McHenry County Blog

Just happened to look at the campaign disclosure page of unopposed Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks and found that the Chicago Teachers Union has donated $1,500.

It may just be coincidence that Franks got such a large contribution from Chicago in a race contested merely by a write-in candidate, but I can’t help remembering that when State Senator James Meeks had a voucher bill that would save state taxpayers $240 million.

Franks voted against it.

Most suburban Republicans understand that Chicago Schools are failing and something new is needed. Jack Franks, however, voted against allowing parents of 30,000 of the students in the worst high schools  to get money to spend on their children’s education in schools of their choice.  Franks is Pro-Choice on abortion, however.  Note Mike Tryon and Mark Beaubien voted, “Yes.”

The CTU is not a new supporter for Franks, as you can see here.

Why would someone in McHenry County vote against the possibility that mainly black and Latino teens in Chicago might finally be able to get decent educations?

Do Franks’ liberal supporters really know how reactionary he is on helping poor minorities?

The bilboard on Route 47 last fall that sent Jack Franks up the wall.

Regular readers may remember my extreme disappointment with liberal Democrat Jack Franks’ vote to sentence poorly-educated Chicago children to more of the same.

Chicago Pastor and State Senator James Meeks got a bill through the State Senate that would have offering an alternative.  A variation of a voucher system in which parents of kids in failing schools would be able to take some money misspent now and use it to enroll their children in other schools where they hoped the education would be better.

The Chicago Teachers Union (which controls the Illinois Teachers Federation or IFT) didn’t manage to beat the bill in the Senate, but they killed it in the Illinois House…with Jack Franks’ help.

Now, with the announcement of his retiring from politics, Pastor Meeks seems to be saying that he tried the world’s way and it didn’t work.  Maybe he’ll start a private school at his church.

The bill, by the way, would have saved state taxpayers about $240 million a year.

But Jack Franks voted, “No,” anyway.

He went with the Illinois Federation of Teachers union, instead of what he should have  known was the right thing to do.

He got no heat for this disappointed vote from anywhere but McHenry County Blog to the best of my knowledge.

There are some local politicians whom the county’s newspaper of record, the Northwest Herald, make look good.  No doubt about that.

More recently the IFT lobbyists who were undoubtedly whispering in Jack Franks’ ears were caught with their hands in the Downstate Teachers Retirement System Fund.

Pretty indefensible.   One was going to get over a $100,000 a year for having substitute taught ONE day.

Jack Franks got publicity for his efforts to end the pension abuse of the IFT lobbyists whose advice he followed on Sen. James Meeks' school choice bill. The Chicago Federation of Teachers controls the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

So, what does Jack Franks do?

Like a fighter jet under attack, he tossed chaff out to make sure he doesn’t get brought down.

He attacks the IFT’s lobbyists’ pension abuse.

What nobody bothers to ask is,

“Why?”

Could it be because State Representative Jack Franks has gotten a lot of money from teachers’ unions over the years?

Of course not.

There is never any connection between the way a legislator votes and the contributions he or she receives, is there?

But after you look at the campaign contributions that Jack Franks has received over the years, you might want to ask him why he voted to poor mainly black and brown students in the Chicago school system to a continuing subpar education when he could have done something about it that would have saved $200 million a year and not hurt anyone in his legislative district.

$78,150 from the IFT and its local affiliates.

Anybody wonder why Franks sold out Chicago children or why he threw the IFT lobbyists under the bus, so to speak?

It has taken a long time for the Reverend and State Senator James Meeks to gain the courage to tell the truth about Chicago schools and point out paths to improving student performance.

Knowing the influence of Chicago school teachers, many of whom are undoubtedly in his mega-church (Salem Baptist Church), his coming out in favor of vouchers, which would give parents the power to select the school of their choice, is truly a bold move on Meeks’ part.

Read his words in a Chicago Tribune op-ed piece yesterday:

“For the first time in my personal and political career, I am exploring the idea of vouchers and charter schools to help facilitate choice and enhance academic performance.

