Bill Passes State Senate Mandates 8th Graders Must Have “Comprehensive Knowledge” of “Roles and Contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People”

Here’s a bill that has passed the Illinois Senate last week. Now it is sent to the House for consideration. Read what your State Senators saw, if they only read a summary of the bill: Amends the School Code. With … Continue reading

Rauner Goes after Lottery Conflicts of Interest

A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner: Governor Rauner and Illinois Lottery Seek New Management Partner Signals transformation to ensure Lottery grows responsibly while providing better value for taxpayers CHICAGO — Governor Bruce Rauner and the Illinois Lottery today announced … Continue reading

The Teachers’ Union Role in the Pension Shortfall

You will perhaps remember my writing that when a Governor presents his education budget it comes in three parts: higher education k-12 pensions In the 1990’s (at least) the IFT (Illinois Federation  of Teachers) and IEA (Illinois Education Association) lobbyists … Continue reading

State Aid to Education – 1974 Reset

In my first session in the Illinois House of Representatives high school teacher Gene Hoffman sponsored the Resource Equalizer State Aid to Education Formula. It passed and I voted for it. The premise was one that property-rich districts found unacceptable. … Continue reading

County Gets Federal $625,000 Teen Drug Education Grant

A press release from McHenry County: Office of National Drug Control Policy Awards $125,000 to McHenry County SAC The McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition (SAC), in collaboration with the McHenry County Regional Office of Education, has been awarded a 5 … Continue reading

Jack Franks and the Illinois Federation of Teachers – Follow the Money

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 … Continue reading

Why Cutting and Pasting Doesn’t Always Work

Yesterday, I took from the McHenry County Republican web site something State Rep. Mike Tryon had put up about educational reform. It contained “Talking Points for Educational Reform.” Undoubtedly handed out to all Republican members of the Illinois House. One … Continue reading