
Chicago Sun Times – To become solvent, the state must enact the largest tax-increase package in Illinois history, whack another $2 billion from already starved government programs and wrest major financial concessions from the state’s unionized work force, a nonpartisan government watchdog contends.   

Civic Federation backs big state tax hike — if spending cuts come first  Crain’s Chicago Business (blog) – Pat Quinn and his likely Republican challenger, state Sen. Bill Brady. But the candidates’ plans go further. For instance, Mr. Quinn wants big increases in …  

Civic Fed urges reform, tax increases to avoid financial disaster  WBBM780 – A respected research group warns the state of Illinois is courting financial disaster if it keeps doing what it’s been doing. …   

Governments are drowning in red ink, and it’s time to act
Chicago Sun Times – Beginning today, in an ongoing public service series titled “Maxed Out,” the Chicago Sun-Times — in both its news and editorial pages — will report on and analyze this alarming economic free fall. Today, we report on the Civic Federation’s new prescription for solving the crisis, and in an editorial on Page 24 we explain why a state income tax hike cannot be avoided.   

Cullerton questions GOP candidate on budget plan  Belleville News Democrat – ?Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is challenging Republican candidate for governor Bill Brady to present his own budget plan as the …   

Finke: WHEW! Promising open doors next time  Peoria Journal Star –  Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, both agreed to the idea. One reason for it was to foster a candid discussion among senators. Whether it did we’ll never know for sure because there were no independent witnesses. 

When they aren’t doing nothing, they’re bullying
Elgin Courier News – We can almost call it extortion. At best, it’s political coercion of the worst sort. But that’s what our state lawmakers are up to these days, playing games while Illinois’ rudderless ship of state continues to founder and drift ever farther out into dangerous financial waters. 

50th In The Nation And Hiding  thejournal-news.net –  Members of the Illinois Senate thumbed their noses at the entire state last Wednesday by holding a session in private-closed to the public …   

Our Opinion: General Assembly must follow public meeting standards  The State Journal-Register –  That’s a pretty basic tenet of our legislative process, and is clearly defined in the Illinois Constitution: “Sessions of each house of the … 

Some Clarity Coming to Illinois Budget Hole?  Chicago Public Radio –  Governor Pat Quinn’s office will post the information on the internet as he prepares his 2010 budget plan. The General Assembly recently passed legislation …   

Lawmaker proposals could worsen budget hole  Illinois lawmakers seem determined this year to prove true the mantra “anything is possible.” Even though state government faces a massive budget problem, dozens of measures being pushed at the Capitol this spring would actually dig the hole deeper.   

Statehouse Insider: ‘Transparency,’ Illinois-style  There’s probably some academic out there who could write a research paper on the events in the Illinois Senate last week. 

Quinn’s courting of Duckworth over Turner sparks ire in black community  Chicago Current –  Pat Quinn’s recruitment of Tammy Duckworth over Art Turner. Duckworth, an assistant secretary at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and previously the … 

Quinn’s lady friend denied state contract  Southtown Star – Kristen McQueary – A state board that oversees pension assets rejected hiring an investment manager last week after learning that the firm’s president has a personal relationship with Gov. Pat Quinn, according to several sources familiar with the situation.  Monica Walker, who has been dating Quinn for some time, is president and founding partner of Holland Capital Management, a Chicago investment firm established in 1991 that has obtained state contracts previously.  

Bernard Schoenburg: Macoupin Democrats need a leader — again MARK EDWARDS has stepped down as chairman of Macoupin County Democrats, forcing the party to pick a new leader for the second time in a matter of months.  

Our Opinion: Efforts to weaken FOIA are a mistake
Springfield State Journal Register – There was hope that the passage of reforms to Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act might someday lead to a new culture of openness in state and local government. It’s safe to say that culture change hasn’t yet started to happen.

Palin’s Downstate trip a plus for state GOP?
Chicago Sun Times – Will Sarah Palin play in Peoria? Except for a brief stop in Chicago to tape an Oprah Winfrey show last November, Palin’s first public appearance in Illinois will be April 17 in Washington, a town of about 14,000 near Peoria

Reformer Emil Jones Quinn’s latest backer?  Chicago Sun Times – Gov. Quinn and former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones often butted heads.  Once, not even two years ago, Jones blew up at Quinn, accusing the then-lieutenant governor of committing “slander” against the Senate.

 National News

Obama calls on govs to raise school standards to keep US students competitive
Chicago Tribune – needed to succeed in college or work while they are in high school,” the White House said in the statement, “the nation sacrifices more than $3.7 billion a year in lost productivity and remedial education costs.” The White House said the governors have been working on the president’s Race to the Top program, which rewards school systems that raise standards and demonstrate

 The poll that pushed the political boundaries  Nevadans are meek, brutalized into submission by the Great Recession and a political culture dominated by powerful interests. So it’s almost shocking when someone stands up and says, “No more.” That’s what the teachers union has been doing the past two weeks since Gov. Jim Gibbons’ State of the State address and the Democrats’ response, if it could be called that.

FBI said to be probing Pa. webcam case  law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case says the FBI has opened a criminal investigation into a Pennsylvania school district accused of activating webcams inside students’ homes without their knowledge.   

 TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

Fixing the Senate by Forcing Real Filibusters

One way to end the gridlock on Capitol Hill is to call the minority party’s bluff on blocking legislation

Haitian PM: We Can Rise Out of Our Postquake Squalor

As he prepares to sell his country’s recovery plan abroad, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive talks to TIME about the hopes and fears of his people

In Canada, It’s Time to Panic

Canada, already underachieving in the medal tables in the Games it’s hosting, suffered a rough hockey loss to the upstart Americans. Can the country revive its crushed psyche?

Can Obama Fend Off the ‘Failure’ Attacks?

Obama’s critics only have it half right. His presidency is in crisis. But it isn’t too late to turn things around

Box Office Weekend: Shutter Island Opens Big

Its opening was the biggest debut weekend for any Scorsese picture, and any DiCaprio picture — yes, including Titanic

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Daughter says pilot in Texas IRS crash was a hero

AUSTIN, Texas — The daughter of a man who crashed his small plane into a building housing offices of the Internal Revenue Service called her father a hero for his anti-government views but said his actions, which killed an IRS employee, were “inappropriate.”

2) Don’t scramble the jets

Her borrowed suggestion for Obama on Iran should sound an alarm.

 

3) Obsessed with smartphones, oblivious to the here and now

Jay Ferrari was squatting on a step-stool next to the bathtub, which held his 4-year-old daughter and a rising tide, when he sensed an opening to use the Sicilian Dragon defense in his iPhone-to-iPhone chess match against his neighbor.

4) The elephant at the summit

No matter what happens on Thursday, Democrats must not give up on health-care reform.

 

5) Fast-food breakfast sales hit snooze as fewer head to work

The nation’s high unemployment rate has thrown millions of people out of work, scared shoppers away from stores and threatened the economic recovery. Now it’s taking a bite out of breakfast.

 

6) A family lost, and a mind that will never be at peace

SEOUL — “I am fool.” That self-assessment comes from Oh Kil-nam, a South Korean economist who moved to North Korea a quarter-century ago, dragging along his unhappy wife and two teenage daughters. He then defected to the West, leaving his family stranded in a country his wife had called “a living…

 

7) U.S. leaves Canada red, white — and blue

VANCOUVER, B.C. — When U.S. Olympic hockey player Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the final period Sunday night, a shot ricocheting off of his skate blade into the net, he just about jumped out of the arena with joy. This wasn’t exactly a miracle on ice, but elements of it had become pretty

 

8.) Snow days weren’t quite what teens imagined

With the record snowfall this winter, classrooms across the Washington area have spent weeks on hiatus. But when classes have been canceled, some teachers have moved their lessons to the Internet and pressed on — and they’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results.

 

9) Insurance-rate hikes targeted

President Obama will call for new government power to regulate insurance-rate increases as part of comprehensive changes to the health-care system that the White House will unveil on its Web site Monday, senior officials said.

10) We’re all Greek now

The nation’s financial struggles should serve as a warning sign for other welfare states.

 

Word of the Day for Monday, February 22, 2010

fractious \FRAK-shuhs\, adjective:

1. Tending to cause trouble; unruly.
2. Irritable; snappish; cranky.

 

State News

‘Impact bargaining’ coming soon to School District 113A
Suburban Life Publications – Amid a budget deficit in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, two committees are forming to work with unions representing school employees — but not everyone on the school board is willing to participate in the process.  The lack of participation is sparking criticism from the board president. 

Editorial: State needs to raise taxes, fund education
Galesburg Register Mail – It’s time for our dysfunctional state government to function. First, it needs to pay its bills on time. Second, it needs to fulfill its constitutional charge to fund education.  Due to the down economy, the state is bringing in less revenue from its bread and butter sources: income tax and sales tax. Illinois is not alone in feeling the economy’s pinch, but it certainly had not prepared for the downturn.  

East Richland board approves $1.5 million in cuts
Olney Daily Mail – Teachers who are affected by the cuts will be paid through August. The district is providing support groups and workshops and has been working with East Richland Education Association, Holt said. “We will do everything we can to help them,” she said of those affected by the cuts and added that, “We have awesome teachers.   

Hoopeston schools see bleak finances
Danville Commercial-News – “There are a lot of unfunded mandates by the state,” said Hornbeck. He added every school district is feeling the pinch of finances. Hornbeck and the school board would meet with Hoopeston Education Association representatives next week to discuss the budget and the financial situation. “At the March board meeting, we will make the final decision of what cuts will be made,”   

Kaneland teachers facing massive layoffs
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – Thus, the workforce reduction plan proposed by administrators is, at this point, a worst-case scenario, Schuler said. Linda Zulkowski, president of the Kaneland Education Association, said the teachers union did not have a response to the proposal at this time. “We obviously did not anticipate that the state was going to pull a last-minute surprise    

‘The public should be concerned’
Waukegan News Sun – Increased class sizes and corresponding cuts in the number of teachers needed to staff them were among the options aired Thursday as Waukegan school officials discussed a potential $9.8 million revenue shortfall estimated for the 2011 fiscal year.   

Eldorado board cuts 17 positions
Harrisburg Daily Register – Supertintendent Gary Siebert has been warning the school board for a few months there would likely be a need for staff cuts in advance of troubling predictions for state funding next year. The board voted unanimously for each of his recommended cuts Thursday.   

East Richland board approves $1.5 million in cuts
Olney Daily Mail –  Superintendent Marilyn Holt presented the board with nine recommendations regarding dismissals, a reduction in force (RIF) and Reduction in Time (RIT). No names were mentioned by the board because Holt said the district wants to respect the privacy of those affected.   

Hoopeston schools see bleak finances
Danville Commercial-News – “There are a lot of unfunded mandates by the state,” said Hornbeck. He added every school district is feeling the pinch of finances. Hornbeck and the school board would meet with Hoopeston Education Association representatives next week to discuss the budget and the financial situation.   

Jasper schools outline $1 million in cuts
Effingham Daily News – student athlete would pay was increased by $15 per student and the maximum limit a family would pay was increased by $10 to $15. Additional athletic reductions are still under consideration by the school board. The total amount saved as a result of the retirements and reductions is approximately $1,073,824. According to Superintendent Ron Alburtus, there may be additional reductions   

Hundreds turn out to protest U46 budget cuts
Elgin Courier News – Hundreds of Elgin School District U46 parents, students and employees rallied at a budget forum Thursday evening at Bartlett High School to object to cuts ranging from teacher layoffs to elimination of high school electives. Even though the intention of the meeting was to outline budget reductions, it turned out to be a rally against budget cuts.   

