Record number of students take advanced placement exams  The State Journal-Register – The Illinois State Board of Education says growth in participation rates was especially high among Latino students. The number of Latinos taking AP classes has quadrupled in the last decade.

D118 board decides to cut
Danville Commercial News – Sean Burns, the UniServe director for the Illinois Education Association, asked McKiernan if District 118 had enough money in its education fund to operate …

District 15 proposes staff cuts, larger class sizes to cut deficit
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – save $1.65 million annually, would be reinstituted if the 12,000-student district realizes savings through negotiated salaries and benefits with its bargaining units. That depends particularly on the teachers union, whose contract expires this summer. Thompson wouldn’t disclose specific contract figures, but said the administration believes that through successful negotiations,

D34 Plans $3.2 Mil In Cuts
Glenview Journal – Glenview Elementary School Dist. 34 officials put together $3.2 million in specific cuts presented at a school board meeting Monday. More than 100 people were in attendance at Monday’s Dist. 34 meeting reacting to the administration’s cost cutting proposal first released Friday.

St. Joseph-Ogden teacher faces assault charges
Danville Commercial-News – sexual assault of victims between 13 and 17 years old were filed Tuesday by the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office against the 33-year-old Jon A. Jamison, a special education teacher and coach at the high school. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon. According to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department, investigators received information

SJ-O Superintendent Responds to Allegations and Possible Lawsuit
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 – A former high school student is looking to sue the St. Joseph-Ogden High School District, superintendent, and principal after she said her former coach touched her inappropriately.  The now 19-year-old college student’s attorney, Tom Bruno, faxed over a letter to the district Wednesday afternoon, alerting them his client planned to seek damages. 

Director: College Illinois! to stay afloat, even if that means taxpayer bailout  FOX Illinois – Illinois’ prepaid college tuition fund on which some 54000 families are relying is vowing to find some way to make up a $559.9-million deficit.

ISU’s Bowman: ‘Reasonable’ to help fund pensions
WJBC AM 1230 Bloomington – Illinois State University’s president said Wednesday he’s not opposed to the institution playing a bigger role in funding its teachers’ retirement plans. Al Bowman told WJBC Illinois State will do what it can to ease some of the state’s economic burdens.

Quinn to unveil education initiative at State Farm   Bloomington Pantagraph – ‎The governor and Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon will travel to State Farm Insurance Cos.’ corporate headquarters to outline a program called Illinois Pathways, which is designed to boost the number of Illinoisans with advanced academic degrees and certificates. 

Poshard backs Quinn’s call for MAP funds
Southern Illinoisan – College and university presidents support Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to offer more grants to low-income students. Quinn on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting at the executive mansion with

School reform organization gets average grades  Chicago Tribune – Over the last decade, a nonprofit teaching academy with strong political ties has launched an education revolution inside Chicago Public Schools, tearing down and rebuilding some of the city’s worst-performing schools.

Chicago Teachers Union accuses CPS of discriminating against African-American teachers
Chicago Tribune – The Chicago teachers Union filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday alleging that layoffs last summer targeted tenured African-American teachers

Teachers union suing Chicago Public Schools — twice
Crains Chicago Business – making failing schools and related matters is hitting the legal arena. In the first of two actions, the union today announced it has filed charges with a federal agency alleging that recent Board of education layoffs have disproportionately affected African-American teachers. The complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission contends that 43% of tenured teachers who were laid

Political News

Caterpillar rules Illinois out of plant plans  Rockford Register Star – Pat Quinn about the state’s business climate after Illinois raised income … After Caterpillar’s initial complaints, Quinn last year also signed into law

Quinn hopes to work with Caterpillar  Morton Times-News – Pat Quinn hopes to work on concerns that Caterpillar Inc. raised Tuesday when the company announced that the next plant it plans to build in North America …

Consolidating townships may not save money  Illinois Times – According to a report released this month for the Township Officials of Illinois, consolidating local governments such as townships could lead to more financial problems than it would solve.

House panel OKs raising federal employee pension contribution  Pensions & Investments – All government workers, including members of Congress, would contribute more toward their defined benefit pension plans under a proposal approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The bill would change the … 

National News

Obama to give 10 states a pass on No Child Left Behind deadline   Fox News – President Obama is set to give 10 states a pass regarding an approaching deadline under the No Child Left Behind law, after the states struggled to meet the proficiency standards for reading and math. The executive action will circumvent … 

White House to Issue Waiver List on No Child Left Behind   Wall Street Journal – The Obama administration will announce Thursday the list of 10 states it is releasing from key requirements of No Child Left Behind, according to a White House official familiar with the decision, in a major move away from the … 

10 states freed from some ‘No Child Left Behind’ rules   CNN – Ten states are being granted waivers to free them from parts of the No Child Left Behind law, a White House official told CNN Thursday. President Barack Obama will make the announcement Thursday, saying that the states “that have agreed to … 

Obama to Free 10 States From Education’s ‘No Child’ Requirements   BusinessWeek – President Barack Obama will announce today that he’s freeing 10 states from requirements of the No Child Left Behind law as they pursue alternate means of judging student progress, …

Changing Mindsets, Motivating Students  Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, 2 p.m. ET
Renowned psychologist Carol Dweck discusses how teachers can use new discoveries in cognitive development to improve student motivation and engagement. Hear about the most common mistakes teachers make in trying to motivate students and discover detailed strategies for promoting a “growth mindset” rather than “fixed mindset” in the classroom.
Register for this webinar now, or register for the entire series.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Egypt’s NGO Crisis: How Will U.S. Aid Play in the Controversy?

As the diplomatic uproar continues over the arrests and likely trials. the question of U.S. financial support for Cairo may come into play

College Endowments: Why Even Harvard Isn’t as Rich as You Think

We all assume schools are sitting on a big pile of cash they could use to lower tuition. Here’s why that’s not true

Is Mark Zuckerberg too Powerful? Why Some Investors Are Worried about the Facebook IPO

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which has a $145 billion portfolio and owns Facebook shares through its private equity managers, plans to send Facebook a letter outlining its concerns

Oscars 2012: TIME’s Portraits of the Greatest Performers of the Year

The Art of Nazi Hunting: How the Mossad Found Adolf Eichmann

The Washington Post
U.S. likely to scale down plans for bases in Japan and Guam

TOKYO — The U.S. military will probably scale back plans to build key bases in Japan and Guam because of political obstacles and budget pressures, according to U.S. and Japanese officials, complicating the Obama administration’s efforts to strengthen its troop presence in Asia.

Read full article >>
(Chico Harlan, Craig Whitlock)

Editorial Board: Proposition 8 ruling was just but wobbly

IS IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL to forbid same-sex couples from calling their unions a “marriage” if — as is the case in California — they enjoy the same legal rights and responsibilities as opposite-sex partners in the state?

