In the comment section under the article about the Woodstock Council of Teachers’ candidates’ night tonight at 6 PM at the Woodstock High School auditorium candidate Susan Handelsman provides the IFT local’s questions and her answers. They are reprinted below: … Continue reading
A press release from Governor Bruce Raunder: Illinois Federation of Teachers Ratifies Four-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement with Rauner Administration SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner issued a statement today following the Illinois Federation of Teachers ratification of four-year collective bargaining agreement: … Continue reading
I have written periodically of how teacher unions during the 1990’s encouraged legislative leaders to take money governors earmarked for pension payments and put it into current teacher salaries through the State Aid to Education program. Articles on this subject … Continue reading
Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune editorial was about the teacher pension problem. Too many claims on too few dollars. As regular readers know, teacher union lobbyists regularly urged legislators to skip making payments for pensions in order to increase State Aid … Continue reading
The following two sheets of paper were what Illinois State Representatives and Senators were reading as Governor Bruce Rauner was delivering his State of the State Speech Wednesday. First the policy pitches: 1. Economic Growth and Jobs Package Pass a … Continue reading
Back in 2010, Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks had a chance to help poor inner city kids get a decent education. See Jack Franks’ Liberal Politics Hurt the Most Needy and Disadvantaged Kids while Voting Against Saving Hundreds of … Continue reading
Frequent McHenry County visitor Allen Skillikorn, an East Dundee Village Trustee, has submitted the following piece on our state’s pension problem: Who’s Really To Blame For Illinois’ Pension Mess? By Allen Skillicorn Let’s go back to May 2005. Rod Blagojevich … Continue reading
The Southtown has a Phil Kadner column about the negative effects (more later than soon) of shifting the burden of paying teacher pensions from State government to local school districts. He missed one aspect that some may find significant. I … Continue reading
Here is the first change in the pension law being featured by the Chicago Tribune Sunday on its front page and today on its editorial page. You’ve perhaps heard about the former Mike Madigan and Shirley Madigan employee who worked … Continue reading
I went to the Illinois Policy Institute’s Pension forum. Got there a little late and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was over an hour after it started. Representing the Illinois Education Association was Crystal Lake High School teacher … Continue reading
Neil Steinberg adds to the pressure to address the public pension mess Monday morning in a column featuring an interview with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. There is one part that I found interesting, accurate as far as it goes, but … Continue reading
And here’s the public unions’ response: We Are One Illinois statement on Quinn news conference Responding to Gov. Pat Quinn’s news conference on pensions held Friday, April 20, Illinois AFL-CIO president Michael Carrigan issued this statement for the We Are … Continue reading
A press release from State Rep. Kent Gaffney: Legislation to end pension abuses sent to Governor Springfield, IL… In response to numerous WGN and Chicago Tribune probes into fraud and abuse of Illinois’ public pension systems, the Illinois General Assembly … Continue reading
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
It wasn’t the lead story on the front page of Sunday’s Chicago Tribune, but it certainly could have been. Two teacher union lobbyists stand to get pensions larger than teachers–as a retired teacher pointed out to me as I was … Continue reading
We are in this mess because over the years Governors have proposed X amount of dollars for education. Usually a couple of hundred million dollars. When the discussions of how to cut up that amount took place, current salaries … Continue reading
Here’s the email from the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Note the false characterization of the proposed income tax hike as “approximately 2 percent.” Tell Your Lawmakers to Support Revenue for Education and State Services Support Revenue for Education and Public … Continue reading
Teachers unions want legislators who are automatic votes for what they want, when they really want it. Jacks Franks is one of those automatic votes for the Illinois teachers unions. For ten years he has tried hiding this position. Where? … Continue reading
John O’Neill is the Republican candidate running for state representative against ten-years-in-Springfield Democrat Jack Franks. Franks cheered in the election of Rod Blagojevich and his era of Democrat politics, even asking him for appointments for friends and family. You certainly … Continue reading
After activist Pat Quinn got his Cutback Amendment to the Illinois Constitution passed in 1980, Johnsburg Democratic Party State Rep. Thomas J. Hanahan didn’t stick around McHenry County. He moved to Park Ridge. I don’t know if that happened before … Continue reading