Knoxville schools face $650K shortfall
Peoria Journal Star – Knoxville schools could be out nearly $650,000 next year, chopping 16 teachers from the district. Knoxville Superintendent Larry Carlton delivered that news Wednesday to the District 202 school board. The board discussed ways to battle for funds during the state’s budget woes, including involving public pressure. Board members discussed getting information to the public   

D300 superintendent modifies cuts to budget
Elgin Courier News – Since mid-January, Superintendent Kenneth Arndt has sought public comment on $6.4 million in proposed cuts to Community Unit School District 300’s 2010-2011 budget. The superintendent and school board have invited district residents to board and committee meetings. They’ve held a work session to discuss the budget during a board meeting for the first time.   

District 204 says signs served their purpose
Chicago Daily Herald – The signs were up for less than a week but Indian Prairie school officials say that’s all they needed.  Beginning last Friday every sign at each of the unit district’s 33 schools told anyone who passed that “The state of Illinois owes District 204 $7.8 million.”  

School board makes tough cuts
Plainfield Sun – Staring into a deep $16 million budget hole, the Plainfield school board took action last week on a plan some believe will balance the budget in two years. The board voted 5-2 to approve the plan, which will save more than $21 million, school officials say.   

Lack of state payments have STHS looking at cuts
Ottawa Daily Times – Financial projections have Streator Township High School Superintendent Kevin Myers looking at budget cuts.  Myers said the state legislature is looking for ways to account for $922 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars that will not be available in 2011. If the state legislature does not account for the federal ARRA dollars, schools will be funded at hundreds of dollars less per student than last year.  

Orion schools look at $320K loss
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  School board members are likely to votenext month on a plan with $320,000 worth of spending cuts for next school year. Superintendent David Deets told board members and about a dozen teachers Wednesday night that the state’s fiscal crisis means it’s prudent for the district to plan on having 10 percent less in state aid — a loss of $320,000 — next year.   

‘Plan for the worst, hope for the best’; Decision on reduction of school staff postponed until March 3
Quincy Herald-Whig – The Quincy school board put off a vote on whether it will prepare to reduce staff until a special meeting to be held at 5 p.m. March 3. The board was to have voted at its meeting Wednesday on reducing assignments   

Teachers union president urges Lemont community to attend BOE meeting
Lemont Reporter/Met – Teachers Local 604. “I encourage people to attend the meeting to hear what is being presented.” The staffing plan including the elimination of 70 staff positions will be presented to the school board for a motion at its next meeting Wednesday, Feb. 24, said Superintendent Tim Ricker. The cuts are expected to save the district an estimated $3.17 million next school year.   

CPS goes back to the drawing board
Austin Weekly News Chicago – ” That’s what CPS student Andrew Comier had in mind by attending the rally. The 13-year-old is hopeful that his efforts will persuade the school board to remove his school, Guggenheim Elementary, from the closure list. “We’re trying to keep Guggenheim open so we don’t have to transfer,” Comier said.

Political News

Quinn has asked Tammy Duckworth to be his running mate  Chicago Breaking News – Pat Quinn today said he has encouraged Iraq military veteran Tammy Duckworth to pursue the vacant Democratic lieutenant governor nomination. …   

Quinn Back in Public  Chicago Public Radio –  Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Friday is making his first public appearances in 11 days. For Quinn, that was a rare break from reporters.

Brady Must Make 2010 a Referendum on Quinn   Chicago Daily Observer –  Governor Pat Quinn (D) won the 2010 primary with 50.4 percent, beating Dan Hynes by 8.090 votes. A pre-primary poll put his “disapproval” at 55 percent.  

Chuck Sweeny: ‘Illinois Politics’ tells you the messy details
Westchester Herald – The very readable book provides information you just don’t find every day, such as who were the largest contributors to statewide and legislative candidates in the 2005-06 cycle, and in the 2007-08 cycle.  Guess who wins the top two positions in both cycles? It’s the dynamic duo of the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation/Chicago Teachers Union. In the 2005-06 cycle, they gave a combined $4.56 million; in 2007-09 it was nearly $3 million.   

Illinois legislature and governor clash on prison sale
Medill News Service –  “The sale of the facility to the federal government is wrong, and it’s a mistake the state doesn’t have to make,” Lindall said. “We’re not giving an inch on that.” Last December, Gov. Quinn lobbied for the prison sale in Washington during a meeting with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, prison officials, and Obama’s national security advisor. If the bill makes its way to Quinn   

Don’t buckle to terrorism fears
Chicago Sun Times – the sale of major state assets — was proposed amid debate over the wrong reason — to keep the feds from running a prison for suspected terrorists on Illinois ground. State officials, including Gov. Quinn, hope to unload the mostly unused Thomson Correctional Center to the federal government. That would give the feds a safe place to stash prisoners — including Guantanamo Bay detainees

National News

 

 The Hill: Fire the teachers union

(Armstrong Williams, Blog, National)  “The cold-hearted and self-centered unions showed no compassion or commitment to improve the condition of their students. In fact, they rejected and refused to enact any of Gallo’s recommendations. This is where Gallo’s conviction and commitment to the well-being of her students took precedence; she fired nearly 100 teachers and administrators. Wow, thank you so much for your needed example of boldness!”

 

San Francisco Chronicle: Obama to students: See you at graduation

(Julie Pace, News, National)  “The White House and the Education Department are giving public high schools the opportunity to compete to have the president speak at their commencement ceremony this spring. The winning school must demonstrate how it’s helping prepare students to meet Obama’s goal of the U.S. having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.”

Fox News: Panel on What the Recovery Act Has Accomplished So Far

(News, National)  “But there are a couple of good things about this. First, the education department used half a of $100 billion dollars so far not only to pay teachers to keep teaching kids in school who otherwise might have been laid off because the states couldn’t afford to pay them, but also to stimulate some real education reform.”

U.S. Department of Education: Massachusetts to Receive More Than $268 Million in Additional Recovery Funds

(Press Release, National)  “U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that an additional $268,390,060 is now available for Massachusetts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. To date, Massachusetts has received over $1,601,406,470 through the Recovery Act. The state recently reported that recovery dollars have been used to provide funding for over 3,200 education jobs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, while also supporting programs that drive education reform.”

 U.S. News & World Report: Bigger Tuition Bills and Student Loans Coming in 2011

(Kim Clark, News, National)  “Some of the nation’s wealthiest and most generous colleges are asking their students to earn and borrow more to pay for college. Of the more than 2,600 four-year colleges in the country, fewer than 70 are committing this year to meet the full financial need of every student using only grants and reasonable amounts of student work and federal debt.”

 

Washington Post: House announces bipartisan effort to rewrite No Child law

(Nick Anderson, News, National)  “Last month, the Obama administration launched talks with lawmakers on an overhaul of the 2002 law, which mandated an expansion of standardized testing and established a national framework for school accountability. This month, President Obama’s budget proposed eliminating the standard of “adequate yearly progress” for schools to close test-score achievement gaps, a key element of the law.”

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Mandates cheat students, educators

(Mari Ann Roberts, News, Georgia)  “Take one flawed, underfunded federal education improvement act, like No Child Left Behind, add increasing pressure on individual schools to meet “Adequate Yearly Progress,” include some inane expectations that teachers can work miracles, sprinkle liberally with furlough days, suspended raises and budget cuts dating back to 2003 that will total more than $2.8 billion through the fiscal year ending next June.”

Motion Picture Editor’s Guild: One Year Later, the Recovery Act Is Working

(Labor News, National)  “National Education Association (NEA) President Dennis Van Roekel agreed, saying Congress must pass a jobs bill that will maintain and create jobs to keep school doors open after the Recovery Act expires.”

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Why the Tea Party Movement Matters  It’s not a political party; it’s a grass-roots movement that expresses a vast discontent unsettling Americans. What the Tea Partyers share — and why they’re a potent force  

Is the U.S. Hotter on Bin Laden’s Trail?  The recent capture of the Taliban’s military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, as he was leaving a seminary in the Pakistani seaport of Karachi may have given investigators several leads in tracking down the the fugitive al-Qaeda chief   

To Quad or Not to Quad: For U.S. Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek, Never a Question  Where was the sense of daring and anxiety-triggering anticipation in men’s figure skating final on Thursday? Not on the ice in the Pacific Coliseum, where American Evan Lysacek cinched the gold with a clean — but safe — program   

Does Obama Help or Hurt Dems on the Trail?  Where Democrats see the President’s visits as a way to build up a flagging campaign, opponents are working to tether the Democratic candidates to a President who looms as the most visible face in a virulently anti-incumbent cycle   

China to Obama: Hurt, but Not Breaking Up  After the U.S. President held an hour-long talk on Thursday at the White House with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the reaction from Beijing was relatively muted

Word of the Day for Friday, February 19, 2010

gastronome \GAS-truh-nohm\, noun:

A connoisseur of good food and drink.

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  

Hall cuts more than $300,000 from budget, still dismisses four staff members
LaSalle News Tribune – To save their peers’ jobs, staff at Hall High School scoured the district’s budget for places to pinch pennies. They would be willing to give up wearing graduation gowns (saving $1,000 per year) and cut their classroom spending in half (saving $30,000). They suggested ditching printed handbooks, eliminating postage and requiring parents and students to use the electronic versions available on the district Web site. 

Harrisburg School Board hears appeals regarding possible cuts
Harrisburg Daily Register –  they would like one more special meeting before the March 23 meeting, when cuts must be finalized because the board must give 60 days notice of layoffs. The board learned the Harrisburg Education Association is ready to talk about a 25 percent reduction in all extra-duty stipends. A session with the HEA is set for 3 p.m. Thursday.   

WOODLAND: Foster accepts responsibility for oversight — School board meets with teachers to resolve overpayment values
Ottawa Daily Times –  not the first superintendent and this is not the first board of education to put that amount of trust in her. She was here for 33 years.” Meanwhile, negotiations between the board and the Woodland Education Association are at a standstill concerning overpayments and a successor collective bargaining agreement, according to WEA President Deirdre Toler.   

Cash-strapped LCHS cuts 8 teachers
Lincoln Courier – Eight teachers will lose their jobs as a result of budget woes at Lincoln Community High School. After a closed session, the board voted Tuesday evening on the reduction in force of staff, releasing five non-tenured and three tenured teachers. “Regretfully, districts throughout the state are having to make adjustments due to a lack of state funding,  

Dismissal of more than 25 support personnel highlights CUSD Board of Education Agenda
Chester Sun Times – The dismissal of more than 25 support personnel in Chester Unit School District #139 highlights the agenda for the Board of education meeting scheduled for Thursday night at the district office. The board could approve resolutions authorizing the dismissal of 16 full time educational support personnel   

D203 could lose out on $8.7 million from state :: Naperville Sun :: Local News
Suburban Chicago News – “we don’t know where they’re going, and quite frankly, I don’t think they know either,” Mitrovich said. “(In Springfield) the amount of budget recommended is at a level from the state board of education that requires new revenue being introduced into the state system,” Zager said. “In other words, a tax increase. However, it’s probably unrealistic to believe that that’s really going to happen   

Charleston school board OKs budget cuts
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – School board members refused Wednesday to put off most of about $450,000 in proposed budget cuts, saying that wouldn’t be justified with more, larger cuts expected down the road.  The board delayed a decision on whether to eliminate the Charleston High School boys’ and girls’ swimming teams but gave the OK to all others on a list of about $450,000 in cuts.   