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

Rick Santorum’s strategy of focusing on low-key races paid off

Rick Santorum and his supporters moved quickly Wednesday to raise money and redirect their efforts after a surprising Tuesday sweep of three contests again put the former senator from Pennsylvania in position to contend for the Republican nomination.

Read full article >>
(Rosalind S. Helderman, Nia-Malika Henderson)

Prosecutors: George Huguely e-mail to Yeardley Love said, ‘I should have killed you’

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Drunken rages, romantic betrayals and teary reconciliations defined the relationship between University of Virginia students Yeardley Love and George Huguely V in their final months together, prosecutors said, deteriorating just days before her death in an e-mail from Huguely that said in part: “I should have killed you.”

Read full article >>
(Mary Pat Flaherty, Jenna Johnson)

Scaled-back ethics measure moves toward approval in House

A scaled-back ethics bill headed toward likely passage in the House on Thursday despite complaints from senators that Republican leaders had jettisoned several key provisions that won overwhelming Senate support last week.

Read full article >>
(Paul Kane)

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 9, 2012

screed \skreed\, noun:

1. A long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe.
2. An informal letter, account, or other piece of writing.
3. Building Trades. A. A strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface. B. A wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like. C. A board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.
4. British Dialect. A fragment or shred, as of cloth.
5. Scot. A. A tear or rip, especially in cloth. B. A drinking bout.

verb:
1. Scot. To tear, rip, or shred, as cloth.

Peoria-area school districts wary of pension proposal
Peoria Journal Star – PEORIA — Taxpayers, teachers and, ultimately, children could lose, area school officials warned Tuesday, if local school districts are required to help clean up the under-funded mess in the state’s teachers Retirement 

District 34 considers class size increases, staff cuts
Glenview Announcements – “It’s never easy to cut staff. We’re looking forward to hearing more from the community on this,” said board member Jack Murphy. Several union teachers representing the Glenview Education Association also opposed the terminations. “Our bargaining process has been compromised by releasing this budget information to the public,” said Susan Debias 

District heads weigh teacher certification bonuses
Geneva Kane County Chronicle –  The benefit was introduced in the 2008 contract and is applicable to teachers with master’s degrees. “We were very surprised by it,” St. Charles Education Association President Pam Turriff said. Administrators in central Kane County likened the certification process to earning advanced degrees. Compensating teachers for certification 

Editorial: District 205 credibility gap remains  The Rock River Times – A new superintendent, a new communications officer, a new slate of school board members and a new administration building have done nothing to change the culture of deception within the Rockford Public School District 205 administration. 

Teachers are too rich?
Wednesday Journal – The high school’s teachers and the District 200 school board announced agreement on a new two-year contract last week. The contract provides no pay increase in the 2012-2013 school year, and teacher compensation will be limited to step and lane increases the next year. As a skeptic, I must admit I was surprised, and as a taxpayer, I was pleased by what is clearly a good contract. Nice job by all parties. 

Social Media in Schools
WICS ABC 20 (Springfield) – They’re also looking to change the policy concerning teachers’ and students’… Own personal social media sites. That’s where the Springfield Education Association says they have a few questions. 

Embattled former U. of I. official to join faculty with $109,000 salary
Chicago Tribune – to develop, and I believe that over time, as the full information comes to light, it will reveal the truth behind this matter,” she wrote. “Meanwhile, I’ll do my best to serve the university as a teacher and researcher.” U. of I. spokeswoman Robin Kaler said campus administrators and faculty leaders likely will meet to discuss the next steps. 

At AUSL, progress but not magic
The elementary schools run by the Academy for Urban School Leadership are performing, on average, better than comparable neighborhood schools. But achievement is mixed, and the toughest job ahead will be to improve student performance in reading.

Lawmakers file bills to rein in school closings, class sizes
Three Chicago lawmakers want CPS to put a halt on school actions, keep class sizes small and testify to the Legislature every year on its budget, including on plans to close, build or rehab schools.

To stop youth violence, ask students for answers
The Do the Write Thing challenge is a powerful program that asks middle-grades students to write about the impact of youth violence and how they can help to stop it, writes Robin Hulshizer, an attorney and chair of the Chicago program.

Teachers can’t thrive as ‘lone rangers’
For education reforms to bring real-world results, we can no longer afford to leave teachers isolated in their individual classrooms, wasting in-house expertise that they could be sharing with their fellow teachers, writes Jacob Gourley, a teacher at Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing. 

Political News 

Bumpy ride ahead for state budget  Chicago Tribune – Speaker Michael Madigan on Tuesday outlined grim budget news to House Democrats who left a closed-door meeting predicting deep budget cuts, particularly in health care for the poor. “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a very bumpy …   

Quinn wants schools, Medicaid providers to help balance state’s budget
Crains Chicago Business – Gov. Pat Quinn today strengthened his call for major Medicaid and pension reform this year and dropped some clear hints about who should pick up much of the tab: physicians and other medical providers,

Quinn offers details on pension, Medicaid cost cutting  Chicago Tribune – Pat Quinn offered up a small handful today, saying he wants to go after the “sacred cows” that drive up state spending.   

Lawmakers complain about no details at Jacksonville facility hearing   The State Journal-Register – The Gillespie building is seen on the grounds of the Jacksonville Developmental Center Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 in Jacksonville, Ill. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced that he plans to close the Jacksonville center for people with developmental … 

COGFA wants another hearing in Jax WLDS-WEAI News – It looks like a state panel will hold another hearing in Jacksonville regarding the closure of the Jacksonville Developmental Center. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability held a meeting in Springfield today to discuss the JDC and … 

Why Legislators rarely know cost of laws they pass Chicago Daily Herald – That means more than 98 percent of the new laws were passed without any basic information about the toll they’d take on the state’s finances.  That’s according to a report by the Illinois Policy Institute, a watchdog group on government spending practices. The group is pushing legislators to toughen its laws and require fiscal notes on more bills.

Legislative Scholarships On Chopping Block  MyStateline.com – Governor Quinn supports the idea and says the state should consider giving more MAP grants to help needy students afford college. 

National News

Teachers group gives Florida congressional leaders As and Fs  Sun-Sentinel (blog) – When it comes to how the National Education Association feels about Florida’s elected leaders, there aren’t many shades of gray. They either love them or hate them. The teachers’ group has given every Democrat … 

National Education Association report card gives Michigan Democrats straight …   MLive.com – American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, met with education writers last year.

