{"id":566711,"date":"2010-05-17T13:19:05","date_gmt":"2010-05-17T17:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illinoiseducationassociation.org\/?p=7969"},"modified":"2010-05-17T13:19:05","modified_gmt":"2010-05-17T17:19:05","slug":"in-the-news-may-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/566711","title":{"rendered":"In the News ~ May 17"},"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.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Most District 205 teacher applicants worked there before<\/a>
\nRockford WREX (NBC) – Most of the people applying for District 205 used to work there. Rockford Education Association President Molly Phalen thinks about 400 people have applied for teaching positions with the district.\u00a0 She says while some are from other districts, a vast majority<\/p>\n

2 dozen Illinois school districts to get long-awaited construction funds<\/a>
\nChicago WGN (WB) 9 – The money was earmarked in 2002, but budget issues and political maneuvering kept it from being doled out. Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration made the decision to finally distribute the money without comment. In Du Quoin, the money will help pay for a new high school, while in Johnston City the $500,000\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

District 186 struggles to divvy up funds to low-income schools<\/a>\u00a0 The Springfield School District expects to receive at least $5.8 million in federal Title I funds for low-income schools next year. But dividing up the ever-changing annual allocation is getting more difficult.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schools dealing with budgets: Responses range from layoffs to cuts to business as usual<\/a>
\nDixon Telegraph – \u00a0is so bad right now that Whiteside County\u2019s top education official has asked his bank for a business loan application. The state is $425,000 behind on a promised $1.4 million in education funding to the Whiteside County Regional Office of Education. That\u2019s 30 percent of Gary Steinert\u2019s budget, and there\u2019s a chance he won\u2019t be able to make payroll\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pay freezes OK’d by board<\/a>
\nLincoln-Way Sun – the 2010-11 school year in an effort to compensate for lost education funding from the state. The state owes the district $6.3 million, according to Wyllie. The administration also had asked the teachers union to accept a freeze but the union refused. The Lincoln-Way Education Association, which represents 480 teachers, signed a three-year contract in September.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

New principal for Plainfield school<\/a>
\nJoliet Herald News – Sorg’s salary will be $85,302, including benefits. Sorg will replace Donald McKinney, who is resigning at the end of this school year. Sorg began his education career as a third grade teacher at Wesmere Elementary School, serving from 2001-2005. He then was named assistant principal at Creekside Elementary School in 2005. He was one of 10 candidates considered<\/p>\n

Five more years and salary cut approved for Siebert<\/a>
\nHarrisburg Daily Register – \u00a0But I think I need to set an example as superintendent since we’re in tough times with negotiations,” Siebert said. The board is in negotiations with the Eldorado Education Association and the Teamsters Union. Siebert said there are differences between the groups, but said the negotiations remain civil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saluting excellence in the classroom<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Herald Editorial – \u00a0Few would disagree that these are tough times for education in Illinois. Thousands of teachers have been laid off in recent weeks as area school districts trim expenses amid the state’s threatened $1.3 billion cut in education funding for the coming academic year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teachers are pension scapegoats<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Herald \u2013 Letter – other things like the state did, and the bank would accept that? Of course not. Can you imagine what your current balance would be? This is what the state has done, and now wants to blame it on the teachers, saying their pensions are exorbitant. Had the state made its legal payments into the fund, there wouldn’t be a problem today. Remember, the teachers paid 10 percent of their salary into\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hogan very excited for opportunity as new UI president<\/a>
\nChampaign News Gazette – the table to help restore trust and integrity? I have a lot of experience in academic administration. I also think I have, forgive me for saying so, a very strong background as an award-winning teacher, an award-winning scholar. Those are the two things universities are supposed to be all about, teaching and learning, research and discovery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Incoming U. of I. president gets nod from Quinn WBBM Reporting<\/a>
\nChicago WBBM 780 Radio – \u00a0The University of Illinois board of trustees is slated to approve a new president this week and Governor Pat Quinn is giving his approval to their pick. Quinn replaced seven of the nine trustees who have chosen Michael Hogan as U of I’s new president. The governor asked for the resignation of the board\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