Galva schools staff, residents offers options to trim budget
Galesburg Register Mail – Nearly 100 Galva School District employees, parents and residents gathered Monday in the Galva Junior-Senior cafeteria to discuss how to lower the Galva schools’ budget. No action was taken. “We are just here to talk,” said Superintendent James Minick.  The Galva School District is funded 56 percent from the state, 34 percent from local sources and 8 percent from the federal government. Property tax revenue has decreased $273,643 since 2007. The state money in 2007 was $1,714,056 and in 2009, $1,440,413.   

Parents speak out against proposed SD201U cuts
Crete Star – said Zach Nelson, a 2005 graduate and member of the school’s band. “There will be no Pomp and Circumstance at graduation.” Nelson, a senior at Eastern Illinois University, challenged school board members to avoid listening to music for two weeks if they believe the band program has no value to the district. “Band also gives these students a place to belong,” said Sarah Brazee,   

UI union cries foul over new furlough, pay-cut policies  A union that represents visiting academic professionals at the University of Illinois has filed a formal complaint about the UI’s new furlough policy.  The Visiting Academic Professionals/Association of Academic Professionals filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint Wednesday with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, the union and state agency both confirmed.   

200 supporters turn up at UI unions’ furlough teach-in  More than 200 supporters gathered Monday to mark a furlough teach-in at the University of Illinois.   

U. of I. asks alumni to push state to pay $475 mil. owed
Chicago Sun Times –  ask them to pay the appropriation to the U. of I. as passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor.” Ikenberry was one of 13 Illinois university chiefs who called on Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes to pay up, warning that higher education is in a “perilous” position. Payments totaling $735 million are owed to the universities, which say they are quickly  

Political News  

Thousands protest state spending cuts  Thousands converged at the Capitol on Wednesday to stress a strong message: we need a better budget now. Lawmakers they’re trying to sway, however, seem to be responding: not so fast.  More than 2,000 people filled the Capitol to push lawmakers to approve a budget that would spare potential cuts to human service programs.   

Pro-tax groups protest budget cuts at Ill. Capitol
DeKalb Daily Chronicle Immigrants and homeless mothers joined with prison guards and former prison inmates Wednesday to demand the state raise taxes instead of depending solely on drastic budget cuts to solve Illinois’ historic budget problems.  About 2,000 people rallied at the state Capitol to demand action on a budget that’s roughly $13 billion in the red. “Do the right thing — raise revenues,” said the hundreds of green signs they waved.   

Talk of tax increases takes center stage in Capitol
Mattoon Journal Gazette – A swelling, multi-billion dollar deficit has left Illinois months behind in its payments to providers across the state.  For instance, the Williamson County Early Childhood Cooperative in southern Illinois is planning to send layoff notices to its 41 employees in the next few weeks because money from the state has not come through. 

Views from QCA: Budget cuts, tax hike needed, not more debt for state universities
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – The State of Illinois has serious financial problems, but right now our elected leaders do not seem to have the interest or the time to say nothing of the stomach for it.  You the average citizen of this state have been alerted to the situation time and again. One of the most respected citizens of the state, Mike Lawrence, has chided both parties for their lack of interest in fixing the problem, but that has fallen on deaf ears. In two separate columns penned in December Lawrence said that more cuts were needed and a tax increase was needed. 

Budget crisis shortchanges future leaders
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Illinois’ financial crisis, highlighted by a $3.6 billion backlog of unpaid bills and an expected $13 billion fiscal year deficit, is shortchanging not only our present but our future.  State-supported universities educate tens of thousands of students in a wide array of disciplines. Our state will need those students’ expertise in years to come. 

Here’s what’s holding up tally in GOP gov race
Chicago Sun Times – You may have noticed in all these stories about the incredibly close Republican race for governor that we reporters tend to make fuzzy references to the vote differential between the two leaders, Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale. One story will refer to a 420-vote margin, and another will say Brady leads by “several hundred votes,” 

Illinois lawmakers discuss budget in closed session
Streator Times-Press – State lawmakers are wondering what the fuss is about after a behind-closed-doors meeting on state finances Wednesday.  The Illinois Senate closed its doors to visitors and the media for a “joint caucus” meeting of both Democrats and Republicans to review a presentation on state finances. 

Hastert spends $1 million in taxpayer funds using ex-speaker perk
Belleville News-Democrat – Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has plowed through about $1 million in taxpayer dollars in the last two years for an office and staff in west suburban Yorkville, thanks to a little-known perk given to ex-speakers.  Hastert, 68, a lobbyist and business consultant who retired from Congress in 2007, has hired three of his former staffers at salaries of more than $100,000 apiece 

Biden: U.S. got ‘money’s worth’ from stimulus act
Washington Times – Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. asserted in an interview Wednesday that taxpayers have “gotten their money’s worth” out of the $787 billion stimulus program that Congress passed during the depths of the recession. In an interview broadcast on CBS’ “The Early Show,” Mr. Biden defended the program against accusations by Republicans critics that it hasn’t been the job-manufacturing machine the  

Budget deficit on track to beat last year’s record
Boston Globe –  The federal deficit through the first four months of the budget year is running at a record-breaking pace even though the deficit in January was slightly smaller than expected. The Treasury Department said yesterday that the deficit for January totaled $42.63 billion. That left the total of red ink so far this budget year at $430.69 billion, 8.8 percent higher than last year,  

Dalai Lama-Obama meeting will be about style
Washington Post –  The Dalai Lama’s meeting with President Barack Obama will be more about style than substance. What the Dalai Lama and Obama say to each other will matter less than how the White House portrays the meeting Thursday, as Obama welcomes the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet’s Buddhists in a visit that has infuriated China. Chinese officials will be watching closely to see how  

First Anniversary of Stimulus Highlights Partisan Divide
The Wall Street Journal – President Barack Obama said Wednesday the $787 billion economic-stimulus program helped the U.S. avoid a rerun of the Great Depression, while Republicans used the Recovery Act’’s one-year anniversary to renew complaints about the administration’’s economic policies. The stimulus program is facing growing criticism about waste and ineffectiveness. The White House is launching an all-  

Govt. Mortgage Plan Aids 12% of Borrowers
Time Magazine – The government’s mortgage relief plan has helped only about 12 percent of borrowers who signed up since President Barack Obama announced the program a year ago. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that as of last month, about 116,000 homeowners had completed the application process and had their loan payments reduced permanently. That compares with more than 1 million homeowners   

House Democrats say merger of health bills is near
Washington Times – House Democrats on Wednesday said they’re closing in on a final health care overhaul bill that merges the House and Senate plans but they don’t yet know how or when they’re going to pass it. They also won’t disclose how it deals with flash points that helped stall the effort, such as how to prevent taxpayer funding of abortions, whether to include a public insurance option and how to pay for  

More Households Benefit From Loan-Mod Program
The Wall Street Journal – The U.S. Treasury said its foreclosure-prevention program has cut mortgage payments for about 947,000 households, at least temporarily. That was the number of households benefiting from easier loan terms at the end of January through the Obama administration’’s Home Affordable Modification Program, known as HAMP. The total was up about 11% from a month earlier. The administration estimates  

Obama champions stimulus at one-year mark
Washington Times – President Obama celebrated the first anniversary of the economic-stimulus law on Wednesday, arguing the $862 billion package is slowly helping to right the economy even as he pushes for additional spending for job creation. Mr. Obama said it wasn’t a “politically easy decision” to shepherd through such a massive spending bill, but the consequences of not injecting money into the economy would  

National News

 

Pew Center on the States: Top eight states with worst pension woes

There’s a $1 trillion dollar gap between what states have promised their workers in pension benefits and what they’ve actually set aside to pay those bills.  That’s the finding of a newly released report by the Pew Center on the States. States have set aside only $2.35 trillion of the $3.35 trillion they’ve promised their current and retired workers in pension, healthcare, and other retirement benefits.

In eight states – Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and West Virginia – more than one-third of the total pension liability was unfunded. Two additional states – Illinois and Kansas – had less than 60 percent of the necessary assets on hand.

Report finds $1 trillion hole in pension systems

Salt Lake Tribune –  The study by the Pew Center on the States comes the same day that the Utah Senate is scheduled to begin debate on historic retirement reforms, …

Trillion-Dollar Pension Gap Just Beginning Of States’ Fiscal Woes

Forbes –  US states face a 13-figure shortfall in meeting their pension obligations to public employees, a new report by the Pew Center on the States has concluded. …

States’ pension plans face steep shortfalls

MarketWatch – A train wreck waiting to happen. That’s the only way to describe the mess that state pension systems …

States’ pension plan funds fell $1 trillion short in 2008

USA Today –  States underfunded their pension plans and retiree health benefits by $1 trillion in 2008, a new report says. …

Pension Gap of $1 Trillion Is ‘Daunting’ Bill to US States

BusinessWeek –  US states must contend with a more than $1 trillion gap between what they have saved and what …

Congress to rewrite No Child
Boston Globe – Senior House Republicans and Democrats plan to announce today that they will team up to rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law, a rare show of bipartisanship in the polarized Congress. Last month, the Obama administration launched talks with lawmakers on an overhaul of the 2002 law, which mandated an expansion of standardized testing and established a national framework for

Girl’s arrest for doodling raises concerns about zero tolerance

Alexa Gonzalez, an outgoing 12-year-old who likes to dance and draw, expected a lecture or maybe detention for her doodles earlier this month. Instead, the principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, called police, and the seventh-grader was taken across the street to the police precinct. Alexa’s hands were cuffed behind her back, and tears gushed as she was escorted from school in front of teachers and — the worst audience of all for a preadolescent girl — her classmates.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

 

Why Washington’s Tied Up in Knots

Discontent with government is at its highest level in more than a decade — making it harder to solve the country’s biggest problems. A breakdown of how Washington stopped working, and what to do about it

 

Why Unicef Wants to Keep Kids Out of Haiti’s Orphanages

As Haiti releases eight of the ten Americans charged with attempted kidnapping after the quake, Unicef is working to ensure it doesn’t happen again

 

Shaun White vs. Lindsey Vonn: Who’s Better?

Both U.S. icons of the Vancouver Olympics won gold on Wednesday. Their respective sports have a long-time rivalry. Let the bantering about the more impressive athlete begin

 

Why Obama’s Nuclear Bet Won’t Pay Off

If you want to understand why the United States hasn’t built a nuclear reactor in three decades, the Vogtle plant outside Atlanta is an excellent reminder of the insanity of nuclear economics

 

Unraveling the Middle East Muddle

Obama’s push for an Arab-Israeli peace is floundering. It’s time to focus on what’s actually achievable

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

 

1) A matter of life, death and faith

Maribel Perez breathes in short puffs, panting almost, through a hole cut into her trachea and covered demurely with a patch of gauze. Clear tubes connected to a noisy machine in the living room of her small Alexandria apartment pump pure oxygen into her nostrils.

2) Sarah Palin, the new Goldwater?

Why Sarah Palin — and populism in general — won’t win the presidency.

3) Large worldwide cyber attack is uncovered

More than 75,000 computer systems at nearly 2,500 companies in the United States and around the world have been hacked in what appears to be one of the largest and most sophisticated attacks by cyber criminals discovered to date, according to a northern Virginia security firm.

4) Two top Taliban leaders arrested in Pakistan

KABUL–Two Taliban leaders responsible for overseeing the rebel movement’s presence in northern Afghan provinces have been arrested, according to Afghan and Pakistani officials. The arrests occurred in close proximity to the capture of the Taliban’s second-in-command.

5) Growth hasn’t hit payrolls a year into the stimulus effort

The giant economic stimulus package enacted a year ago has helped stabilize the economy but has not made much of a dent in the nation’s vast unemployment.

6) What’s holding the Democrats down

They’ve got eight months to dispel the GOP myth that they aren’t governing as moderates.