Late yesterday and throughout today, Vince Giordano and NJEA were the targets of a smear campaign by the state Republican Party, conservative bloggers and websites, and others following an interview Vince did that aired last weekend on NJTV’s “New Jersey Capitol Report.”  The full interview can be viewed at this link: http://acieminteractive.com/clientele/caucus/njcr181/

Where ‘The Facebook Generation’ works, according to Facebook  Millennials have been nicknamed “The Facebook Generation.” So what better way to gain insight on the youngest members of the workforce than through the social media technology they’ve become synonymous with?

Tornado-Ravaged District Takes Digital Approach to Rebuilding  An ambitious 1-to-1 laptop effort emerges in the wake of the tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo.

Educators, Parents Hold Mixed Views on Testing  A survey shows that parents and educators prefer tests that are given to help shape instruction over those used to gauge students’ year-end   progress.

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Santorum Stuns Romney with Tuesday Sweep, Steals Momentum in GOP Race

Rick Santorum’s clean sweep of the three contests Tuesday night was a major triumph that revived lingering questions about Romney’s appeal to the party’s base

How ‘Shadow Inventory’ Is Killing the Housing Market

One factor hurting the prices of homes that are for sale is the enormous number of homes that aren’t for sale — but that should be

Haiti Papers Over the Past: The Re-Branding of Baby Doc Duvalier

The government of Michel Martelly — friend of Sean Penn and other U.S. celebrities — has decided not to pursue the ex-dictator-for-life for crimes against humanity — just corruption

The Politics of Contraception: How a Health Insurance Controversy Could Shape the Election

One of the Obama campaign’s central tasks will be to persuade its former supporters to back the candidate again

The Gay-Marriage Decision: Is It Too Narrow to Reach the Supreme Court?

The Ninth Circuit chose to look at whether Prop 8 denied a group of people a right enjoyed by others — not whether same-sex marriage itself is constitutional. And that may define what happens next in the legal saga

The Washington Post

CIA digs in as Americans withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan

The CIA is expected to maintain a large clandestine presence in Iraq and Afghanistan long after the departure of conventional U.S. troops as part of a plan by the Obama administration to rely on a combination of spies and Special Operations forces to protect U.S. interests in the two longtime war zones, U.S. officials said.

Read full article >>
(Greg Miller)

Editorial Board: The U.S. must do more for Guatemala over STD study

IN THE FALL of 2010, the Obama administration acknowledged a shocking truth: From 1946 through 1948, officials working in Guatemala for the U.S. Public Health Service conducted tests on some 5,100 unwitting individuals and deliberately infected at least 1,300 with sexually transmitted diseases. None of the victims — who included prisoners, soldiers, the mentally ill and commercial sex workers — consented to this barbaric treatment. At least 83 people died, and many suffered permanent damage.

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

As Massachusetts governor, Romney had an unremarkable record on jobs

An overheated industry has gone bust. A tepid economy is not producing enough jobs. And a successful businessman promises he can use his private-sector experience to jump-start the economy.

Read full article >>
(Jia Lynn Yang)

Virginia adding ‘conscience clause’ to adoption laws

RICHMOND — Virginia will likely become the second state in the nation — after North Dakota — to allow private adoption agencies to turn away parents based on sexual orientation or religious and moral beliefs.

Read full article >>
(Anita Kumar)

Word of the Day for Wednesday, February 8, 2012

piacular \pahy-AK-yuh-ler\, adjective:

1. Expiatory; atoning; reparatory.
2. Requiring expiation; sinful or wicked.

State pension system: It ain’t no show car
Belleville News-Democrat – If you let your younger sibling drive your new car for a decade or two, you can’t expect to get back that pristine ’79 Firebird Trans Am. You are much more likely to get a rusted hulk belching blue smoke than a vehicle worthy of the next classic car show. So we get the trepidation with which local school districts are viewing the state’s plan to unload its obligations for education pension plans. After decades in the state’s hands, it ain’t no show car.

Our view: ISBE request is unrealistic
Geneva Kane County Chronicle –  All well and good. But area school officials have said they aren’t counting on any increase. And they are wise not to count on any of the 3.9 percent increase the ISBE is recommending for education funding in Illinois. The state of Illinois is broke. The money for such an increase simply is not there. 

Lovington schoolteacher gets hit with ‘widow’s tax’
Decatur Herald and Review – One of the things she had to do was report his death to Social Security, and she expected to receive survivor’s benefits. She got $255. The reason, they told her, is that she’s a teacher, and teachers pay into the Teachers Retirement System instead of Social Security; therefore, she can’t receive benefits from Social Security, not even as the widow of someone who did pay into it. 

U-46 to start peer-review program for struggling teachers
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  The Peer Assistance and Review program, also known as PAR, is a collaboration between the Elgin Teachers Association, the National Education Association Foundation and district administrators. Kathryn Castle, president of the Elgin Teachers Association, and U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres, presented an update on the first phase 

School district to amend 2011-12 budget  The State Journal-Register – The original budget included a projected $9.5 million deficit in the education fund, which makes up most school spending and pays all instructional costs.

Not your mom’s home ec class  Northwest Herald – VanSickle said that what many folks don’t realize, however, is that “home economics” courses have undergone an educational renaissance that began in 1993, …

‘School within a school’: District 201 has a plan to help at-risk …  Belleville News Democrat – Pat Quinn said he supported the idea. But state Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton, said he thought it was a bad idea to try to force older students to go to school …

IBHE to vote on performance-based funding  Daily Eastern News – The Illinois Board of Higher Education will vote today on the performance-based …

Graduated withholding rate may aid UI grad assistants  Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette – URBANA — A new graduated withholding rate could help several hundred University of Illinois graduate assistants who are taxed on their tuition waivers, 

Longer school day not so easy  SouthtownStar – CPS and the union seem committed to more time for core subjects as well as more art, music and physical education instruction and more recess.

Sick, sick, sick
Chicago Tribune – they artificially inflated the salary figure used to calculate pension benefits. That’s $265 million that could have been used to educate kids, buy supplies, heat buildings, pay the best teachers. Instead, it went to CPS employees as a bonus, most of it for unused sick days. To people who work in the private sector, this is maddening. They are allowed sick days so when they get sick,

Don’t blame budget on teachers
Chicago Sun Times – letter – I get tired of seeing teachers used as punching bags by everyone who wrings their hands about the budget woes faced by the state, city, and Board of Education. Teachers aren’t the problem;

Political News

Medicaid, pension put a ‘squeeze’ on economy, budget director says  Recapitulating much of Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address last week about Illinois moving forward, Illinois Budget Director David Vaught talked about the state’s economic climate Monday to about 20 people at John A. Logan College.