CPS Budget Cuts in One Small School<\/a>
\nChicago Now – As it stands, in the proposed budget for the next year, the state of Illinois plans cut $1.3 billion dollars in funding for education. In Chicago, that means a $368 million dollar cut to the Chicago Public School system. Statewide the jobs of 30,000 teachers will be eliminated, in Chicago 2,700 teachers will be without jobs this September. As proposed by Governor Quinn and itemized by Ron Huberman\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gov. to abolish regional schools office<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Southtown – Gov. Pat Quinn is expected today to sign into law legislation that abolishes the scandal-plagued Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education. Quinn is scheduled to sign the measure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Money woes and SIU<\/a>
\nBelleville News-Democrat – The good news for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students is that tuition is not going up. The bad news is that fees are. The bottom line is that students soon will pay more for their education. \u00a0A primary reason is that the state is paying less. SIUE’s allocation is expected to be 7.8 percent less next fiscal year than this.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A race, or a crawl?<\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>Chicago Tribune Editorial – Second-round applications for Race to the Top, the $4.35 billion challenge grant program that is the…<\/p>\n

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

Illinois lawmakers assess their session<\/a>
\nPeoria Journal Star – Even though the Illinois General Assembly has yet to decide how to deal with a $13 billion budget deficit, area lawmakers were able to get some of their proposals approved during the legislature’s spring session. Here’s what they had to say about the measures that made it through, and those that didn’t.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

State lawmakers beginning to agree on one thing<\/a>
\nSouthern – Michael Boland told us. “I think we haven’t met our obligations. I think we’ve pushed off things into the future.” For years, Boland, an East Moline Democrat, has aligned himself with Gov. Pat Quinn, casting himself, like Quinn, as a populist fighting for the little guy. His views on Quinn, however, have changed. “I would have hoped that Gov. Quinn would have been more of a leader,”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Statehouse Insider: Quinn’s ‘answers’ tend to meander<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – A while ago, a reporter based in the Capitol who covers Gov. PAT Quinn observed that Quinn doesn\u2019t answer questions so much as he filibusters. Case in point occurred last week, when Quinn was fielding questions about the state budget impasse and what\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bill Brady Launches First TV Ad In Chicago<\/a>
\nChicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – his first ad of the general election campaign Friday. His campaign says it will air on broadcast and cable TV in the Chicago area. In the 30-second spot, Brady blasts Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn for wanting to raise the state income tax. He says Quinn wants to “feed big government.” Quinn maintains Illinois needs the money for education because the state faces a $13 billion deficit\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edgar knows what it will take to fix state mess<\/a>
\nBloomington Pantagraph \u2013 Editorial – Gov. Jim Edgar seems to be among the few voices of reason concerning our state\u2019s finances. During a recent appearance in the Twin Cities, Edgar said the plans offered by incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn and his Republican challenger, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, fall short. Edgar said it will probably take a combination of spending cuts and a tax increase to get the state out\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers must return, finish the job<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Herald – \u00a0Stop gap measures will not provide for those who depend on state services and keep them from falling through the cracks. Stop gap measures will not give local governments and schools the funds they need to do their jobs. Stop gap measures will not address the $13 billion deficit. The borrowing and other measures the Emergency Budget Act proposes will only worsen\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pick your pension poison<\/a>
\nChicago Tribune – When lawmakers return to Springfield to finish the budget later this month, they’ll be greeted by the same major holdup that caused them to head home in frustration last week \u2014 how to make a nearly $4 billion state worker pension payment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police, firefighters may be next for pension changes<\/a>
\nArlington Heights Daily Herald – \u00a0But negotiations called for cutting that in half to match the members’ contribution at about 10 percent. Earlier this spring, state lawmakers set new limits on pensions for teachers, state and university workers, judges and lawmakers, and raised the retirement age to 67, but cops and firefighters were left out in part to avoid having 67-year-olds in such active jobs.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simon, Madigan like their partys chances in election<\/a>
\nChampaign News Gazette – URBANA \u2013 This could be a tough year for Democrats, party candidates acknowledged Sunday, but there’s still time to overcome the bleak outlook. About 200 Democrats attended the local party’s spring dinner, headlined by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and lieutenant governor candidate Sheila Simon, at Kennedy’s at Stone Creek\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brady’s ’semantics’ on ‘across the board’<\/a>
\nChicago Tribune – \u00a0And that you don’t know what “semantics” means. In that same interview, Brady made seven references to indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, each one adjacent to the name of current Gov. Pat Quinn, Brady’s Democratic opponent in November. Brady spoke of “Blagojevich\/Quinn appointees,” complained that “Quinn and Blagojevich have racked up in excess of $10 billion in unpaid bills and short<\/p>\n

