IEA’s Director of Government Relations reports on the first 2012 meeting of the Illinois General Assembly. Jim Reed is urging IEA members to lobby lawmakers in their home districts via the IEA’s Back Home Lobby Days initiative. The key dates lawmakers should be available in their home districts include: February 13-17, March 12-16, April 2-6 [...]
Next move in contract negotiations up to Rockford teachers Rockford Register Star – with another offer or schedule more dates to meet and negotiate a labor agreement. According to interim Superintendent Robert Willis, collective bargaining teams for the district and the Rockford Education Association met Tuesday morning with a federal mediator, although union officials said [...]
Pension update In Wednesday’s State of the State address, Gov. Quinn restated his belief that the Illinois pension problem, which, along with Medicaid, is having a major impact on the state budget, needs to be addressed in 2012. The key legislative leaders are echoing that belief. Illinois Labor Pension Coalition The unions representing the government [...]
Pension shift just a ‘concept’ for now It appears unlikely Gov. Pat Quinn will push hard this spring to shift some of the state’s skyrocketing pension costs off on local school districts and universities. A top official in the governor’s budget office downplayed Quinn’s recent comments on such a move, which school districts say could [...]
Quinn: Schools must help pay pensions Bloomington Pantagraph – A statement from Quinn’s budget office said the practice of state government paying for the retirement of downstate teachers and professors “requires careful examination and reform” because “employers need to have a stake in funding their own employees’ pension costs.” State wants school districts to contribute [...]
Quinn supports raising dropout age to 18 Chicago Daily – dropout prevention or include any exemptions, such as an Ohio measure that allows students to leave school at age 16 if they have a job and parental permission. Charles McBarron, a spokesman for the Illinois Education Association, said Quinn and Obama’s attention to the issue [...]
State Board recommends responsible increase in education funding WREX-TV – SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education today approved a Fiscal Year 2013 State General Funds budget recommendation that provides a nearly $265.2 million, or 3.9 percent increase over the current year. The Board’s Fiscal Year 2013 proposal … State Board of Education Approves [...]
Rockford’s private schools adding iPads to enhance education Rockford Register Star – Christian Life students will have access to Apple iPad 2 tablets next fall through an initiative to put the latest education tool in students’ hands. The school has about 50 iPad 2′s on hand; teachers received them a few … Shirland school board, [...]
Schedule your ‘Back Home Lobby Day’ When it comes to lobbying state legislators, where the contact occurs doesn’t matter as long as the member is well prepared for the meeting and will encourage support from the representative or senator. IEA members are urged to participate in “Back Home Lobby Days” by meeting with the lawmakers [...]
Schools have to redesign report cards for parents Schools and districts will have to offer parents more user-friendly reports with academic information, demographics and education statistics under a new law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn. Schools already have to send so-called report cards, but advocates of the legislation say they’re hard to read, long and [...]
Illinois Education Association is an association of more than 130,000 members composed of Illinois elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty and staff, educational support professionals, retired educators and college students preparing to become teachers.
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