Pat Quinn signs Chicago speed camera bill  Rockford Register Star – Pat Quinn will improve safety for the city’s students. The legislation allows Chicago to use automatic speed enforcement cameras to monitor drivers around

Quinn at Ag School: ‘Jobs follow brain power’  SouthtownStar – Pat Quinn speaks Monday at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences to highlight legislation that allows students in urban areas more access to

Surgeon: Sen. Kirk’s condition upgraded
Quad City Times – Doctors say Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk has been upgraded to good condition and is continuing to improve after a major stroke. Northwestern Memorial Hospital neurosurgeon Richard Fessler says Kirk is visiting with family. Fessler said Kirk watched the Super Bowl. In a Monday statement,

National News

In what other profession… – Topeka K-12 | Examiner.com  In what other profession are the licensed professionals considered the LEAST knowledgeable about the job? You seldom if ever hear “that guy couldn’t possibly know a thing about law enforcement – he’s a police officer”, or “she can’t be trusted talking about fire safety – she’s a firefighter.”

Exclusive: Facebook governance a concern for Calif pension fund
Chicago Tribune – which give shareholders little say in how the social networking website would be run as a public company, are raising the hackles of one of the largest U.S. investors, the California State teachers’ Retirement System. The pension fund, which has a portfolio valued at around $145 billion, is planning to send a letter to Facebook, hoping to engage the social networking

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Obama Seeks to Cool War Fever While Keeping Up Pressure on Iran

Nobody likely envies the challenge President Barack Obama faces getting his “messaging” right on Iran

The New Upper Class and the Real Reason We Dislike Them

Resentment of the wealthy elite is at an all-time high, but it’s not just their money that sets them apart

The Abominable Snow Protests of Russia: Moscow’s New Cold War

The weather was frightful, but tens of thousands of people showed up in Russia’s capital for dueling demonstrations — though one side may have made appearing hard to refuse

Rick Santorum: With Tuesday Caucuses, a Second Chance to Shine

Tuesday’s contests present a second chance for Rick Santorum to elbow his way back into the picture as the chief conservative alternative to the Massachusetts governor

Between Lots of Rocks and Hard Places: Greece’s Bad Options

Faced with austerity, debt and the potential return to the drachma, the Greeks have nothing but bleakness in their immediate future

Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 7, 2012

crib \krib\, verb:

1. To pilfer or steal, especially to plagiarize.
2. To confine in or as if in a crib.
3. To provide with a crib or cribs.
4. To line with timber or planking.
5. Informal. A. To use a crib in examinations, homework, translating, etc. B. To steal; plagiarize.
6. (Of a horse) to practice cribbing.

noun:
1. A child’s bed with enclosed sides.
2. A stall or pen for cattle.
3. A rack or manger for fodder, as in a stable or barn.
4. A bin for storing grain, salt, etc.
5. Informal. A. A translation, list of correct answers, or other illicit aid used by students while reciting, taking exams, or the like; pony. B. Plagiarism. C. A petty theft.
6. A room, closet, etc., in a factory or the like, in which tools are kept and issued to workers.
7. A shallow, separate section of a bathing area, reserved for small children.
8. Any confined space.
9. Slang. A house, shop, etc., frequented by thieves or regarded by thieves as a likely place for burglarizing.
10. Building Trades, Civil Engineering. Any of various cellular frameworks of logs, squared timbers, or steel or concrete objects of similar form assembled in layers at right angles, often filled with earth and stones and used in the construction of foundations, dams, retaining walls, etc.
11. A barrier projecting part of the way into a river and then upward, acting to reduce the flow of water and as a storage place for logs being floated downstream.
12. A lining for a well or other shaft.
13. Slang. One’s home; pad.
14. Cribbage. A set of cards made up by equal contributions from each player’s hand, and belonging to the dealer.
15. A cheap, ill-kept brothel.
16. A wicker basket.
17. British, Australian. Lunch, especially a cold lunch carried from home to work and eaten by a laborer on the job; snack.

Schools criticize Quinn idea to shift pension costs
Springfield State Journal Register – Cash-strapped Illinois could save more than $1.3 billion a year if it passes its portion of public teacher retirement benefits to schools and colleges, but administrators say it could mean ruin for some school districts. Gov. Pat Quinn has expressed support for shifting the cost to local school 

State pension reform idea worries Rock River Valley schools  Local superintendents and school district officials fear that a pension reform proposal being kicked around by lawmakers in Springfield could lead to deep cuts, higher taxes or a combination of the two. 

Schools fear idea of shifting pension costs to local districts
Dixon Telegraph – Making local school districts pick up the employers’ portion of teacher retirement benefits could save more than $1.3 billion a year for Illinois’ beleaguered state treasury. It also could mean financial ruin for some local school districts, 

Who should pay for teacher pensions? If costs are dumped into local school districts’ laps, your tax bill could go up
Belleville News-Democrat – State legislators from the metro-east say they’re open to the idea of shifting some of the state’s costs for teacher pensions to local school districts, but they aren’t fully embracing the idea just yet.  Local school leaders are bracing themselves. They say it could be a huge expense coming at a time 

Pension idea would be problem
Champaign News Gazette – But Quinn as well as House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton already have dropped some big hints about some changes they would like to see in funding pensions for retired teachers and public university employees. Unfortunately, one of their big ideas is not so much reform as passing the buck to local school boards and university administrators. 

Technology: Best chance for public schools?
Southern Illinoisan – As Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon has worked the past several months to help improve Illinois public education, she was startled during her travels by the use of technology in the classrooms. 

Rockford School District pushes new health plan for teachers
Rockford Register Star – Among the terms of the district’s most recent offer are higher monthly health insurance premiums and deductibles. There is, however, a potentially less costly insurance option to Rockford Education Association members: a health savings account plan that carries a higher deductible but no premium. The teachers union has successfully bargained for lower health insurance premiums 

Single-gender classrooms work for some girls, boys  Both students and school officials call the Springfield School District’s program of gender-specific classrooms, which also includes the Capital College Preparatory Academy, a success, saying they’ve seen the benefits of fewer disciplinary problems and improved test scores. 

Good news: Union comes to students’ rescue
Streator Times-Press – THUMBS UP TO… the Ottawa Township High School Education Association, which last week donated $1,000 to the school’s prom committee. The student group found itself a grand short after administrators made the difficult decision to switch locations  

Marion weighs options on schools  MARION – As the Marion Unit 2 Board of Education weighs its options for an upcoming decision on redistricting, a political action committee has proposed an alternative to a plan that would pair the four in-town elementary schools.

Shawnee teacher honored for work with students, levees  Jamie inspires us all – not just her students,” Della McMahan-Shepard said of Jamie Nash-Mayberry, the Shawnee High School teacher who was honored Sunday afternoon by residents for the work she and her students have done to keep area residents 

Both sides file lawsuits in flap over city pension fund investments
Chicago Sun Times – The money manager, DV Urban Realty Partners, has responded with its own lawsuit in Cook County, hoping it can keep managing $68 million in pension funds for Chicago police officers, teachers, transit workers and city employees. Officials of the pension funds, including Mayor Rham Emanuel’s two top financial advisors, say their investments have been poorly managed by DV Urban.  