7) Deal means plenty of losses, brighter future for Wizards

It set in during the introduction of the Wizards’ starting lineup, when there was an intimate smattering of patrons in the arena. The lights were turned down and the music blared, but there was nothing dramatic about the game tipping off. It was as if a D-League game had come to Washington. The M…

8.) Evan Bayh’s last straw

With Evan Bayh’s exit — and a broader exodus — could Senate gridlock get worse?

9) At murder trial, girl recalls vile life with adoptive mom

At times sweet and always poised, a 9-year-old girl mesmerized a Montgomery County courtroom Wednesday with the harrowing story of life inside the home of Renee Bowman.

10) Appalachia is slipping from grip of Democrats

WISE, VA. — The anger at Washington that is seeping across the country registered a while back in the high ridges of Appalachia, a once-indomitable Democratic stronghold where voters turned away from President Obama in 2008 just as overwhelmingly as they embraced him most everywhere else.

 

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 18, 2010

duplicity \doo-PLIS-i-tee, dyoo-\, noun:

1. Deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech; also, an instance of deliberate deceptiveness; double-dealing.
2. The quality or state of being twofold or double.

Thousands of Illinoisans flooded the Statehouse Rotunda Wednesday with a single message “We can’t wait for a responsible budget” in a rally sponsored by the Responsible Budget Coalition.  IEA is a coalition member. 

The throng heard from more than a dozen speakers who called on the General Assembly to face up to the revenue problems that are forcing cuts in state services for children, the sick and the elderly and causing schools statewide to threaten thousands of employees with layoffs.

Many people spoke about their concerns with the state’s lack of funding, or fears that their programs might be cut next year. See a brief video here.

See a video of President Swanson’s comments.

IEA members are urged to contact their state legislators and urge them to support HB 174, legislation that would preserve education quality and save jobs for public education employees statewide.

Send a message to your legislator now.

The next big event for IEA members will be Lobby Day, April 21st.

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 

Responsible Budget Coalition Takes to the Capitol  The Responsible Budget Coalition is taking to the capitol on Wednesday to advocate on behalf of social service providers and their clients who have taken a beating over the last few years as the state Democratic leaders refuse to deal with the budget because of the perceived electoral consequences (if only we could indefinitely suspend elections–maybe then we can get some action).

Plainfield schools point to state failure in education funding crisis
Chicago Tribune –  Plainfield officials say they are owed $12 million by the state. Board members also are making a push for parents to join them and teacher union leaders at a lobby day, sponsored by the Illinois Education Association, in Springfield on April 21. It would be the first time parents have been asked to attend the event, which allows school boards and union leaders time 

Educators huddle on state funding freeze
Danville Commercial-News – Fallout from the state budget crisis is hitting home hard at Triton College. Triton, which started the 2010 fiscal year with a budget already $6,231,866 short on the operating side, is struggling to absorb a $4 million shortfall in state operational funding. That threatens Triton’s Adult Education programs, likely to soon be cut entirely, and, in a worst-case scenario, could mean the River Grove college itself would be forced to close at the end of the 2011 school year.

Dist. 47 to tap into cash reserves
Chicago Daily Herald – Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 will rely on its substantial cash reserves to cover a $6 million deficit next year, waiting until the 2011-12 school year to balance its budget. The school board on Tuesday approved $2.4 million in budget reductions, including leaving 15 teacher vacancies unfilled and slashing the cost of supplies, staff training and travel by 10 percent,  

District 207: Union to vote on whether to negotiate
Park Ridge Herald-Advocate – Members of the Maine Township Teachers Association are expected to vote early next month on whether to begin talks with the District 207 school board concerning the current teacher’s contract.  “The question that will be posed to the membership is whether or not MTA should enter into discussions with the Board of Ed regarding opening the contract to make cost-saving modifications,” said MTA President and Maine South High School teacher Emma Visee.

Our Opinion: Rochester schools face fiscal reality
Springfield State Journal Register – ROCHESTER’S public schools acknowledged on Monday what many other districts also are going to have to realize: State funding — fickle as it is — is likely to be a bigger problem this year than at any time in recent memory. The Rochester Board of Education outlined budget cuts for next school year that, at any other time in memory, would be considered draconian. 

CHS holiday tournaments would be eliminated with budget cuts
Mattoon Journal Gazette – The latest CHARLESTON – Both the boys’ and girls’ Charleston High School basketball holiday tournaments would be eliminated with budget cuts the school board is scheduled to consider Wednesday. Superintendent Jim Littleford said the total reductions on Wednesday’s agenda come to about $457,000. 

Deeper cuts ahead at Kaneland?
Geneva Kane County – of teachers and other employees, eliminating a number of student activities and increasing fees. However, those cuts may be only the beginning. Tuesday, the Kaneland District 302 Board of education authorized administrators to proceed with laying plans for even deeper cuts in personnel and school services for the upcoming school year, should the Illinois General Assembly, 

DeKalb administrators identify potential cuts
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – will provide the same amount of funding the next fiscal year as it has this year. Frances said if Illinois lawmakers do not replace the $1 billion it used to bolster the state’s K-12 education budget for the 2009-2010 academic year that came through the stimulus package, then the district could see a $4.4 million deficit if no changes were made. 

District 26 grade-level debate: ‘We don’t need to be saved’
Chicago Daily Herald – District 26’s two elementary schools are Euclid and Indian Grove. About half of Euclid’s student body is Hispanic compared to less than 10 percent of Indian Grove’s students. River Trails is the only middle school and wouldn’t be affected.

Malta Elementary to close
DeKalb Daily – The DeKalb school board voted Tuesday evening to close Malta Elementary School. The unanimous vote means Malta will close its doors after the 2010-11 academic year.

Milton proposing school budget cuts; details to be released later
Springfield State Journal Register – , including possible teacher layoffs, for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Milton revealed few other details about the cuts Tuesday, when he discussed them in generalities with the Springfield school board. The board agreed to hold a public meeting to receive feedback about the cuts at 6 p.m Feb. 25 in the Grant Middle School gymnasium.

New Trier vows new facilities plan
Glencoe News – In the first school board meeting since voters rejected a referendum proposal to finance a $174 million facilities plan for New Trier High School, Superintendent Linda Yonke announced plans to move forward   

OTTAWA: Plans move ahead for new OES building
Ottawa Daily Times – The Ottawa Elementary school board confirmed Tuesday that union labor — preferably local — will be employed for the construction of the new building, recently approved by voters 

Parents fear Evanston school for severely disabled students in danger
Chicago Tribune – While other parents talk in similarly glowing terms, some worry about the school’s future. A five-year strategic plan for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 calls for the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classes “to the maximum extent appropriate.” Park parents worry it could eventually lead to the school’s closure. 

Axed state funds put Triton College in crisis Fallout from the state budget crisis is hitting home hard at Triton College.  Triton, which started the 2010 fiscal year with a budget already $6,231,866 short on the operating side, is struggling to absorb a $4 million shortfall in state operational funding. That threatens Triton’s Adult Education programs, likely to soon be cut entirely, and, in a worst-case scenario, could mean the River Grove college itself would be forced to close at the end of the 2011 school year.

ISU programs prepare teachers for urban schools
Chicago Tribune – A student-led organization at Illinois State University hopes to change the way education is taught for urban schools, thereby having a greater impact on issues such as high dropout rates. “Our nation’s cities need good teachers,” said Dakota Pawlicki, 23, director and founding

Lawmakers call for study of college affordability
Springfield State Journal Register – funding problems and rising costs, some lawmakers say keeping college affordable for students and their families must be a priority. The General Assembly last fall directed the state’s higher education agencies to study how to make going to college more affordable. A summit scheduled for Chicago Feb. 26 is supposed to dig deeper into the problem. 

Let’s Save Public Education: A Five-Point Plan
The Open Press – Bruce Price, founder of Improve-Education.org, says that improving public schools is easier than many people think. For one thing, we definitely don’t need more money. Here are five concrete steps for making our schools more successful: ignore the official experts; get rid of their bad ideas; rescue reading; save math; emphasize facts and knowledge. 

Study: Chicago teens get too little exercise
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – That helps improve bone strength, reduce fat and increase mental health. Chicago Public School teens were asked about the time they spent on the computer, watching TV and in physical education class. The study found just 19 percent of the Chicago 12th graders got the recommended amount of physical activity.

Some U of I Faculty Take First Furlough Days   WCIA-3 News –  Some University of Illinois faculty members took the first of their mandatory furlough days yesterday. The time off was instituted as a way to … 

Political News

State Capitol Q&A: Lawmakers file thousands of bills; few will become law
Springfield State Journal Register – It’s that time of year again, a legislative fanboy’s dream come true. State lawmakers have just finished filing hundreds and hundreds — and hundreds — of bills they want considered in the spring session. Few will actually become law, with the focus on the budget and upcoming elections. But that’s not keeping interest down, especially for ideas to change the state 

GOP uncertainty continues in Illinois governor’s race  Illinois moved a step closer to learning the winner of the Republican primary for governor Tuesday with the deadline for local authorities to finish counting absentee and provisional ballots, but it will still be days before final totals are available. State Sen. Bill Brady (pictured) still held onto a slim lead.  

Dillard not yet ready to give up on gov race
Chicago Sun Times – State Sen. Kirk Dillard said Tuesday he won’t decide about folding up his GOP gubernatorial candidacy for at least another week — even as he admitted he has little chance of winning. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the Hinsdale Republican trailed Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) by 420 votes out of at least 765,534 votes cast Feb. 2 in the six-way GOP gubernatorial 

Dillard still down, not conceding in GOP Gov. race
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – All the votes should be counted, but a winner in the Republican primary for Illinois governor is still not certain more than two weeks after voters went to the polls. State Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale said Tuesday he is catching up to state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, but he believes he remains about 220 votes behind as he continues to hold out. “We want to ensure that all votes 

Illinois Republicans see unique chance for victory
Jacksonville Journal Courier – The last decade was lousy for Illinois Republicans. They lost a Senate seat, their party’s last governor went to prison and they were shut out of every statewide office. But the recent surprise win by Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race and a string of setbacks for Illinois Democrats have Republicans giddy about their chances to claim the next big election prizes: 

Bulk of Stimulus Spending Yet to Come
The Wall Street Journal – The Obama administration’s economic-stimulus program has delivered about a third of its total $787 billion budget during its first year, much of that to maintain social services and government jobs and to provide tax cuts for workers. Now, the pace and direction of stimulus spending are about to change. Infrastructure spending is set to step up in the second year of the stimulus

GOP sees possible upside in health care summit
Boston Globe – Congressional Republicans see a chance for political gain in President Barack Obama’s televised health care summit next week, even though the president will be running the show. Obama and the Democrats are certain to highlight a crucial element of their health care plan — extending coverage to more than 30 million Americans — at the one-of-a-kind event. By comparison, 

Obama to Appoint Deficit Commission
Fox News – Determined to have a deficit commission with or without Congress’ backing, President Obama plans to announce on Thursday that he is establishing a panel similar to — although weaker than– the one lawmakers rejected. Former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senate Whip Alan Simpson would lead the panel, a senior administration official said Tuesday.  

One year later, stimulus has mixed record
Washington Times – A year after it became law, the stimulus package costs more than promised, has failed to keep down the unemployment rate and has faced charges of waste and abuse. But the federal spending – all of it borrowed – has helped many states avoid painful budget cuts to their education and public safety budgets, and according to official estimates has helped the gross domestic product grow faster than 

Poll: Most Americans think Congress should start over on healthcare
The Hill – In a brutal assessment of the Democratically authored healthcare reform bills pending in Congress and the party’s approach to healthcare, more than half of the respondents to a new Zogby International-University of Texas Health Science Center poll said that lawmakers should start from scratch.