Enough with ’semantics’; give detailed plan<\/a>
\nBloomington Pantagraph – Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady should stop trying to explain away the \u201csemantics\u201d of when a call for a 10 percent across-the-board cut isn\u2019t a call for a 10 percent across-the-board cut. Instead, the state senator from Bloomington should get specific \u2014 real specific \u2014 about where he thinks the 10 percent cut in state spending should be made.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Springfield’s lost boys<\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>Chicago Tribune Editorial – The real Illinois fiasco isn’t that legislators have failed to pass a budget. The real fiasco is…<\/p>\n

Other Views: Stop delaying and start leading in Springfield<\/a>
\nRockford Register Star Editorial – a complex, cobbled-together spending blueprint in the dead of night, fully analyzed and understood by virtually nobody. It cut around $2 billion off last year\u2019s budget, again leaving Gov. Pat Quinn the power to decide where the cuts would come. … The remaining $11 billion gap would be dealt with \u2014 certainly not solved, not by a long stretch \u2014 through massive borrowing,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers’ job still not done; we shouldn’t be home<\/a>
\nElgin Courier News – In ancient Sparta, Spartan mothers commanded their soldier sons, “Come home victorious, or come home on your shield.” This was the old version of the British Empire’s declaration, “Victory or death.” The modern Illinois version of this refrain was contained in hundreds of recent e-mails, letters and calls to my office from recently concerned Illinois constituents. Citizens and editorial boards warned, “Don’t leave Springfield until you produce a responsible balanced budget!”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

GUEST EDITORIAL: State Budget: Too Much Power At Top<\/a>
\nHillsboro Journal News – One of the things that became crystal clear during the Illinois Senate\u2019s debate over a new state budget was that the Democratic legislative leaders have completely broken the budget-making process.It\u2019s no big secret that more and more power has been concentrated into the hands of the leaders, the House Speaker and the Senate President.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott Lee Cohen: Top Democrat threatened me CHICAGO (STMW) <\/a>
\nChicago WBBM 780 Radio – They would make something up to put me in jail. They did not want me on that ticket,” Cohen said. No, it was not party Chairman Michael Madigan or Gov. Quinn, he said. After Cohen’s victory in the Democratic primary, allegations surfaced that the pawnbroker held a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend, allegations he denied but that made Democrats\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Giannoulias poll shows him even with Kirk<\/a>
\nChicago Sun Times – A poll taken by Alexi Giannoulias’ Democratic Illinois Senate campaign last week shows Giannoulias even with GOP rival Rep. Mark Kirk, making up for ground lost after the failure of the Giannoulias family-owned Broadway Bank. Giannoulias, the state treasurer, is even with Kirk, according to his campaign pollsters, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Legislators are pretty unhappy, too<\/a>
\nDecatur Herald and Review – Before legislative leaders abruptly adjourned May 7, we surveyed a number of lawmakers for their thoughts on how the 2010 spring legislative session had turned out. The frustration was pretty evident. \u201cI think it\u2019s been really terrible, to tell you the truth,\u201d state Rep. Michael Boland told us. \u201cI think we haven\u2019t met our obligations. I think we\u2019ve pushed off things into the future.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gov. Candidate Brady on Highland Park School Arizona Boycott<\/a>
\nChicago Now – Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady was cornered by NBC Chicago News and asked his reaction to the shameful misuse of power by the Highland Park schools that last week announced that they were banning a girls basketball team from attending a tournament in Arizona. His first comment was a good one, one I’d like to see more often from our politicians\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blago’s Lawyers Expected to Release List of Tapes<\/a>
\nChicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – Chicago – The Blagojevich corruption case is back in court Monday. The former governor’s legal team is expected to give the court a list of which tapes they want played in court. Meanwhile, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago) is the latest person to be subpoenaed in the case. According to a criminal complaint, Blagojevich tried to shop President Obama’s senate seat to Jackson.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