Chicago Teachers Union Calls CPS Unused Vacation, Sick Days Payout Report ‘Unfair’ (VIDEO)
City Best Chicago – The Chicago teachers Union on Friday stated that a report finding that Chicago Public Schools, since 2006, paid out $265 million to ex-employees due to their unused vacation and sick days “unfairly characterizes 

School reform organization gets average grades  While the Academy for Urban School Leadership has ‘turned around’ several failing Chicago Public Schools, some critics say improved test scores don’t tell the whole story 

Political News 

State Senate president optimistic on pension reform
Peoria Journal Star – He also suggested that separately he would be interested in attracting downstate support to restructure who bore the cost for state pension contributions for teachers, noting that $2.4 billion of next year’s pension bill comes from the state’s required contribution to the teachers’ Retirement System.  

Finke: The state of the State of the State
Peoria Journal Star – complaints last week about Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State speech and its lack of detail about what he intends to do about Illinois’ ongoing financial crisis. The response from Quinn and others was that a State of the State speech is not a budget speech. The spending plan is coming, so be patient. “I didn’t expect to hear him talk about the budget,” 

Fact check: Quinn’s State of the State speech  Gov. Pat Quinn took a shotgun approach to his State of the State address last week, firing a wide blast that hit on topics from jobs to education to mortgages. But he was stingier when it came to details. That left questions about his views on Illinois’ condition and where he’d like to take the state. 

Erickson: Quinn’s speech disconnected from reality
Bloomington Pantagraph – It would be easy to cast the reaction to Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State as just another case of partisan uproar between a Democratic governor and Republicans in the minority party. But that wouldn’t be right. 

Editorial: State of disbelief: Guv shows he’s out of touch
Crains Chicago Business – The title of Gov. Pat Quinn’s speech last week was “State of the State.” But it was more like a 5-year-old’s Christmas list: mostly unrealistic (. . . and I want a new iPad and a . . .). 

Our View: Lawmakers need to act if Illinois is to escape fiscal abyss
Rockford Register Star – its bills on time, provides necessary services for the disadvantaged and never again gets mentioned in the same sentence with California as states that are approaching the fiscal abyss. Gov. Pat Quinn undoubtedly shares that vision, but his State of the State speech last week ignored the realities of the state’s financial condition. Perhaps we expected too much. 

A few issues for Springfield to address
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – There is much to be done, and if Quinn and the General Assembly need any direction on that, a good starting point might be most of the priorities laid out by The Civic Federation in November. The organization set a pretty good agenda. 

Address danced around state’s problems
Decatur Herald and Review – the speech is supposed to be about the state of Illinois, not necessarily the state of the government. Even with that in mind, however, we have to wonder what kind of fantasy land Gov. Pat Quinn is living in. If there was ever a time for a speech that laid out the state’s problems and spoke clearly to the citizenry and General Assembly about sacrifices needed to solve those problems, 

Deeds, governor, not empty words
Dixon Telegraph – Gov. Pat Quinn apparently has big plans for Illinois this year. During Wednesday’s State of the State address, he outlined a series of initiatives he said Illinois should embrace to keep the state 

OUR VIEW: Gov. Quinn, we have a problem
Streator Times-Press – THE ISSUE: Quinn’s State of the State address OUR VIEW: Governor is woefully out of touch with fiscal reality Illinois is behind on its bills to the tune of $8.5 billion, a figure expected to grow to $35 billion 

Simon Poll: Public’s mood generally dark  CARBONDALE – The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has released its results and analysis of the fourth annual Simon Poll, and the results might not prove entirely shocking given the current financial atmosphere and often-voiced disgruntlement with state and federal government. The poll showed consistent support for electoral reform measures and for reforming the legislative redistricting process. 

Quinn names commission to boost Dream Act
WJBC AM 1230 Bloomington – Gov. Pat Quinn named seven members of a state commission that will raise scholarship money for college-bound students from immigrant families. Quinn announced a diverse group of educators and community leaders

National News 

Forcing kids to sit at a desk until they are 18 won’t advance their education
Belleville News-Democrat – at a minimum a high school diploma; we wish every school in our area had a 100 percent graduation rate. But we know that’s not the reality. Some students don’t want to be in school, and their teachers and parents can’t convince them otherwise. These teenagers can’t wait until they turn 16 so they can drop out.  

TIME.com’s Top Stories

Romney Set to Advance in Nevada, But Is He Falling Behind Obama?

Las Vegas may be the American capital of gambling, but the odds aren’t very exciting in Saturday’s Nevada Republican caucuses

More Killing in Cairo as Protesters Confront Authorities over Soccer Riot

Four more die in a day of violent clashes, as anger over alleged police complicity in a stadium tragedy unleashes pent-up frustrations

Twenty Years After Reforms, Meet the Children of the New India

What the New Employment Figures Mean for Obama

Some Obama opponents are struggling to find a cloud in the silver lining of January’s jobs numbers, which estimated that there was a 243,000-job boost and a big drop in the unemployment rate, from 8.5% to 8.3%, last month

Why a Bad Photo Could Be the Start of Good Things in Venezuela

It is a disgusting picture. Seated beneath a mural of Jesus Christ holding a gun, three children covering their faces with political bandanas brandish assault rifles as an adult proudly stands beside them

Super Bowl XLVI: Shifting the Focus from Peyton to Eli Manning

Super Bowl 46: A Break From Peyton Manning

Mitt Romney Rolls to Easy Win in Nevada GOP Caucuses

Massacre in Syria: Reports of Hundreds Killed in Homs, While Diplomats Fiddle at the U.N.

Friday night, Syrian security forces carried out what the opposition Syrian National Council called a “horrific massacre” targeting Homs in one of the worst in the 11-month uprising.

Is ‘Made in America’ Back in Style?

My grandparents had two criteria for buying a car: It had to be blue, and it had to be American.

India Hangs Up on Its Mobile Phone Industry

India’s Supreme Court decided yesterday to cancel 122 controversial mobile phone licenses ending nearly three years of uncertainty but opening up a new round of skepticism about India as a destination for foreign investment.

A Tale of Two Passes: How the New York Giants Won the Super Bowl

Russia and China Challenge the West on Syria: What Implications for Iran?

The breach among the Permanent Five members of the U.N. Security Council in Saturday’s vote on Syria’s increasingly bloody power struggle could have profound implications for Syria’s immediate future

Giant Eye Will Peer at the Sky

At least three giant-telescope projects are now under way, and the biggest of them, the European Extremely Large Telescope, is finally breaking ground in Chile

Is American the Worst Managed Airline In America?