Stimulus funds going to slashed programs
USA Today –  More than $3.5 billion in economic stimulus funds are going to programs that President Obama wants to eliminate or trim in his new budget. The president’s budget released this month recommends getting rid of Army Corps of Engineers’ drinking-water projects, which got $200 million in stimulus funds, and a U.S. Department of Agriculture flood-prevention program, which received $290

The Green Politics Behind Obama’s Boost for Nuclear Power
Time Magazine – one of President Obama’s signature ideals is the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. He’s spent diplomatic capital trying to negotiate a new nuclear-arms-control agreement with Russia, and in his Nobel Peace Prize speech in December, he called atomic-weapons control “the centerpiece of my foreign policy,” asking all nuclear countries to work toward disarmament. 

White House to issue progress report on anniversary of economic stimulus
Washington Post – President Obama’s signing of the massive, politically contentious economic stimulus package. The $787 billion bill was a classic rendering of the precepts of economist John Maynard Keynes: With employers laying off workers, credit drying up and consumers battening down, the theory went, the government needed to do all it could to inject demand.  

National News  

Secretary Duncan, Congressman Connolly Visit Riverside Elementary for One Year …   U.S. Department of Education (press release) –  Today, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and US Rep. Gerry Connolly highlighted the positive impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) … 

Sallie Mae backs core of overhaul  USA Today (blog) – ?The student loan reform alternative that we support has much more in common with the administration’s proposal than Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s …  

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

Haiti: What to Do with a Nation of Amputees  Amputees already suffered terrible discrimination before the quake. Now, as the country tries to recover, almost 2% of its population may need artificial limbs and therapy   

The Military’s New Surge in Accountability  In a break with the past, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is firing, not rewarding, his top military leaders if they fail. And that focus on accountability is filtering through the ranks    

The Green Politics Behind Obama’s Boost for Nuclear Power   By spending billions to back the Republican-friendly nuclear industry, will the White House get some GOP support for the floundering climate-and-energy bill?   

The Case for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency  Opponents have some arguments worth considering, but they don’t outweigh the need for a new agency to protect consumers against the banks  

Biden’s Stimulus PR Fears Confirmed — Sort Of  We can say this for Joe Biden: He saw the Stimulus backlash coming   

  

Word of the Day for Wednesday, February 17, 2010

hypnagogic \hip-nuh-GOJ-ik; -GOH-jik\, adjective:

 

Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

Schools, child care providers and other public services are facing massive budget cuts due to the state budget crisis.

Illinois needs a real budget solution that will fairly raise the revenue needed to stop cuts and fully fund vital services.

On February 17, thousands will rally at the Illinois Statehouse for a Responsible Budget. Rally begins at 11 am.

Even if you can’t attend, send a message to your legislators — pass HB 174, legislation that will allow Illinois  to pay for crucial services, including education.

SEND THE MESSAGE NOW.

IEA is a member of the Responsible Budget Coalition.

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  

State set to cut funding for schools
Suburban Chicago News –  Current negotiations in Springfield could result in 10 percent cuts to the state’s school funding foundation level, meaning millions less in state aid to local schools.  State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat who chairs the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee, said this week the state budget crisis will likely affect general state aid, lately the only consistent funding source from Springfield to local schools.  

Record number of Ill. students take AP exams
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – The Illinois State Board of Education says a record numbers of Illinois students took Advanced Placement exams last year. But the proportion of students who passed the college-level exams continues to decline.   

Budget cuts cause unrest in higher education  The state’s huge budget shortfall is beginning to affect classes at public universities. Ghaziaouf Alph, a pharmacy major at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said, “My teachers ain’t in class and I have these two substitute teachers who don’t know how to teach nothing. My grades are affected.”   

Teacher jobs in jeopardy in District 200
Chicago Daily Herald – Warrenville Unit District 200 officials work to address a projected $8.6 million deficit in their 2010-2011 budget. The changes are among roughly $7.7 million in proposed cuts being reviewed by the school board and an advisory finance committee that’s assisting with the budget process. Both panels received the first draft of suggested cuts on Wednesday.    

Funding cuts may mean D204 staff cuts
Glen Ellyn Sun – If the state of Illinois doesn’t come through with the funding it owes Indian Prairie School District 204, several teachers will likely lose their jobs.  “We have not landed on what that number will look like,” said Superintendent Kathy Birkett, who confirmed Wednesday non-tenured staff would feel the hit.  In a message to District 204 community members, Birkett explained the effects of the state’s financial woes on education.   

District 21 prepared to make major cuts Thursday night
Chicago Daily Herald – District 21 officials are getting ready to make some tough decisions tonight (Thursday).  “I expect by the end of the night the school board will know the direction they want to go,” said Superintendent Gary Mical. “A lot is tied into teacher negotiations that are ongoing.”   

Hillsboro Schools Face Tough Choices
Hillsboro Journal News  – would have done nothing to improve the forecast. When the current fiscal year ends this summer, Superintendent Powell predicts a $2 million total fund deficit, including $1.8 million in the education fund from which most day-to-day school operation is paid. That projection is provided the state pays its obligations.   

Parents plea for limited cuts
Chicago Daily Southtown – As Mokena School District 159 moves forward on deep cuts to its programming for next year, plenty of residents aren’t letting those programs go without a fight.  Hundreds of people crowded Wednesday night’s school board meeting at Mokena Elementary School, pleading with board members for a chance to weigh in on what gets slashed from the 2010-11 district budget.    

Adviser gives District 165 board members look at financial future
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – During its first meeting since the failed referendum, the District 165 school board reviewed a potential financial forecast. Howard Crouse, senior financial adviser with Naperville-based PMA Financial Network, presented an example of a similar, but larger school district during a special board meeting Wednesday night.   

Making a run for it: Two school districts participate in ‘Race to the Top’
Freeport Journal Standard  – More than 40 percent of Illinois school districts, including Freeport School District 145 and Eastland School District 308, have laced up their running shoes to participate in “Race to the Top,” a federal competitive grant program intended to drive education reform.  

Geneva school salaries not the highest, not the lowest, district says
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Are Geneva teachers paid too much, too little, or just enough? This week the school board released a teacher staffing and salary study, comparing Geneva to 19 other suburban districts. It is one of several comparative studies the board has requested as it prepares to make decisions about what to spend money on for the 2010-11 fiscal year.   

MHS teachers, school board negotiation stall
Mundelein Review – Terrence Napolski, president of the Mundelein Education Association, which represents 138 teachers, counselors and other certificated employees in the district, said teachers have been working without a contract since the beginning of the current school year and there has been little movement in contract negotiations over the past several months.   

Woodland teachers union cries foul
Streator Times-Press – The Woodland Education Association is filing an unfair labor practice complaint against the Woodland School Board.  According to association President Deidre Toler, the union is unhappy with the board’s handling of the recovery of $217,360.96 overpaid to 75 current and former teachers between the 2004-05 school year and the 2007-2008 school year.   

Proviso District 209 hires lobbying firm to recoup funds
Maywood Herald – The Proviso School District 209 Board of Education approved a $30,000 contract with a lobbying firm to find money from Springfield to avoid teacher layoffs. Paul Williams and Associates will look for potential sources of funding and lobby state officials to finance educational programming and capital improvements in District 209.   

North Mac board to be seated Wednesday
Springfield State Journal Register – The newly elected North Mac Board of education will be seated Wednesday. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. on the Girard campus. The Girard and Virden school districts will merge into the North Mac School District on July 1.   

OUR VIEW: The intent and reality of state fees
Freeport Journal Standard – Farmers are about to find out what educators learned a long time ago.   Money collected by the State of Illinois goes into the general fund. From that fund, monies are mixed with other revenue sources and eventually flow like a river in the general direction of Chicago.   

School bus driver to wrap up 39-year career
Springfield State Journal Register – Nancie Klein’s career as a school bus driver started on a dare. “A friend said, ‘You could never drive a school bus,’ and I thought, if I can drive a farm truck, I can drive a school bus,” the 80-year-old former farm wife said.  Sure enough, Klein could. She since has spent nearly 39 years hauling children to and from school across the A-C Central School District, serving generations of families and covering thousands of miles of country roads in the process.   

Chicago schools’ growing environmental options
Medill News Service – The Chicago Public Schools have recently come under scrutiny for their use of disposable trays and the amount of food waste they throw away, but school officials say they’re doing what they can to be more environmentally conscious.  “Our issue here is that we’re a district of 670 schools,” CPS spokesman Frank Shuftan said.  “Everything we do has to be geared towards dealing with that volume. There’s a cost issue.”    

Plan strips school councils of power to pick principals
Chicago Sun Times – Hundreds of parent-led local school councils would be stripped of the critical power to pick principals under a bill introduced this week by the Rev. James Meeks, head of the Senate education Committee. Plus, up to 42,000 students at 65 of the city’s lowest-scoring public schools would be entitled to tuition vouchers to attend private or parochial schools under an amendment  

Political News    

Glass half empty, mayor and state seek more stimulus
Medill News Service  – If a kid blows his weekly allowance the minute he gets it, mom and dad usually aren’t too forgiving. But what if he’s spent only half that allowance and asks for an advance?  In this case, replace the child with Mayor Richard M. Daley and mom and dad with the federal government. And that weekly allowance is what most call stimulus money.    

Dillard says Jim Ryan cost him an outright win
Western Springs Doings – Had former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan not entered the GOP gubernatorial race, state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-24th, of Hinsdale said he would have “handily” won the nomination. The fact that DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom still got 7,000 votes despite dropping out also hurt his chances of a clear victory.   

Our View: Dems should look downstate
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – Democrats across the state are breathing a collective sigh of relief after Scott Lee Cohen tearfully stepped aside Sunday from the lieutenant governor’s nomination that he won Feb. 2. Party leaders now will choose a replacement running mate for Gov. Pat Quinn in the Nov. 2 election.   

Madigan wants lieutenant governor job gone  Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has proposed legislation to end the state office of lieutenant governor. The proposal would abolish the elected office in 2015 and designate the Illinois attorney general as the governor’s successor, if needed.   

Is ‘diversity’ a consideration for lt. gov?
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Democratic leaders don’t like talking about it publicly, but some believe the party’s fall ticket should be more diverse. They also believe that Cohen’s resignation allows the party a chance to add diversity, which is why two Asian Americans are getting serious buzz.

Duckworth has flaws Quinn needs to see
Chicago Daily Southtown – Phil Kadner – Gov. Patrick Quinn may want to think twice about lobbying for Tammy Duckworth as his running mate in November’s election.  Duckworth is an assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Before that, she was director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2006.   

Former state official engaged in ‘decadent’ behavior, ethics commission finds
Springfield State Journal Register – A former top-ranking official in the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services engaged in “decadent” behavior, didn’t show up for work and used her state computer for viewing pornography and other personal activity, according to a report released by the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission.   

Bernard Schoenburg: Money only 1 part of a winning mix, says Plummer
Springfield State Journal Register – The family of JASON PLUMMER, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, spent $1.3 million or more on his race, but Plummer doesn’t think money alone led to his victory. “The reality of the situation is, there’s a lot of things that are important,” Plummer said by telephone from his hometown of Edwardsville   

Blagojevich maintains ‘not guilty’ plea
Crains Chicago Business –  Ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich pleaded not guilty Wednesday to revised federal corruption charges and challenged prosecutors to allow jurors to hear all of the FBI’s recordings of his telephone conversations. Sounding unusually combative after the brief hearing, Blagojevich told reporters he would not ask Judge James B. Zagel to prevent jurors from hearing FBI wiretaps in which prosecutors say 

Blagojevich brother pleads not guilty  The brother of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to revised federal corruption charges.  Robert Blagojevich says he is in the fight of his life and admits ties to his brother have been strained by the case. 

