McHenry County GOP Email Includes Education Reform Talking Points

Mike Tryon

A missive from McHenry County Republican Party Chairman and State Representative Mike Tryon:

The month of May brings the close of the State of Illinois’ General Assembly, it is at this time that most of the controversial bills will be been voted on and this May is no different.

Votes on issues like The Medical Cannabis Act and Concealed Carry both of which did not pass but were significant changes in public policy and received a lot of media attention, will be issues that the sponsors have said they would bring back for next year.

However, there was a significant effort for education reform that passed both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate that changes issues like tenure, school strike clauses, make contract bargaining for employees more open and informative to the public.

In keep with our commitment to keep you up to date on issues and especially those issues which constituents may have questions we are including talking points so that you may be answer the questions you may encounter.


Talking Points for Education Reform

• Ensuring a quality education for the children of Illinois should be our top priority.
• Republicans have long been champions of education reform. We led the way on numerous reforms, from Chicago School Reform to the Charter Schools Law.
• The landmark reforms contained in Senate Bill 7 and Senate Bill 630 are the result of months of negotiations between all interested parties – from the State Board of Education to the reform groups, teacher unions, and school management.
• First and foremost, these reforms will help to ensure that Illinois students are being taught by highly-qualified, excellent teachers.
• Teacher tenure will no longer be based simply on years served, but instead will be based on merit and performance review.
• Under these reforms, teacher reduction in force (RIF), recall, and the filling of vacant positions will be based on performance before years of relevant experience.
• We are streamlining the teacher dismissal process and giving the final decision-making authority to locally-elected school boards.
• Local control is a key component of these reforms.
• Averting teacher strikes is another key component of these reforms.
• The public will be able to see the final offers between districts and local bargaining units prior to a strike. Mediation will be extended in a final effort to avoid a strike.
• There are further reforms to Chicago collective bargaining and there is required school board training.
• We are creating a Survey of Learning Conditions to be administered to teachers, parents and students every two years.
• Finally, the State Superintendent of Education will have the ability to revoke a teaching certificate when a teacher receives two unsatisfactory evaluations within a seven-year period.
• The sweeping reform proposals contained in SB 7 and SB 630 represent the most significant reforms to education in Illinois in over a decade
• These reforms will improve teacher quality, cut down on strikes and help ensure that all Illinois students receive a quality education.


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