AA is an airline that always seems to be mad at someone: employees, competitors, passengers, governments, OPEC. The company has been at war with its unions for years

The Komen Controversy: Planned Parenthood Claims a New Kind of Victory in the Culture War

While the Komen episode generated an immediate response by Planned Parenthood’s supporters, legislative attacks against the organization last year resulted in barely a social media

The Washington Post
Unemployment report: January job gains have economists rethinking outlooks

An unexpectedly rosy jobs report set off a chain reaction Friday, upending economists’ gloomy predictions for the coming year, leading to a surge on Wall Street and potentially boggling the political calculus of the 2012 presidential campaigns.

Read full article >>
(Peter Whoriskey, David Nakamura)

Susan G. Komen foundation revises policy that barred Planned Parenthood funding

Caught in a maelstrom of public reaction to its decision to cease funding Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation announced Friday that it would reverse course.

Read full article >>
(Sarah Kliff, N.C. Aizenman)

Do Nevada’s caucuses matter?

Presidential contests are inherently an expectations game, and because of that, the expectation is that Saturday’s contest in Nevada doesn’t mean much.

Rightly or wrongly, when a state isn’t competitive, we generally discount its broader impact on the presidential race.

Read full article >>
(Aaron Blake)

American Airlines’ request for pension bailout draws criticism

American Airlines has saved $2.1 billion since 2006, thanks to two congressional measures that allowed it to reduce contributions to its pension plans. The company said it would make up any shortfall later.

Read full article >>
(Steven Mufson)

Editorial Board: The Senate tightens up on insider trading

THERE IS a certain belt-and-suspenders quality to the ban on insider trading by members of Congress that was just passed by the Senate. Current law may prohibit such practices. But to the extent that there is ambiguity, it is important, for purposes of both potential prosecution and public perception, to make clear that such activity is indeed illegal. If anything, the measure does not go far enough.

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

For GOP candidates, February lull a time to regroup

After a blockbuster few months, the race for the Republican presidential nomination may be about to hit the snooze button.

Read full article >>
(Sandhya Somashekhar)

Egypt to prosecute Americans, including Sam LaHood, in NGO probe

CAIRO — Nineteen Americans will face criminal charges as part of a probe of the funding of pro-democracy groups, Egyptian officials announced Sunday, a provocative move that could deprive Egypt of crucial aid from the United States and upend one of Washington’s most important bilateral relationships.

Read full article >>
(Ernesto Londoño, William Wan)

For some black women, economy and willingness to aid family strains finances

The Great Recession carried special pain for black women like Jane Ladson.

She had always been the one her family turned to when they needed help, and she didn’t hesitate to give it. She helped pay for weddings and rent. She made room for her nephew when her brother died of AIDS. And even now in her 50s, she took in a baby that wasn’t her own.

Read full article >>
(Ylan Q. Mui, Chris L. Jenkins)

Editorial Board: A line of would-be immigrants? There isn’t one.

IN THE VENOMOUS debate over illegal immigration, there is a point of agreement between President Obama and some of his would-be Republican rivals, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. They’d like to see undocumented immigrants “get to the back of the line” for citizenship. Unfortunately, that convergence of views distorts rather than illuminates the debate.

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

Word of the Day for Monday, February 6, 2012

filiopietistic \fil-ee-oh-pahy-i-TIS-tik\, adjective:

Pertaining to reverence of forebears or tradition, especially if carried to excess.

Dropout age hike is good move for all  Herald & Review Editorial – Quinn’s support of the idea, announced last week, follows a similar endorsement by President Barack Obama during his State of the Union message.  Increasing the dropout age is a good idea, although it does come with a few issues that need to be addressed. 

Union, 109 discuss Special Education
Trib-local Deerfield – A proposal to create a new committee to deal with special education issues was part of a written offer made by the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 negotiating team to the Deerfield Education Association teacher’s union at their mediation session Jan. 31.

Chuck Sweeny: Lottery goes to schools, it just doesn’t go far  Rockford Register Star – At Tuesday’s legislative candidates’ forum on education funding, 68th House District candidate John Cabello, a Republican, suggested it is not being used to fund education, as originally intended. “That’s what we were supposed to do with it in the … 

Political News 

Kadner: Shifting teacher pensions to our property tax bills
SouthtownStar – House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) recently said he doesn’t understand why the state is paying pensions for people who are not state employees. He was talking about schoolteachers, primarily suburban schoolteachers. Chicago pays for the pensions of teachers in its school system

Madigan: Let school districts pay for teacher pensions
Springfield Illinois Times – Needless to say, if all three Democratic leaders are talking about it, you can probably expect some action this year. However, there will be strong pushback from suburban and downstate legislators who’ll undoubtedly fear a voter backlash over potentially massive local tax increases to pay for the idea.

Quinn Tepid On Having School Districts Pay Teacher Pensions
Progress Illinois – Kelly Kraft, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, said Tuesday that the idea of the state transferring teacher pension payments it makes to individual school districts and universities is a just a “concept” right now. This throws cold water on a proposal that gained momentum over the last week: that

Shifting pension burden to schools rankles official
Galesburg Register Mail – Guy Cahill is angry. District 205’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations is not alone, as Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to propose shifting the burden of funding teachers’ pensions from the state to local school districts. Cahill said Wednesday the state paid $5.6 million to District 205 for teachers’ pensions two years ago,

Text of Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address Feb. 1, 2012
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  Laws that improve school report cards so that parents have more information about the schools that educate their kids. Laws that set clear benchmarks for teacher evaluation and put performance above tenure. And laws that lay the groundwork for a longer school day and a longer school year. Our education reforms put the children of Illinois first.

Continue to think big’ – Quinn pushes for government expansion in speech  Despite a pile of unpaid bills that could top $34 billion in five years, Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan Wednesday to boost spending on a number of new programs in the coming year.

State of the State Highlights
Chicago Sun Times – Launching a new construction program for schools and clean-water initiatives. Raising the age high-school students must stay in school to 18 and making a “major investment” in early childhood education.

Quinn proposes tax breaks for veterans, child care and natural gas  Hinz – Declaring that he has “made Illinois a better state,” Gov. Pat Quinn today proposed new tax breaks for hiring veterans and raising children,  and asked lawmakers to abolish the state’s natural gas utility tax.

Quinn Glosses Over Unpaid Bills
Chicago WMAQ (NBC) 5 – speech that called for a bigger investment in early childhood education and state MAP scholarships for college students. Quinn said he wants to improve school report cards, set benchmarks for teacher evaluations and — though he didn’t mention Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — lay the groundwork for a longer school day.