Opinion: Time for Obama to go gangsta on GOP  Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer made famous the phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  For me, I’m sick and tired of Democrats having power and being unwilling to use it. I’ve always respected Republicans when they had power because they were willing to use it and maybe apologize 

National News

 

Sec. Duncan Addresses Senate, Pushes Student Loan Industry Overhaul  AACRAO Transcript – On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan reaffirmed his support of President Obama’s plan to overhaul the student loan industry, reports the Washington …   

Childhood obesity linked to early death: US study  AFP –  Being obese as a child increases the risk of dying before you reach 55, says a study published Wednesday, a day after US First Lady Michelle …   

Trimming the Fat  Wall Street Journal – ? Rarely is there much good to say about the Obama Administration’s health-care agenda, so its childhood anti-obesity campaign is a welcome turn. …   

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories   

What Went Wrong at Toyota  It was the world’s most admired automaker, a company that had redefined manufacturing. Then the recalls started. What can other firms learn from a corporate culture that went horribly wrong?

It’s Her Party: The Brilliance of Sarah Palin  Sarah Palin is clever, deceptive and infuriating — which makes her the Republicans’ most potent force

 Iran’s Anniversary: The Opposition Tries to Thwart a Crackdown  As Tehran presses it nuclear program forward, its political crisis continues, with every anniversary an occasion for protest  

Will Lindsey Vonn Have to Drop Out of the Games?  U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn, whom NBC and other marketers are betting will captivate Olympic audiences like Michael Phelps did, could pull out of the Games  

Post-Partum Depression: Signaled During Pregnancy?  Studies suggest that so-called antenatal depression may not only predict postpartum depression in mothers, but also lead to long-term changes in babies’ health and behavior   

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

1) Most Americans are dissatisfied with government  Two-thirds of Americans are “dissatisfied” or downright “angry” about the way the federal government is working, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. On average, the public estimates that 53 cents of every tax dollar they send to Washington is “wasted.”

2) Alexander McQueen found dead at home  LONDON — British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead at his London home on Thursday, his spokeswoman said. He was 40 years old.

3) Record blizzard shuts down the government  John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the person who makes the call as to whether federal government employees report to work or not discusses the effects of closing the government during the Blizzard of 2010 and whether further closings may occur.

4) Palin’s populism: It just might work  With a well-honed message, the former governor has to be taken seriously.

5) 2 ex-employees say Blackwater billed government for prostitute  Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security contractor of defrauding the government for years with phony billing, including charging for a prostitute, alcohol and spa trips.

6) What fuels the grass-roots rage  The field is getting crowded and the intrigues intense as electoral hopes rise.

7) At unmanned NW Safeway, honor system is reported  Outside, whiteout. Inside the Safeway in Tenleytown, the aisles were empty, the salad fixings gone, the milk shelves cleaned out. The only evidence of what had happened sat on the cashier’s belt in Lane 2 — a few coins and a couple of wrinkled bills that told the tale: The staff skipped out and …

8.) Washington’s newest hero, able to clear tall drifts in a single pass He arrives in a cloud of hissing white flakes with an unmistakable whine, leaving a trail of clear pavement in his wake. He accepts no money for his work. He moves so fast and is so bundled up against the cold you might not recognize him — or even catch his name.

9) Google, raising the Web’s speed limit  Google staked a claim on another corner of the technology universe Wednesday, saying it now wants to turbocharge your Internet connection.

10) GOP hope rises in California  The field is getting crowded and the intrigues intense as electoral hopes rise.

 

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 11, 2010

coquetry \KOH-ki-tree; koh-KE-tree\, noun:

Dalliance; flirtation.

The Illinois budget crisis has morphed into a school crisis and human services crisis. See this report citing financially strapped districts statewide  or check this Blog for a look at the politics of the budget.

It is imperative that the Illinois raise revenues to get the state out of debt and back on track, Failing to raise revenue means school employees being laid off, school programs and activities eliminated, bigger class sizes and much more.

In short, we are facing a disaster.

Send your state senator and representative an email urging them to support HB 174 to Save Our Schools and Save Our State.

Click here to send the message!

School districts statewide are looking for ways to fill budget gaps created by the state of Illinois’ failure to make its payments to schools in a timely manner.

School boards and superintendents are looking at cutting teachers, increasing class sizes and in, some schools, cutting foreign language education, sports, agriculture programs, music and a variety of other extra-curricular activities.

Southwestern School District

In the Southwestern School District, 175-square mile area in Macoupin and Jersey counties in southern Illinois, frustrated school board members opened the floor to suggestions from its residents on how it can cut more than $2.3 million from its budget next year – a hole left from money the state has yet to pay it.

The cut encompasses about one-sixth of the district’s total budget. To cope, a variety of measures have been proposed, including laying off one-quarter of the teaching staff, cutting all sports, cutting band at the grade and middle school levels, slashing all aide positions, eliminating the very strong Future Farmers of America program and other cuts.

About 700 local residents showed up to a forum to share their support for teachers and the district and to make other suggestions.  Those ran from the area starting its own local bartering system, to holding large-scale fundraisers, to suing the state of Illinois for breach of contract.  (See a video report on the crisis in the Southwestern School District)

Peoria Area Special Education Cooperative

In central Illinois, Jane Winter Clark, director of the Peoria Area Special Education Cooperative, said the state is $1 million behind in payments to the co-op.  To plug the budget hole, the 17 districts that make up the co-op have agreed to prepay their co-op fees by a month, adding to each individual district’s own financial struggles.

Winter Clark said the co-op is in a bind. It is not a taxing body and doesn’t own property that it can borrow against or sell.  Because it has It has no way to raise its own money it must rely on local districts to fill the hole.  Shutting down isn’t an option; state and federal law require students with special needs to be served.

“There’s not much to cut. We ccould cut out a certain level of services and we could shift services to local districts but these are services students are required by law to have so where do we cut? We don’t.”  (See a report on the crisis in the Peoria Area Special Education Cooperative )

The problem is definitely not limited to downstate.

Wheaton-Warrenville

Charles Baker, acting superintendent at the Wheaton-Warrenville School District west of Chicago, said his district is looking at an $8.6 million deficit this year.  He blames the crisis on a faulty school funding structure combined with nationwide economic problems and compounded by problems within the state legislature.

“The state of Illinois alone is on the brink of bankruptcy as we know it and that financial crisis has had a direct impact on our school district,” he said, adding that the district has heard the state also intends to reduce its per-pupil foundation level funding by as much as $500 next year. If it does, the Wheaton-Warrenville deficit jumps from $6.8 million to $17 million “overnight,” Baker said.

“The citizens of this community, and communities we serve, cannot carry on their backs the individual tax burden of these schools. The state has to step up. They have to do something,” he said.  (See a report on the crisis in the Wheaton-Warrenville School District)

Districts all over Illinois are facing similar crises. The following news briefs are are taken from newspapers from southern to northern Illinois just in the past several weeks:

–Elgin Area School District U-46 had already trimmed millions from its budget over the past 18 months. It turns out it wasn’t enough. The district is looking at an additional $40 million in cuts that have to be made prior to the start of next school year.

–Georgetown-Ridge Farm Community Unit School District in Vermillion County had to transfer money within in order to make payroll in late January. But the district is still owed about $400,000 by the state, has issued more than $500,000 in working cash bonds to retire some older bonds and to generate internal money and is looking at cuts to programs and personnel.

–Effingham Unit 40 is owed almost $900,000, forcing the district to look at cuts. In addition, the district is keeping a running tally on how much money its’ owed on its school marquees so the public is aware.

–Mokena District 159 tried to pass a tax referendum that would have boosted taxes by about $400 a year on a $250,000 home in an effort to stave off a $2 million budget hole caused by a lack of state funding and a lack of commercial growth in the area. The referendum resoundingly failed. The district said the deficit will top $3 million by next year.

–Community Unit School District 300 in Kane County is owed $6 million by the state. It plans on cutting $6.3 million from next year’s budget, which could mean teacher and staff layoffs and cutting programs in education and transportation.

–University heads from across the state wrote a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn urging him to find a way to pay them the $735 million owed to them by the state.

–Northfield Township District 225 may have to lay off 100 teachers, end language classes or put off long-needed repairs to boilers and roofs if they aren’t either paid money owed to them by the state, or issue bonds.

–Williamson County’s Early Childhood Cooperative has opted to RIF its 41 staff members in preparation that the state may not be able to fund the program.

–Indian Prairie School District 204 currently is owed $7.8 million, had already cut $9.4 million from its budget and fears it may face cuts between $14 and 20 million, should the state decide to reduce its foundation level of per-student funding.

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We can’t wait for a responsible budget

IEA is a member of the Responsible Budget Coalition.  IEA members are urged to show lawmakers and everyone else how we are all hurt by the state’s broken budget.
 
It’s easy for you to tell the General Assembly “I can’t wait for a responsible budget”. Do it now! 
 

 

Happy YOU year!

NEA Member Benefits wants to help you keep your new year’s resolutions by offering savings at Smilemakers (classroom treats like stickers, pencils and decorations), NEA life insurance, Jenny Craig, Barnes & Noble, car rentals, no hassle savings on your next new or used vehicle, New York & Co., and magazine subscriptions. Visit the NEA MB website for all the values you are entitled to.

Black History Month, Mom Congress, more…

Visit the IEA website for the latest political action, features and upcoming events. For example: Find out about Read Across America, Parenting magazine convening the first Mom Congress on Education, find curriculum ideas for Black History Month, order IEA scholarship apparel for pick up at the RA, read the latest blogs and find archived articles you may want to revisit.
 

 

SPARKS ignites leadership fire

IEA regions and locals across Illinois are using SPARKS to light the fire of leadership in newer and younger members.
 
SPARKS was developed by NEA to identify younger IEA members who show potential as future leaders.  This past weekend, two-day SPARKS programs were conducted in IEA Region 35 (Schaumburg) and for several locals serviced through the IEA Naperville office.
 
Click here for a brief video taken at the SPARKS event for Region 35.
 

 

RtI offers two new webinars

The National Center on Response to Intervention (RtI)is holding a “Use of Coaching” Webinar from 1 – 2 p.m., Weds., March 3. Learn a coaching model and find out how this form of professional development can be used to foster teachers understanding of the components of RtI.
 
Visit the RtI website for more information.
 

Take action to save education jobs

The U.S. Senate is debating President Obama’s Jobs for Main Street Act, which includes investing in education. The House of Representatives passed this NEA-supported legislation in December.
 
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Click here for more information.
 

 
Website of the week

Lesson plans, thematic units, seasonal items, interesting bulletin boards are available on our website of the week. The Teachers Corner helps you plan your month.

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  

Meeks open to school vouchers  A key legislative proponent of improving Illinois’ public schools is reversing his usual course by pushing school vouchers.   Sen. James Meeks said academic disparities and recent violence in Chicago schools have changed his mind about vouchers. The Chicago Democrat is calling for an Illinois School Choice Program in Senate Bill 2494.   

Dist. 300 considers more cuts
Chicago Daily Herald – When the Community Unit District 300 school board votes on $6.4 million in budget reductions this month, it might not be the final word on next year’s budget. District 300 administration presented additional proposals Monday that could   

D300 extends contract for teachers union
Elgin Courier News –  for a year if the school district and its unions haven’t negotiated new contracts by the time the old ones are up. But the teachers’ union contract wasn’t set to expire until June 30. Local Education Association of District 300, or LEAD, and District 300 began negotiations in mid-January when the superintendent proposed $6.4 million in cuts to the district’s 2010-2011 budget   

Kaneland explores cost-cutting measures
Chicago Daily Herald – fiscal year starts June 30, and the final budget must be adopted by Sept. 30. Dozens of people in the audience were both Kaneland teachers and district residents. Earlier in the day, the Kaneland Education Association announced members had refused a request from the district to give up the pay raise they are scheduled to get next year.   