School that fired all teachers to rehire them – Education<\/a>
\nWMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) – \u00a0and it opted for the mass firings after a breakdown in talks with teachers about other reforms that would have required more work, some without extra pay. Obama, during a national address on education in March, said the firings were an example of the need for accountability over student performance. “So if a school is struggling, we have to work with the principal and the teachers<\/p>\n

\u00a0Bad teachers a touchy subject in W.Va. education debate<\/a>
\nDaily Mail – Charleston
\nThe West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, have each appealed to the Legislature as the special session …<\/p>\n

\u00a0Madison teachers agree to a salary freeze for coming school year<\/a>
\nMadison Eagle – … the negotiations between the Board of Education and Madison Education Association (MEA), the teachers’ union, regarding the next school year’s contract. …<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Both Dems and the GOP Could Suffer a Primary Backlash <\/a><\/h3>\n

The Tea Party may be wreaking havoc with the best-laid plans of the Republican leadership, but many Democrat incumbents are also under fire from challengers angry at Obama<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Mexico Shaken by Abduction and Feared Murder of Top Politician<\/a><\/h3>\n

Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, a leading figure in Mexico’s ruling party, disappeared last Friday, leaving the violence-battered country’s political establishment in shock<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

How Britain’s New Coalition Will Govern on Key Issues<\/a><\/h3>\n

Compromise will be the key to determining how the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition will answer major policy questions<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Financial Reform Inevitable? Don’t Bank on It<\/a><\/h3>\n

In a bill this complex, with this many moving parts, the litany of potential financial-reform deal killers is virtually endless<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Study: A Link Between Pesticides and ADHD<\/a><\/h3>\n

A new study by American and Canadian researchers associates exposure to pesticides to the rising rates of attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder in children<\/p>\n

In the gulf, a gusher of lawsuits<\/a><\/strong>
\nOn April 21, with the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig still in flames, John W. Degravelles and a group of other lawyers sued for damages. In the first of at least 88 suits filed since the disaster, they were seeking compensation for the widow of a Transocean worker who went missing and is presumed…
\n(By Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

With Solar Valley, China takes bold step on energy<\/a><\/strong>
\nDEZHOU, CHINA — Uprooting the last traces of rural life on the edge of this northern Chinese city, laborers with chain saws spent a recent morning cutting down trees to make way for a hulking factory. A big red banner trumpeted the future for what used to be farmland: “The Biggest Solar Energy…
\n(By Andrew Higgins, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

‘This has the potential to work’<\/a><\/strong>
\nNARAY, AFGHANISTAN — Last November, Lt. Col. Robert B. Brown received an enticing offer from a mysterious enemy.
\n(By Greg Jaffe, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Financial overhaul’s approval likely<\/a><\/strong>
\nThe Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not long ago.
\n(By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post)<\/p>\n

Iran to ship uranium to Turkey in nuclear deal<\/a><\/strong>
\nTEHRAN, Iran — Iran has agreed to ship much of its enriched uranium to Turkey in a nuclear fuel swap deal reached with the help of mediation from Brazil and Turkey.<\/p>\n

Word of the Day for Monday, May 17, 2010<\/em><\/h1>\n

majuscule<\/strong> \\MAJ-uh-skyool\\, adjective<\/em>:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Of letters written either as capitals or uncials.<\/p>\n

noun<\/em>:
\n1.<\/strong> A large letter, either capital or uncial, used in writing or printing.<\/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.\u00a0\u00a0 State News\u00a0\u00a0 Most District 205 teacher applicants worked […]<\/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-566711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566711","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=566711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566711\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}