Illinois governor urges pension, Medicaid changes
Chicago Tribune – (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on Wednesday said the state must make changes to its pension system and to Medicaid this year, while also insisting that spending cuts alone will not fix the state’s budget.

Quinn shoves aside state’s budget woes
Chicago Tribune – technology in classrooms, though he did not say how much money he wanted to set aside for the programs or where he would get the additional funding. Some school districts have struggled to pay teachers and provide services following years of payment delays from the state. “The governor has figured out some ways to pay for this that are not necessarily part of anything on the table

Local lawmakers: Speech fails to inspire
Danville Commercial-News –  Quinn, speaking for almost 40 minutes, outlined goals pushing for the creation of jobs and stressing the need for more education funding. The reactions were bipartisan, as both Democratic state Sen. Michael Frerichs of Champaign and Republican state Rep. Chad Hays of Catlin were looking for more from the governor.

Business Reaction To State of the State Address
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 – One of Governor Quinn’s key points in his State of the State address was job growth.  “We’ve created good paying jobs, while laying the foundation for future growth,” Governor Quinn said.

Editorial: State of Illinois? Broke, broken
Jacksonville Journal Courier –  It has expired and gone to meet its maker. It is an ex-horse. Stuffing it full of borrowed cash and costly incentives will do nothing to make the horse rise again. Quinn talked about the need to reform government pensions and Medicaid. And offered no ideas on how to do it. He touted work done to improve roads and bridges.

Lawmakers say Quinn’s speech ignores economic reality
Rockford Register Star – “That’s what we have to do going forward. We created the template a year ago, now let’s use this to stop this runaway train. “I do have a lot of respect for Governor Quinn, but we have to work together to incentivize businesses in Illinois.” Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland (69th:) “He painted everything in a bright light.

State Lawmakers Set Light Schedule
Chicago News Cooperative – The speech gave him a chance to tout his accomplishments, including reforming workers’ compensation, tightening teacher tenure processes and legalizing civil unions between same-sex couples. Quinn announced a $2.3 million investment in a new technology center at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart

National News

Education: States should do more to reach students  Peoria Journal – In its initial review of No Child Left Behind waiver requests, the US Education Department highlighted a similar weakness in nearly every application: States did not do enough to ensure schools would be held accountable for the …

Fla. senator booted off panel over privatization  The Florida Education Association and Florida AFL-CIO, which represents many public workers, were swift in firing off press releases criticizing the move as …

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Inside Facebook’s IPO: How the Social Web Will Reshape the Economy

Facebook’s IPO — the largest in Internet history — is a once-in-a-generation milestone in the evolution of the web

Egypt’s Soccer Tragedy: How the Shocktroops of the Revolution May Be Used to Strengthen the Generals’ Grip

The defiance and bluster among Egypt’s militant soccer fans following the death of 73 people in a stadium in Port Said betrayed a sense of foreboding

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Fight of the Century Ain’t Gonna Happen Again

After weeks of taunts and teasing, the world’s two best active boxers are once again disappointing their fans

Obama’s New Housing Plan: More About Politics than Solving Problems?

Class War 2012: Why Both Parties Are Flying the Anti-Wall Street Banner

Gingrich ended his campaign against Romney in Florida with the same message strategy that Romney’s senior advisers had used in another Republican primary two years earlier: Attack Goldman Sachs. There was a good reason

The Washington Post

For Romney and Paul, a strategic alliance between establishment and outsider

RENO, NEV. — The remaining candidates in the winnowed Republican presidential field are attacking one another with abandon, each day bringing fresh headlines of accusations and outrage.

But Mitt Romney and Ron Paul haven’t laid a hand on each other.

Read full article >>
(Amy Gardner)

Panetta: U.S., NATO will seek to end Afghan combat mission next year

BRUSSELS — The United States hopes to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by the middle of next year, more than a year earlier than scheduled, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday.

Read full article >>
(Craig Whitlock, Karen DeYoung)

Facebook files for IPO, plans to raise $5 billion with stock sale

Facebook filed for a much-anticipated stock offering Wednesday that put a dollar figure on the world’s addiction to sharing, commenting and evaluating life with their online friends and family.

Read full article >>
(Cecilia Kang, Hayley Tsukayama)

Editorial Board: Encouraging a degree of saving in higher ed

HIGHER EDUCATION IS both crucial to America’s economic competitiveness and hard for many students and their families to afford. Annual tuition and fees rose $1,800 over the past five years at public four-year institutions and $3,730 at private schools, according to the College Board. Net tuition, after factoring in financial aid, held steady over that period, but that shows only that rising costs ate up most of the additional federal, state and private scholarships.

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

Virginia Senate passes bill requiring women to undergo ultrasound before abortion

RICHMOND — The Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, the first of several legislative measures this year that are expected to dramatically alter abortion law in the state.

Read full article >>
(Anita Kumar)

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 2, 2012

peroration \per-uh-REY-shuhn\, noun:

1. A long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language.
2. Rhetoric. The concluding part of a speech or discourse, in which the speaker or writer recapitulates the principal points and urges them with greater earnestness and force.

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 they needed more time to prepare a response to the district’s offer from last week

Dropout age hike is good move for all

Herald & Review Editorial – Quinn’s support of the idea, announced last week, follows a similar endorsement by President Barack Obama during his State of the Union message.

Increasing the dropout age is a good idea, although it does come with a few issues that need to be addressed.

Union, 109 discuss Special Education
Trib-local Deerfield – A proposal to create a new committee to deal with special education issues was part of a written offer made by the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 negotiating team to the Deerfield Education Association teacher’s union at their mediation session Jan. 31.

Chuck Sweeny: Lottery goes to schools, it just doesn’t go far

Rockford Register Star – At Tuesday’s legislative candidates’ forum on education funding, 68th House District candidate John Cabello, a Republican, suggested it is not being used to fund education, as originally intended. “That’s what we were supposed to do with it in the …

Political News

Kadner: Shifting teacher pensions to our property tax bills
SouthtownStar – House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) recently said he doesn’t understand why the state is paying pensions for people who are not state employees. He was talking about schoolteachers, primarily suburban schoolteachers. Chicago pays for the pensions of teachers in its school system

Madigan: Let school districts pay for teacher pensions
Springfield Illinois Times – Needless to say, if all three Democratic leaders are talking about it, you can probably expect some action this year. However, there will be strong pushback from suburban and downstate legislators who’ll undoubtedly fear a voter backlash over potentially massive local tax increases to pay for the idea.