Kaneland parents, teachers, taxpayers sound off on budget cuts
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – Monday, in the wake of a decision by Kaneland teachers to refuse to negotiate away their pay increases, more than 200 parents, teachers and residents of the Kaneland School District packed into the cafeteria at Kaneland Harter Middle School to discuss the district’s proposals to trim $2.6 million from next year’s district budget.   

Kaneland teachers refuse to renegotiate contract
Beacon News – has spent three months attending meetings, doing research and weighing options to make the most informed decision possible concerning the district’s request to renegotiate this contract,” a Kaneland Education Association statement said Monday. KEA President Linda Zulkowski said 75 percent of its membership voted not to reconsider terms of the contract. 

D204 expects state funding cuts
Suburban Chicago News Budgets for units of government all over Illinois are being slashed to make accommodations for the worst recession since the early 1980s, and Indian Prairie School District 204 is no exception.  “We are in the middle of tough times right now,” Superintendent Kathy Birkett said Monday at the district’s regular board meeting.   

District 303 receives grim report from superintendent on budget cuts
St. Charles Sun – Illinois school cuts may be worse than feared next year, according to Community Unit School District 303 Superintendent Donald Schlomann. At Monday night’s District 303 board of education meeting, Schlomann relayed a message that cuts look to be at least $1 billion across Illinois next year. The message was from a Large Unit District Association meeting with legislators   

Clock ticking on D118 staff cuts
Danville Commercial-News – the fiscal year in July following a one-year deal last year that provided a modest pay-raise and created a new step for experienced teachers. That agreement followed a multi-year contract. Danville Education Association President Robin Twidwell did not respond to a request for comment on this story.      

Plainfield school cuts delayed
Joliet Herald News – Plainfield school board postponed a vote Monday night that would have cut more than 200 jobs to reduce a $16 million deficit. The district faces a $16 million deficit that must be erased in three years   

Pre-K Program Prepares for Worst, Hopes for Best
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 – The state has only paid the Williamson County Early Childhood Co-op eleven percent of the funds they were promised this school year. The co-op has been making do by borrowing from Williamson County school districts.   

Moline schools look at budget-saving options
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Superintendent Cal Lee presented 67 budget-saving options valued at more than $6.5 million Monday.  The district plans to adopt about $3.5 million in cuts next school year, he said, adding the list of Phase 1 and Phase 2 cuts made him sick to his stomach. Those cuts include some of his personal “sacred cow items” such as delaying new textbooks, he said, adding the deeper Phase 2 cuts were “devastating.”   

More cuts loom in D-26
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – District 26 schools likely will have to bear about $3 million more in budget cuts over the next few years – and that’s a best-case scenario.  The reductions would be on top of the $5.4 million that officials already planned to cut for the 2010-11 school year.   

U-46 appeals bilingual waiver decision
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Elgin Area School District U-46 is asking the General Assembly to override a state board of education decision denying the district’s request to exceed class-size limits for students learning English. The state board voted Jan. 14 to reject the request, upholding state law   

Higher education going under   Since July 1, the state has made only sporadic payments on no particular schedule. At Southern Illinois University, for example, the state has paid only 23 percent of the appropriated funds. At campuses throughout Illinois, the state is $735 million behind, and as a result — just as they teach in Accounting 101 — the universities don’t have the money to pay their own bills.  

Political News

 

Gov. Pat Quinn wants Tammy Duckworth as Illinois lieutenant governor candidate
Chicago Sun Times – Scoopsville? Sneed hears former Illinois state veterans chief Tammy Duckworth is Gov. Quinn’s personal pick as lieutenant governor nominee — replacing the scandal-ridden Scott Lee Cohen.   

Hynes won’t replace Cohen, but who will?
The scramble is on to replace Scott Lee Cohen on the Democratic general-election ticket. And just about the only certainty is that Dan Hynes won’t be the man to fill Cohen’s shoes as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee. Hynes, who narrowly lost to Gov. Quinn in last week’s Democratic governor’s race, said Monday he doesn’t want state government’s No. 2 job.   

Dan Hynes doesn’t want Scott Cohen’s lieutenant governor post, but who will get it?
Chicago Sun –  And just about the only certainty is that Dan Hynes won’t be the man to fill Cohen’s shoes as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee. Hynes, who narrowly lost to Gov. Quinn in last week’s Democratic governor’s race, said Monday he doesn’t want state government’s No. 2 job.   

Boland says he should fill Cohen’s ballot slot for Democrats
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – State Rep. Mike Boland of East Moline said it makes sense for him to replace the Democratic Party’s disgraced lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen. Mr. Cohen, who won the primary election Feb. 2, dropped out of the race Sunday after news that he was accused of abusing his ex-wife and holding a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend who is an alleged prostitute.   

Cohen controversy renews debate over value of the job
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – The controversy surrounding Scott Lee Cohen’s nomination and subsequent withdrawal from the race for Illinois lieutenant governor has renewed the debate over whether the position is needed at all. The job has few official duties other than to wait for the governor to die or resign, and critics say that vague job description is reason enough to eliminate it.    

Cohen election exposes total system failure
Chicago Sun Times – Now that the Scott Lee Cohen debacle is over, voters have every right to be disgusted. Not only did the media drop the ball by not digging deep enough into Cohen’s past, but we didn’t even follow the money. Cohen spent an estimated $2 million of his own money during a campaign that pitted him against a field of seasoned politicians.   

Cohen move gives Democrats a rare do-over
Springfield State Journal Register – Democrats in Illinois are getting a political do-over: the chance to pick a new lieutenant governor nominee themselves now that the primary winner dropped out of the race because of revelations about his checkered past. Gov. Pat Quinn has the rare opportunity to help choose his running mate, but refused to say Monday who was on his short list of potential partners.    

Could trickle of absentee, provisional ballots lift Kirk Dillard over Bill Brady?
Chicago Sun Times – Now that the Cohen saga has quieted down with his decision to withdraw, attention will return to the far more important business of deciding which Republican will face Gov. Quinn in November, even while Quinn and the Democrats go about the job of picking Cohen’s replacement. Of immediate interest is the tallying of late-arriving mail absentee and provisional votes.   

Blago attys refused trial plans
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – A federal judge refused Monday to give former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attorneys an early look at key evidence in his corruption case, saying their request was based on “rhetorical flourishes,” not legal principles.  

GOP wary of pitfalls in Obama’s health care summit
Boston Globe – Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama’s call for a bipartisan confab on health care, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy. If so, a shaky showing by GOP leaders could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the nation’s health care system, 

Congressional Dems blame Rahm
The Hill – Democrats in Congress are holding White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel accountable for his part in the collapse of healthcare reform. The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.  

Cheney’s Revenge
The Wall Street Journal – Dick Cheney is not the most popular of politicians, but when he offered a harsh assessment of the Obama Administration’s approach to terrorism last May, his criticism stung—so much that the President gave a speech the same day that was widely seen as a direct response. Though neither man would admit it, eight months later political and security realities are forcing Mr. Obama’s antiterror policies   

John Murtha dies; longtime congressman was master of pork-barrel politics
Washington Post – Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a Vietnam War veteran who staunchly supported military spending and became a master of pork-barrel politics, died Monday at Virginia Hospital Center. The 19-term lawmaker died from complications of gallbladder surgery. He was 77. Elected to Congress in 1974 from a southwestern Pennsylvania district that has been economically devastated   

Stimulus funds for high-speed Internet access tangled up
USA Today – The Obama administration knew that there’d be a lot of interest in the $7.2 billion for high-speed Internet projects it included in last year’s huge economic stimulus package. The goal was to quickly create tens of thousands of jobs and connect millions of poor and rural communities to broadband, a technology that’s essential for economic development, modern medicine and education. 

National News

 

Obama wants school vending machine changes – Diet and nutrition
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – would also push for bigger reimbursements for schools serving breakfast. In addition, the administration is seeking to link local farmers with school cafeterias and improve parent and student education about nutrition. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed interest child nutrition. Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee,  

Race to the Top: For Minnesota, figuring out new federal education plan is far …  MinnPost.com –  REUTERS/Larry DowningPresident Obama and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visiting Wright Middle School in Madison, Wis., last fall. …   

Education chief urges big push for innovation Greensboro News & Record – Even though he was snowbound in Washington, Education Secretary Arne Duncan was playing to the crowd Monday at the Raleigh   

Education chief: Don’t teach to test  News & Observer –  … US Education Secretary Arne Duncan told nearly 200 people gathered Monday at the Emerging Issues Forum at the Raleigh Convention Center. …   

‘No Child’ program needs some changes  Washington Observer Reporter – ? When Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced proposed reforms to No Child Left Behind last week, he laid out a scenario to prove the point   

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories   

U.S. Troops Prepare to Test Obama’s Afghan War Plan  The looming battle for the small town of Marja could prove to be an important indicator of the prospects for U.S. forces in Afghanistan   

Asian Carp in the Great Lakes? This Means War!  Invasive species of Asian carp may be infiltrating the Great Lakes. If they establish themselves in Midwestern waterways, scientists say they will destroy the existing ecosystem   

Al-Qaeda Wedding: Celebrating in an Unfortunately Named Town  An unexpected wedding invitation to an unfortunately named town highlights Yemen’s promise — and its challenges. An evening with the villagers of Al-Qaeda 

Book Excerpt: Anatomy of an Iraq War Crime  The second and final excerpt of TIME contributing editor Jim Frederick’s new book highlights how Private First Class Steven Green and his co-conspirators masterminded their crime in Iraq  

Facebook Gifts Get Real  The social-networking site wants your money — and your friend’s mailing address

Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 9, 2010

vitiate \VISH-ee-ayt\, transitive verb:

1. To make faulty or imperfect; to render defective; to impair; as, “exaggeration vitiates a style of writing.”
2. To corrupt morally; to debase.
3. To render ineffective; as, “fraud vitiates a contract.”

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 

Kaneland teachers to vote on contract talks
Geneva Kane County Chronicle –  Teachers in the Kaneland School District will decide this weekend how far they are willing to go to help the cash-strapped district balance its books. Members of the Kaneland Education Association began voting Thursday on the question of whether to begin talking to the Kaneland School Board about the possibility of renegotiating their collective bargaining agreement.  

School District U-46 holds forums on budget reductions
Dr. Jose M. Torres, superintendent of School District U-46, has scheduled six public forums in order to receive feedback from the U-46 community and employees regarding possible budget reductions for next school year. 

U-46 financial crisis has a distinct taste of déjà vu
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – With every new story I read, and with every new piece of information that comes in, I can’t help but have an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu.  Elgin Area School District U-46 is in dire financial straits again. 

District 205 Leaders, Union Put Aside Differences  WIFR – Recent tension between District 205 leaders and the teachers union could play a role in Rockford schools ability to get federal money through a grant called ‘Race To The Top.’  Right now, they’re working on that relationship to get it. 

Oswego schools plan for $5.5M deficit
Caught up in the state’s delay on payments and the decline of local property values, Oswego school officials are proposing a plan to make up for a projected $5.5 million deficit.  

Budget woes force school cuts
The state’s financial woes have trickled downhill and area schools are paying the price. Effingham Unit 40 isn’t an exception to the number of schools feeling the state’s financial pinch. Unit 40 trimmed about $900,000 from its budget last year, but the state’s financial situation has continued to disintegrate, resulting in late or nonexistent payments to local school districts.   