“Why should we continue to make investments in a system that is bankrupt and weighed down with bureaucracy?

“We must begin making decisions that are in the best interest of children, such as mandatory teacher evaluations. Since the will to change the system is nonexistent, we should allow students the flexibility to attend schools outside their district. What once worked before, such as the local school councils, may have run its course in today’s competitive environment.

“They say the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. We can no longer afford to have the blood of every child on our hands.”

I don’t know if Meeks will expend as much energy on trying to provide parents the tools to extract a decent education from Chicago (and, maybe even private) schools, but he deserves an “attaboy!” for opening his eyes.

It won’t rank with the opening of Paul’s eyes after he was struck blind on the road to Damascus, but it is the type of leadership that resulted in the Cook County Board’s banning of video slot machines in unincorporated areas.

Would I be being picky if I pointed out that the Heartland Institute has been advocating the logic of vouchers for well over a decade?

Here’s an interesting comment from Jameson Campaigne which was posted under my Huntley School District 158 teacher union dues article on Illinois Review.

I thought you and area teachers might like to read it.

Cal — As you well know, most of the NEA/IEA money goes to politics, not to representation on wages and working conditions issues.

When given a chance to opt out of paying for the politics portion of their dues (under the Beck decision of the Supreme Court and referenda passed in states like Washington), teachers opt out and union dues drop by about three quarters.

Keep in mind also that it is not just “teachers” who are paying these dues; it is also the vast administrative bureaucracies of most schools.

Defunding the NEA/IEA political-financial arm of the Democratic Party ought to be top priority of Republicans everywhere, since this is a civil rights issue (close to a majority of the nation’s teachers — not bureaucrats — are Republicans whose dues money is spent on a party and candidates they oppose). The American Conservative Union has had some success in lawsuits against the NEA along these lines as well.

Here’s an interesting comment from Jameson Campaigne which was posted under my Huntley School District 158 teacher union dues article on Illinois Review.

I thought you and area teachers might like to read it.

Cal — As you well know, most of the NEA/IEA money goes to politics, not to representation on wages and working conditions issues.

When given a chance to opt out of paying for the politics portion of their dues (under the Beck decision of the Supreme Court and referenda passed in states like Washington), teachers opt out and union dues drop by about three quarters.

Keep in mind also that it is not just “teachers” who are paying these dues; it is also the vast administrative bureaucracies of most schools.

Defunding the NEA/IEA political-financial arm of the Democratic Party ought to be top priority of Republicans everywhere, since this is a civil rights issue (close to a majority of the nation’s teachers — not bureaucrats — are Republicans whose dues money is spent on a party and candidates they oppose). The American Conservative Union has had some success in lawsuits against the NEA along these lines as well.

The Chicago Tribune is not too happy that the General Assembly and Mayor Richard Daley did not take its advice on school funding and reform.

Here’s one sentence from the editorial:

If implemented, it will guarantee that the system’s 33,000 teachers get 4 percent raises each of the next five years. With step increases for seniority, many teachers will get even more than that.

If other school districts “need to be competitive” for teachers salaries, how can taxpayers afford to pay for 7%-8% annual pay increases for teachers? (4% raises, plus typically 3% or 4% step increases leads to 7% – 8% total pay increase each year.)

And, of course, this serves to only increase future pension liability problems.

The Chicago Tribune is not too happy that the General Assembly and Mayor Richard Daley did not take its advice on school funding and reform.

Here’s one sentence from the editorial:

If implemented, it will guarantee that the system’s 33,000 teachers get 4 percent raises each of the next five years. With step increases for seniority, many teachers will get even more than that.

If other school districts “need to be competitive” for teachers salaries, how can taxpayers afford to pay for 7%-8% annual pay increases for teachers? (4% raises, plus typically 3% or 4% step increases leads to 7% – 8% total pay increase each year.)

And, of course, this serves to only increase future pension liability problems.