Quinn Tepid On Having School Districts Pay Teacher Pensions
Progress Illinois – Kelly Kraft, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, said Tuesday that the idea of the state transferring teacher pension payments it makes to individual school districts and universities is a just a “concept” right now. This throws cold water on a proposal that gained momentum over the last week: that

Shifting pension burden to schools rankles official
Galesburg Register Mail – Guy Cahill is angry. District 205’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations is not alone, as Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to propose shifting the burden of funding teachers’ pensions from the state to local school districts. Cahill said Wednesday the state paid $5.6 million to District 205 for teachers’ pensions two years ago,

Text of Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address Feb. 1, 2012
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  Laws that improve school report cards so that parents have more information about the schools that educate their kids. Laws that set clear benchmarks for teacher evaluation and put performance above tenure. And laws that lay the groundwork for a longer school day and a longer school year. Our education reforms put the children of Illinois first.

Continue to think big’ – Quinn pushes for government expansion in speech

Despite a pile of unpaid bills that could top $34 billion in five years, Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan Wednesday to boost spending on a number of new programs in the coming year.

State of the State Highlights
Chicago Sun Times – Launching a new construction program for schools and clean-water initiatives. Raising the age high-school students must stay in school to 18 and making a “major investment” in early childhood education.

Quinn proposes tax breaks for veterans, child care and natural gas

Hinz – Declaring that he has “made Illinois a better state,” Gov. Pat Quinn today proposed new tax breaks for hiring veterans and raising children, and asked lawmakers to abolish the state’s natural gas utility tax.

Quinn Glosses Over Unpaid Bills
Chicago WMAQ (NBC) 5 – speech that called for a bigger investment in early childhood education and state MAP scholarships for college students. Quinn said he wants to improve school report cards, set benchmarks for teacher evaluations and — though he didn’t mention Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — lay the groundwork for a longer school day.

Illinois governor urges pension, Medicaid changes
(Chicago Tribune – (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on Wednesday said the state must make changes to its pension system and to Medicaid this year, while also insisting that spending cuts alone will not fix the state’s budget.

Quinn shoves aside state’s budget woes
Chicago Tribune – technology in classrooms, though he did not say how much money he wanted to set aside for the programs or where he would get the additional funding. Some school districts have struggled to pay teachers and provide services following years of payment delays from the state. “The governor has figured out some ways to pay for this that are not necessarily part of anything on the table

Local lawmakers: Speech fails to inspire
Danville Commercial-News –  Quinn, speaking for almost 40 minutes, outlined goals pushing for the creation of jobs and stressing the need for more education funding. The reactions were bipartisan, as both Democratic state Sen. Michael Frerichs of Champaign and Republican state Rep. Chad Hays of Catlin were looking for more from the governor.

Business Reaction To State of the State Address
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 – One of Governor Quinn’s key points in his State of the State address was job growth.  “We’ve created good paying jobs, while laying the foundation for future growth,” Governor Quinn said.

Editorial: State of Illinois? Broke, broken
Jacksonville Journal Courier –  It has expired and gone to meet its maker. It is an ex-horse. Stuffing it full of borrowed cash and costly incentives will do nothing to make the horse rise again. Quinn talked about the need to reform government pensions and Medicaid. And offered no ideas on how to do it. He touted work done to improve roads and bridges.

Lawmakers say Quinn’s speech ignores economic reality
Rockford Register Star – “That’s what we have to do going forward. We created the template a year ago, now let’s use this to stop this runaway train. “I do have a lot of respect for Governor Quinn, but we have to work together to incentivize businesses in Illinois.” Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland (69th:) “He painted everything in a bright light.

State Lawmakers Set Light Schedule
Chicago News Cooperative – The speech gave him a chance to tout his accomplishments, including reforming workers’ compensation, tightening teacher tenure processes and legalizing civil unions between same-sex couples. Quinn announced a $2.3 million investment in a new technology center at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart

National News

Education: States should do more to reach students

Peoria Journal – In its initial review of No Child Left Behind waiver requests, the US Education Department highlighted a similar weakness in nearly every application: States did not do enough to ensure schools would be held accountable for the …

Fla. senator booted off panel over privatization

The Florida Education Association and Florida AFL-CIO, which represents many public workers, were swift in firing off press releases criticizing the move as …

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Inside Facebook’s IPO: How the Social Web Will Reshape the Economy

Facebook’s IPO — the largest in Internet history — is a once-in-a-generation milestone in the evolution of the web

Egypt’s Soccer Tragedy: How the Shocktroops of the Revolution May Be Used to Strengthen the Generals’ Grip

The defiance and bluster among Egypt’s militant soccer fans following the death of 73 people in a stadium in Port Said betrayed a sense of foreboding

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Fight of the Century Ain’t Gonna Happen Again

After weeks of taunts and teasing, the world’s two best active boxers are once again disappointing their fans

Obama’s New Housing Plan: More About Politics than Solving Problems?

Class War 2012: Why Both Parties Are Flying the Anti-Wall Street Banner

Gingrich ended his campaign against Romney in Florida with the same message strategy that Romney’s senior advisers had used in another Republican primary two years earlier: Attack Goldman Sachs. There was a good reason

The Washington Post

For Romney and Paul, a strategic alliance between establishment and outsider

RENO, NEV. — The remaining candidates in the winnowed Republican presidential field are attacking one another with abandon, each day bringing fresh headlines of accusations and outrage.

But Mitt Romney and Ron Paul haven’t laid a hand on each other.

Read full article >>
(Amy Gardner)

Panetta: U.S., NATO will seek to end Afghan combat mission next year

BRUSSELS — The United States hopes to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by the middle of next year, more than a year earlier than scheduled, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday.

Read full article >>
(Craig Whitlock, Karen DeYoung)

Facebook files for IPO, plans to raise $5 billion with stock sale

Facebook filed for a much-anticipated stock offering Wednesday that put a dollar figure on the world’s addiction to sharing, commenting and evaluating life with their online friends and family.

Read full article >>
(Cecilia Kang, Hayley Tsukayama)

Editorial Board: Encouraging a degree of saving in higher ed

HIGHER EDUCATION IS both crucial to America’s economic competitiveness and hard for many students and their families to afford. Annual tuition and fees rose $1,800 over the past five years at public four-year institutions and $3,730 at private schools, according to the College Board. Net tuition, after factoring in financial aid, held steady over that period, but that shows only that rising costs ate up most of the additional federal, state and private scholarships.

Read full article >>
(Editorial Board)

Virginia Senate passes bill requiring women to undergo ultrasound before abortion

RICHMOND — The Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, the first of several legislative measures this year that are expected to dramatically alter abortion law in the state.

Read full article >>
(Anita Kumar)

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 2, 2012

peroration \per-uh-REY-shuhn\, noun:

1. A long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language.
2. Rhetoric. The concluding part of a speech or discourse, in which the speaker or writer recapitulates the principal points and urges them with greater earnestness and force.