Illinois’ MAP grant dilemma vexing students
Roughly 138,000 Illinois MAP recipients got a big shock last fall when, just weeks before classes started, the state made huge cuts to Illinois’ $400 million financial aid program. Students were told they’d get aid in the fall, but that no money remained for spring. Finding a permanent funding stream for the grants remains a problem – meaning students are leery of relying on MAP awards. 
 
Southland schools look at layoffs, program cuts over state aid delays
Illinois is $650 million behind on education payments. It owes Southland school districts more than $24.4 million. The district has enacted a hiring freeze for several positions and is holding off on raises for many non-union workers. Most drastic, however, is a move to lay off all non-tenured first-, second-, third- and fourth-year teachers – more than 100 of 300-plus teachers in the district – before rehiring some of them back before the next school year.   

Forum on Jacksonville school budget Tuesday
Springfield State Journal Register – Current projections for the next school year are that there will be a $2 million deficit in the district’s education fund. The Jacksonville school board is holding the forum to give the community an opportunityto offer suggestions or ask questions about budget cuts that likely might be necessary.   

Don’t lay off Dist. 202 teachers
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Letter to the Editor – The teachers do a great job in our schools and are not the problem. You can find millions of dollars of waste and programs that are not needed. Get rid of all the assistants that make six-figure incomes. The $250,000 our superintendent makes, along with all the secretaries and assistants, would be a nice place to start. Our teachers deserve better.   

In My View: We need black teachers in the classroom
Springfield State Journal Register – During this set-aside time of the year for black history lessons, lest we forget, in the past 55 years after the implementation of Brown v. the Board of education (1954), black teachers in America’s K-12 classrooms have trickled down to almost non-extant, a reported 66 percent decline, with black teachers today representing less than 8 percent   

Our Opinion: Project funds aplenty; none for city schools
Springfield State Journal Register – As a result of the cuts to the federal stimulus, the Springfield School District lost out on $6.4 million in funding in 2009, while Ball-Chatham lost $239,700, according to an analysis of proposed stimulus spending produced by ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization.   

Plains officials eye sales tax to rebuild high school
Springfield State Journal Register – The challenge, however, is finding a way to pay for renovations without asking property owners to foot the bill, school board president George Murphy said. “I don’t think there’s sentiment on the board to raise Plains’ property taxes to have the (upgrades) done,” Murphy said.   

Illinois budget crisis touches all stakeholders of state universities
A stark reality faces the University. Illinois is woefully behind on paying the universities nested within this state, almost $750 million to the different University of Illinois campuses alone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the money will come any time soon.   

Chicago schools pile up lunch waste
Chicago Tribune – Every day, kids in the Chicago Public Schools district throw out nearly a quarter of a million lunch and breakfast trays made of polystyrene foam. That’s more than 1 million a week, about 5 million a month.  And those trays are just the start of a river of trash from school meals that ends up in landfills, including nacho-stained containers, half-empty milk cartons, plastic cookie wrappers and plastic tubs that will sit in thick polyethylene bags for centuries without biodegrading  

Political News

Editorial: State deficit demands attention
Hapless schools, universities and social service agencies have been standing by, waiting for the state to pay its bills – for classes already taught, drug treatment already given, home health care already provided – but the state hasn’t ponied up because, quite simply, it doesn’t have the money.   

Insiders left speechless by primary results  Herald & Review – On Thursday, more than 40 hours after the polls had closed, state Sen. Bill Brady was back home in Bloomington, whispering his way through an interview   

Finke: Second time – and voter apathy – is the charm for Bill Brady  Peoria Journal Star – What a difference a couple of years makes. Well, a couple of years, a couple of more candidates and a whole lot of apathy. 

400 votes down, Dillard not out in GOP gov race
Chicago Sun Times –  important, every vote must be counted.” Waiting until the count is completed won’t put the eventual GOP nominee — no matter who it is — at a disadvantage in the November general election against Gov. Quinn, Dillard said. “We have the earliest primary in America,” said Dillard. “We still have plenty of time. Our party is not losing any ground here.” Election officials have until Feb. 16   

Brady stays on campaign trail, targets Quinn
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – Although the outcome of the Republican race for governor remains in flux, state Sen. Bill Brady headed out on the campaign trail Friday.   

Cohen exits lt. governor’s race amid furor over arrest  The Democratic nominee for Illinois’ lieutenant governor dropped out of the race Sunday night, less than a week after   

Ex-girlfriend at center of Scott Lee Cohen scandal: Lt. gov. nominee not fit to hold office
Elgin Courier News – The ex-girlfriend who accused Democratic Lt. Governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen of threatening her with a knife said Saturday she “does not believe he is fit to hold any public office.’’  Amanda J. Eneman’s statement, issued through well-known celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, are the first public comments by the convicted prostitute since details about Cohen’s background emerged following his victory in the primary Tuesday.   

212,902 reasons Cohen shouldn’t have quit
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – There are 212,902 reasons that Scott Lee Cohen should have been left alone. That is the number of Illinois Democrats who voted for him to be their lieutenant governor candidate.   

Should Illinois lieutenant governor position be eliminated?
Freeport Journal Standard – PEORIA, Ill. — In the wake of a burgeoning scandal over the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee, state lawmakers want to re-examine the post or investigate the possibility of eliminating it all together. Damaging revelations about Scott Lee Cohen’s personal life surfaced this after Tuesday’s primary.   

Quinn: Hynes doesn’t want #2 spot  WGNtv.com – Pat Quinn’s running mate Scott Lee Cohen reluctantly stepped aside after a series of embarrassing personal revelations led to calls for his ousting.   

State lawmakers returning this week to packed agenda  Illinois lawmakers return to work in earnest this week and have an overflowing agenda of problems to deal with from now until May.   

The chips are down for Gov. Quinn
Chicago Tribune – Eric Zorn – Gov. Pat Quinn has a whole raft of words and sayings he falls back on — “Taxes should be based on the ability to pay, it’s a principle as old as the Bible,” for example. So I decided to create a Pat Quinn Bingo game to play whenever he’s giving a news conference. As I was gathering entries for the grid, I discovered that Quinn’s campaign staff had already made a game board of their own. I added some of theirs to some of mine and came up with this   

Political janitor needed to cleanup Illinois’ mess
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Given the closeness of both the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries, it seems that there isn’t anyone voters are really enthusiastic about heading up state government here in Illinois. As I was ruminating about that, I began to wonder why anyone would want to be governor of Illinois at this point in time, given the fiscal mess the state is in.   

Quinn Still Wants Cigarette Tax Increase  WGIL Radio News – ? Pat Quinn says he is still for an increase in the state’s cigarette tax, a plan that has been talked about since last year.   

Republican Governors Association Using Dan Hynes Campaign Ads To Attack Pat …  Huffington Post (blog) – ?Even though the winner of the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination remains unclear, Republicans are already attacking Gov. Pat Quinn–and using fellow Democrat …  

Durbin to chair Giannoulias campaign   U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Sunday he will chair Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Roland Burris and previously held by President Barack Obama.   

Core Chicago Team Sinking Obama Presidency  Serious critiques of the internal game around Obama have to be read — because Obama is not winning. He is failing, and people need to consider why. 

Rep. John Murtha dead at 77  Washington Post – Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), 77, a Vietnam veteran who staunchly supported military spending and became a master of pork-barrel politics, died today at Virginia Hospital Center.   

National News

Senators, with teachers on their side, seek control of Missouri tax credits
Columbia Missourian –  Also supporting Crowell were two prominent teachers’ groups — the Missouri National Education Association and the Missouri State Teachers Association …  

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories  

 

The Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials of 2010

TIME TV critic James Poniewozik grades the ads of Super Bowl XLIV

 

Five Lessons from the Tea-Party Convention

Rather than form a new party, the movement will remain leaderless and campaign for approved conservatives. And they all love Sarah Palin

 

Collateral Damage: The Downward Spiral of Private Steven Green

The first of two excerpts from TIME contributing editor Jim Frederick’s new book, Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Descent Into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death

 

Republicans Must Embrace the Vital Center

Moderate Republicanism has imploded. But a new wave of conservatives could bring it back

 

Venezuela: Opponents Hope to Strike Out Chávez

The fiery President’s popularity has been plummeting and his opponents took advantage of the situation by heckling him at a popular baseball series

A Year After Fires, Australia Debates What Went Wrong

On Feb. 7, Australia will mark the one-year anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires, the worst natural disaster in the continent’s recorded history

European Vacation: Pope Talks Tough in His Own Backyard

For his next two trips abroad, Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to Britain and Portugal to try to counter the forces of secularism sweeping the continent

Seeing Light Through the Economic Gloom in Davos

As political and business leaders gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, they will be breathing a sigh of relief. But be in no doubt; the world has changed

We Have Lost the Habits of Citizenship

For much of this period, concern about public fecklessness was an essentially conservative argument: How do you deal with a public that wants lower taxes and more services?

Why the U.S. is Back on the Road to Damascus

The Obama Administration is moving to send an ambassador to Syria five years after President Bush called home the last one. That could help U.S. goals in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere, but trouble may be looming on the Israeli-Syrian front

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com

 

1) Once again, Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ promo is spot on

CBS may have stolen its own show last night with the telecast of Super Bowl XLIV, thanks to a network promo that stole thunder from all the costly commercials sprinkled liberally through the game.

2) A wounded but dangerous enemy

In the past six weeks, Americans have witnessed two jarringly different — but completely accurate — views of al-Qaeda’s terrorist network. One image was that of terrorist leaders being hunted down and killed by satellite-guided, pilotless aircraft. The other was of an agile foe slipping past U….

3) Digging out, with a wary eye on the sky

In the aftermath of the weekend’s massive snowstorm, the region came to grips with the fact that digging out will take days, even as more potentially paralyzing winter weather appeared headed this way by Tuesday.

4) Obama embraces new media, which piques the old guard

Six months ago, network executives were complaining that the White House was costing them tens of millions of dollars by pressing them to carry presidential news conferences in prime time.

5) Wind farm off Massachusetts meets strong resistance

ABOARD THE IDA LEWIS — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar journeyed out into Nantucket Sound on a Coast Guard vessel last week to signal the Obama administration’s readiness to put some muscle behind wind energy. To do that, Salazar has to resolve a battle over building a wind farm on 25 square mile…

6) ‘Finish the kitchen’

If the Democrats do not deliver on health care, they will face the wrath of voters.

7) Official: About 5 unaccounted for after CT blast

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A section of an under-construction power plant that exploded was too unstable to search Monday, and left questions about whether anyone was trapped inside because authorities do not have an exact roster of everyone who was on duty at the time of the blast.

8.) Obama invites GOP to summit on health care

President Obama moved to jump-start the stalled health-care debate Sunday, inviting Republicans in Congress to participate in a bipartisan, half-day televised summit on the subject this month.

9) Filibuster changes: Proceed with caution

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) chuckled as he recently reflected on his effort, five years ago, to change nearly century-old filibuster rules.

10) Come summer, many students will be paying the price for snow days

All Washington area school systems are expected to stay closed Monday, and with another snow wallop threatening to arrive Tuesday, it’s not clear when they’ll reopen.

Word of the Day for Monday, February 8, 2010

approbation \ap-ruh-BAY-shuhn\, noun:

1. The act of approving; formal or official approval.
2. Praise; commendation.

Scott Lee Cohen, who spent $2 million to win the Democratic Party nomination for Lieutenant Governor, resigned from the ticket Sunday night.  More here.