Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter
Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter
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CAT Tracks for February 3, 2007
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY |
Going to combine two unrelated "money" articles...just to keep from sending two separate CAT Tracks on this fine Saturday afternoon.
First, a message from IEA President Ken Swanson concerning a series of editorials in the Chicago Tribune, taking a stand on the need to change education funding in Illlinois...
Invest in Excellence News
Below are links to articles relating to IEA's Invest in Excellence campaign and IEA President Ken Swanson's Thoughts On The Chicago Tribune Articles:
Colleagues:
As you might be aware, the Chicago Tribune has started a nine-part editorial series on the Illinois public school funding crisis called From Here to Excellence. This series has the potential to help funding reform become the main focus of the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly.
So far, the editorials have focused on educating readers about where we are and how we got here.
The first in the series, Smarter Schools for Illinois, sets the stage for what is to come. A key paragraph states:
The second editorial, Coming up short, provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the crisis that is hurting districts and students throughout Illinois. It is extremely well-written and persuasive. I have been pleasantly surprised by the tone and thoughtful nature of the editorials so far.
Tomorrow’s editorial will likely be of great interest to IEA members. It will focus on what taxpayers should demand "In return for more money". It is here that I expect the Tribune to echo and to amplify what we have been hearing for years. When we talk to policymakers about fixing a broken system, the response invariably is along the lines of, “Yes, we need to raise taxes, but more money must come with an expectation of better results.”
We will need to keep things in perspective when the Tribune and others start discussing accountability, as they most certainly will.
The 2006 IEA Representative Assembly designated fixing the broken school funding system as the Association’s top priority. To that end, in the last year we have spoken with and listened to education policymakers and those to whom policymakers listen. We believe it is imperative that IEA and the education community be seen as willing to at least listen to the ideas of others, with the exception of ideas that we simply cannot abide. For example, we have made clear that vouchers, merit pay and privatization are off the table as is the notion that teachers and support staff alone must somehow be “more accountable.”
Our goal is to move policymakers toward student assessment policies consistent with the NEA Positive agenda for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. We welcome the opportunity to discuss the responsibility for student success that teachers and support staff share with administrators, school boards, parents, the community and the state.
We believe this is an opportunity to change the way students are assessed and to align Illinois with our efforts to replace Average Yearly Progress (AYP).
I urge you to read the entire From Here to Excellence series and to share it with your colleagues, friends and family. When visiting the site, check out the tool the Tribune has designed to answer the question, “Does your school fall short?” While it appears to have some bugs in it (I haven’t been able to get it to show me information on Elgin, for example), it will open people’s eyes about what our districts are up against, particularly with the under funding of special education.
The Invest in Excellence campaign is picking up steam and this series, I believe, will add to the momentum.
A great public school is a basic right for every child. Together, we can make that right a reality.
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Next up, a message from our "friendly" conservative watchdogs at the IL Loop, informing one and all of the destination of the evil union PAC money...
Yesterday, I sent a message regarding the state rep who took campaign contributions from Big Ed unions and is now pressing for a ban on funding involving online education, irregardless of whether any kids might be helped.
I received a few notes back about that, concerned that this was a political statement, which is something I scrupulously avoid on the Illinois Loop.
Point noted! If anything, a principal reason why the Blob is so powerful in our state is that it curries favor with *BOTH* parties.
The 800 pound gorilla of Big Ed politics in Illinois, the IEA (affiliated with the NEA), passed out about three-quarters of a million dollars to friendly candidates in 2006 -- and that was about evenly split between Democrats and Republicans! Ever wonder why we don't get meaningful education reform in Illinois? THERE is your answer!
Even when the largesse doesn't flow to both parties, we can agree that it makes sense: The Chicago Teachers Union gave 98% of its $396,050 to Democrat candidates, but if you're trying to cozy up with politicians in the city of Chicago, well, that's what you have to do.
From the WONDERFUL website "Follow The Money", here are details on the portion of campaign contributions going to each party from the Big Ed unions in 2006. You can discover MUCH more at http://www.followthemoney.org/
-- Kevin
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ILLINOIS EDUCATION ASSOC/I-PACE
ILLINOIS FEDERATION OF TEACHERS/IFT
ILLINOIS SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PAC
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION
ILLINOIS ASSOC OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS/ALLIANCE PAC
ILLINOIS SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
CHICAGO PRINCIPALS & ADMINISTRATORS ASSOC
CAIRO ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS
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CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
Address: SPRINGFIELD, IL 62704
Democrat - $364,828 - 49.27%
Republican - $375,603 - 50.73%
Address: WESTMONT, IL 60559
Democrat - $278,900 - 85.78%
Republican - $46,250 - 14.22%
Address: SPRINGFIELD, IL 62702
Democrat - $23,000 - 43.17%
Republican - $30,275 - 56.83%
Address: CHICAGO, IL 606541016
Democrat - $388,200 - 98.02%
Republican - $7,850 - 1.98%
Address: SPRINGFIELD, IL 62703
Democrat - $16,800 - 66.93%
Republican - $8,300 - 33.07%
Address: SPRINGFIELD, IL 62702
Democrat - $15,000 - 69.28%
Republican - $6,650 - 30.72%
Address: CHICAGO, IL 60601
Democrat - $16,250 - 85.53%
Republican - $2,750 - 14.47%
Address: Cairo, IL 62914
Democrat - $0 - 0.00%
Republican - $0 - 0.00%
