Schools pay for teacher pensions? They say no Chicago Daily Herald – Top Illinois Democrats are thinking about shifting billions of dollars in teacher retirement costs onto local schools to help save the state’s crippled finances, but suburban education officials say they don’t have any room in their budgets, either. Suburban officials say they can’t afford picking up the state’s share as many suburban districts already max out their property tax levies and lawmakers in Springfield have cut money for buses and other programs.

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.

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

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(Anita Kumar)