Wheeler Gets Eight Committee Assignments

A press release from State Rep. Barbara Wheeler:

Wheeler Appointed to Education Committee Will serve on eight committees in 98th GA

Springfield, IL…Drawing on her experience in primary education as a middle school teacher, State Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) has been seated on the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.

Rep. Wheeler taught middle school at Wauconda Middle School and holds a Master’s Degree in Education, Language, and Literacy from National Louis University.

Barb Wheeler

Barb Wheeler

“Education and the development of our young minds has always been a passion of mine,” said Wheeler. “Illinois is home to some of the finest institutions in the nation. I want us to build off our strengths while addressing our educational weaknesses as we prepare our children for their future.”

Wheeler says her priorities on Elementary & Secondary Education Committee include enhancing college preparedness and attacking Illinois’ high truancy rate.

Wheeler notes that while Illinois has a high college attendance rate, our preparedness rate is surprisingly low.

Just 19.3% of high school juniors met readiness scores in all four subjects tested on the ACT in 2010.

This issue is being further exasperated by a growing truancy rate.

Of the 30,000 students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools, 7.4% were labeled “chronically truant” in 2011; nearly double the rate from the previous year.

“While there are many fine aspects our education system in Illinois offers, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order for us to serve the best interests of our students,” said Wheeler.

“Truancy is an ever growing problem in Illinois and the trend needs to be reversed. We need to ensure that our children are growing and learning in a safe environment that will give them all the tools available for a bright future.”

Overall, Wheeler will be serving on eight committees in the 98th General Assembly.

In addition to the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee, Wheeler will be serving on the

  • House International Trade & Commerce
  • Appropriations-Human Services
  • Mass Transit
  • Museums, Arts & Cultural Enhancement
  • Adoption Reform
  • State Government Administration
  • Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges Committees

“Serving on eight committees should prove to be quite an undertaking, but I am excited to be given such a responsibility as a freshman representative,” said Wheeler.

“These committees have much to offer the people of the 64th District and I am hoping to maximize the benefits for the people I represent.”
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I believe it is a deliberate strategy of House Speaker Mike Madigan to keep members busy running around from committee meeting to committee meeting to limit the ability of members to think and confer with colleagues.

And, of course, that’s only an ancillary benefit to being able to pay most of his members extra money for being committee chairmen.

Committee Spokesmen also get extra pay.


Comments

Wheeler Gets Eight Committee Assignments — 2 Comments

  1. “I believe it is a deliberate strategy of House Speaker Mike Madigan to keep members busy running around from committee meeting to committee meeting to limit the ability of members to think and confer with colleagues.”

    Cal, I would tend to agree he is thrilled over this, but in order to have Republican representation on all committees don’t we need a minimum number of R’s in office?

    I think we have gotten ourselves into such a minority situation at the State House that we have our Republican legislators stretched too thin just to cover all of the committees.

    How can you do anything when you are juggling 8 committees?!

  2. Our Texas lawmakers are paid $7200 a year and $128 per diem when in session.

    Illinois pays $67,836, plus healthcare and pension plus bumps for chair, leading assembly etc. etc.

    Is anyone in Illinois, ever going to get tired of this nonsense?

    I know I’m tired of writing checks to pay for it all.

    Last time I looked, McHenry broke the top 30 of property taxed county’s in the entire country.

    Along with that other trough in DuPage, that I refill every year.

    Rediculous.

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