{"id":366735,"date":"2010-02-26T14:46:01","date_gmt":"2010-02-26T19:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illinoiseducationassociation.org\/?p=6108"},"modified":"2010-02-26T14:46:01","modified_gmt":"2010-02-26T19:46:01","slug":"in-the-news-feb-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/366735","title":{"rendered":"In the News ~ Feb. 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Below are<\/strong>\u00a0links to news stories of interest from\u00a0newspapers that came up during a search\u00a0today.\u00a0\u00a0These 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\u00a0your computer is recommended<\/strong><\/p>\n

State News\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\"\"<\/h2>\n

State superintendent says Illinois schools face funding cliff<\/a>
\nStreator Times-Press – The state’s superintendent of education says he sympathizes with local school administrators’ dilemma of dealing with late payments from the state.\u00a0 But with the state mired in a deep budget crisis, Chris Koch said there’s not much he or the state can do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quinn unveils $2B in cuts; budget director says more than $920 million will have to be cut from elementary and high schools<\/a>
\nQuincy Herald-Whig – \u00a0Gov. 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schools prepare for massive cuts<\/a>
\nChicago WLS (ABC) 7 \u2013 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

D118 to announce staff cuts<\/a>
\nDanville 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wheaton Warrenville schools face $8.6 million deficit<\/a>
\nChicago 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,”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teachers turn out for school district budget forum<\/a>
\nSpringfield 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\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mercer County school board, education association agree on a contract<\/a>
\nQuad 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

South Pekin to cut music, art teachers<\/a>
\nPeoria 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Woodland District 50 to cut 16 teachers<\/a>
\nChicago 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\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dist. 201 eliminates 40 positions<\/a>
\nMorris 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tough calls ahead in U-46 budget<\/a>
\nChicago 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,”\u00a0<\/p>\n

First Southland charter school deserves nod<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Southtown \u2013 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your View: Should D-99 retain popular chemistry teacher?<\/a>
\nRomeoville Reporter –\u00a0 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?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Education advocates rally for preschool funding<\/a>
\nDecatur 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SIUE named innovation leader for fifth year<\/a>
\nEdwardsville 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chicago Public Schools cuts jobs in face of deficit<\/a>
\nChicago 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\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chicago Schools CEO Projects $1.2 Billion Deficit<\/a>
\nChicago 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More CPS job cuts as $975 million deficit looms<\/a>
\nChicago 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No way around CPS teacher pay freeze<\/a>
\nChicago Sun Times \u2013 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schools find ways to fit in fitness<\/a>
\nChicago 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.<\/p>\n

Political News <\/em><\/h2>\n

\u2018Think tank\u2019 launches classic attack on \u2018government\u2019
\n<\/strong>By Jim Broadway, Publisher, State School News Service<\/p>\n

Every opportunist welcomes a crisis. The Illinois Policy Institute<\/a> is no exception.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Illinois faces a budget crisis estimated on average at about $12,800,000,000. In a publication it calls the \u201c2010 Illinois Piglet Book<\/a>\u201d (you get the feeling cold objectivity is not a high priority) the IPI identifies $350,000,000 in state government \u201cwaste.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public offers budget-balancing suggestions<\/a>
\nChicago WLS (ABC) 7 – The Illinois Education Association, a large teachers union, is encouraging members to write to the governor’s website.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Where would we be if Poshard had beaten Ryan?<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0BY RICH MILLER\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Editorial: Near-bankrupt Illinois needs someone to do the right thing<\/a>
\nWestchester 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smoldering reform<\/a>
\nChicago Tribune – \u00a0Gov. 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some Budget advice: Give back your salary<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Southtown \u2013 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. \u00a0First, give back your salary. \u00a0You’ve failed the people by allowing a $13 billion budget deficit to go unattended.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Editorial: State budget crisis hurts all<\/a>
\nBelleville News-Democrat – When we speak about the state\u2019s financial woes, it is easy to turn away because of the vastness of the problem. \u00a0Now we can no longer turn a blind eye to the state\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dave Bakke: Lieutenant governor’s office: Unloved … and unneeded?<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – Nobody with an impressive political resume seems to want the job. We aren\u2019t sure we even need it, especially when the state\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quinn Howls Over Brady’s Pet-Kill Legislation<\/a>\u00a0 NBC Chicago\u00a0– \u00a0There’s a political dog-fight brewing between Governor Pat Quinn, a dog owner, and his likely Republican rival Senator Bill Brady.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meet The Bumbling GOP Gubernatorial Ticket<\/a>\u00a0 Progress Illinois (blog)\u00a0– ?The Democrats haven’t chosen a lieutenant governor nominee just yet, but their incomplete ticket already seems stronger than the GOP’s slate. …\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quinn Up On Both Possible GOP Foes<\/a>\u00a0 National Journal (blog)\u00a0– IL Gov. Pat Quinn (D) holds double-digit leads against both GOPers locked in a recount battle for their party’s …\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Giannoulias Senate bid threatened by family bank’s losses<\/a>\u00a0 Chicago Daily Herald\u00a0– ? Fridays are getting tense in the Chicago campaign office of Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat seeking the US Senate seat once held by President Barack …\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

National News <\/em><\/h2>\n

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories<\/a><\/h2>\n

Obama Finds No Common Ground at Health Care Summit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Eastern Exposure: With Kim’s Gold, Asian Skaters Come Into Their Own<\/a><\/h3>\n

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<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Killer-Whale Tragedy: What Made Tilikum Snap?<\/a><\/h3>\n

Something about the swish of a trainer’s ponytail may have sparked the whale’s fatal attack<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

How the Initiative Culture Broke California<\/a><\/h3>\n

The federal government may be broken but the richest state in the union is hobbling badly because of self-inflicted wounds<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

TigerText: An iPhone App for Cheating Spouses<\/a><\/h3>\n

TigerText says it had its name before the golfer’s problems emerged. But he sure could have used it to cover his tracks\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stark divide on display at health summit<\/a>
\nPresident 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.
\n(By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Prof. Obama walks tall and carries a big paddle<\/a>
\n(By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Switching sides in Afghanistan<\/a>
\nTaliban fighters accept government offers of jobs and money but have yet to see payday
\n(By Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Rep. Rangel’s trips broke congressional gift rules, panel says<\/a>
\nHe is responsible because staff knew of corporate sponsorship
\n(By Paul Kane, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

U.S. probes big banks’ role in Greek fiscal crisis<\/a>
\nGoldman Sachs, others may have helped mask nation’s ballooning debt
\n(By Neil Irwin and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Va. moves to limit special-ed test’s use<\/a>
\nVirginia 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brewing a progressive alternative to the Tea Party<\/a>
\nCoffee Party says its civic dialogue is tastier choice
\n(By Dan Zak, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Apollo’s greatest hits, onstage and off<\/a>
\nIn video and memorabilia, exhibit at Smithsonian will show just why that joint’s still jumpin’
\n(By Jacqueline Trescott, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Word of the Day for Friday, February 26, 2010<\/em><\/h1>\n

mulct<\/strong> \\MULKT\\, noun<\/em>:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> A fine or penalty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Below are\u00a0links to news stories of interest from\u00a0newspapers that came up during a search\u00a0today.\u00a0\u00a0These 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\u00a0your computer is recommended State News\u00a0\u00a0 State superintendent says Illinois schools face […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-366735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366735\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}