Rauner

(Reuters) – “Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner laid out on Wednesday [February 4] an ambitious and controversial agenda that includes constitutional fixes for the state's public pension system and budget. In his inaugural state of the state address, the Republican, who holds political office for the first time, also took aim at public labor unions.

“‘It's make-or-break time for the Land of Lincoln,’ Rauner told state lawmakers. Illinois has a chronic structural budget deficit, as well as the lowest credit ratings and the worst-funded pension system among the 50 states. The fiscal crisis is the worst the state has seen for decades, according to budget experts.

“State pension payments are squeezing spending on essential state services and a 2013 law aimed at easing a $105 billion unfunded liability is being challenged in court by unions and others. Rauner's policy agenda calls for 'permanent pension relief' by amending the Illinois Constitution, which prohibits the impairment or diminishment of public worker retirement benefits. The governor also wants to change the constitution to prohibit the carryover of unpaid bills between fiscal years, a practice that has fed Illinois' structural deficit.

“Rauner called for banning political donations by unions representing government workers. He repeated a campaign pledge to create local ‘empowerment zones’ in which workers would have a right to work, even if their employer has a collective bargaining agreement with workers. And he proposed that Illinois give employees of local governments the right to work even in communities where government workers are represented by unions. ‘Local communities, local voters, deserve this option so that they can compete with other states and other nations for new businesses and new investment,’ he said in his speech…

“Roberta Lynch, executive director of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the biggest public labor union for state workers, criticized many of Rauner's proposals, including a ban on political contributions by unions. ‘But while seeking to shut working people out of the halls of power, he leaves free access to the scores of corporations that have secured for themselves tax breaks costing Illinois taxpayers some $2 billion annually,’ Lynch said in a statement.

“Despite the fact Illinois is facing big budget shortfalls in its current and upcoming budgets, Rauner called for higher funding for public school districts, particularly in disadvantaged areas of the state, while also expanding public charter schools to give parents choices…

“On the pension front, [Rauner] also repeated a call to protect state workers' accrued retirement benefits, while moving them into a less generous pension program or a 401k-type plan for future work...”

from Illinois governor lays out controversial agenda 

Gov. Bruce Rauner distributed a handout to legislators before his State of the State address yesterday. Click here to read it.

Statement from Cinda Klickna, President of the Illinois Education Association:

"We are glad to hear the governor say he strongly supports education and we look forward to working with his administration on measures that ensure all students in Illinois have access to the quality teachers and public schools that they deserve.

"We hope the governor’s latest statement of support means that he's endorsing the State Board of Education's recommendation for fully funding the General State Aid (GSA) fund. It would be the first time in four years GSA was fully funded and it would be a great start toward getting public education back to where it needs to be.

"But a commitment to improving education goes well beyond funding, and we have been disappointed that Governor Rauner has focused so much of his attention recently on matters that will hurt, not help, students in Illinois.

"The governor is wrong when he says that the problems in our state stem from teachers and other middle class public workers having too much say in how Illinois is run.  The opposite is true. With corporate interests spending unheard of sums in politics, the need for a strong voice for the middle class has never been greater.  

"The governor talked today about empowerment and it’s crucial that teachers and education support professionals remain empowered so they can continue to be the primary advocates for students and schools. Our students have to be protected from the corporate interests that are targeting education. 

"The people of our state should not be distracted from focusing on what is best for the students of today and tomorrow. What we need are real solutions to the very real problems we face.

"Teachers are the experts on what works in our classrooms. That is why our union will be proposing ideas to help ensure that every student, regardless of their zip code, has the opportunity to attend a great public school.

"We intend to support any of Governor Rauner's good ideas and we hope we can expect similar treatment from the governor. We all want what is best for the students in Illinois and look forward to working with the governor and other leaders from around the state to make that a reality."

In Little Rock Arkansas, students have organized against a corporate takeover of their schools

According to Hannah Burdette, founding member of the LRSDSA, on behalf of her constituents: “On February 1st, students from the Little Rock School District (LRSD) met to organize the foundations of the Little Rock School District Student Association (LRSDSA). The team of students, working throughout Sunday afternoon, represented three of the five high schools in the district (Hall High School, Little Rock Central High School, and Parkview Art/Science Magnet High School). The students capitalized on momentum generated by the Arkansas State Board of Education’s recent takeover of the LRSD– and subsequent dissolution of the district school board– to create a groundbreaking camaraderie between students. 

“The LRSDSA plans to provide representation for the students of the district in the political bodies that dictate the future of education. The working mission statement of the LRSDSA was drafted during the meeting and reads, ‘The LRSDSA is an association of students united to amplify our voices and dedicated to empowering students to speak out in their classrooms, schools, and community in order to create continual implementation of reform in our district.’ The students of the LRSDSA are students who stand, ‘dedicated to ensuring our voice and our vote in our education.

“The students founding the new association feel that their collective voices have gone unheard by the Arkansas State Department of Education. Over the past several weeks, these students spoke at out at LRSD Board of Directors meetings, community forums, and a special meeting of the State Board of Education to plead for the continuation of the LRSD Board of Directors.

“The LRSDSA believes that those in charge of a school district must possess an intimate knowledge of the communities surrounding struggling schools and be willing to recognize student voices as equal to those of administrators and teachers. This intimate connection is easily lost in bureaucracy, as demonstrated by the decision of five members of State Board of Education to vote for a State takeover, thereby disregarding the voices of students who spoke out and implored the members of the Arkansas State Board of Education to allow students from each high school to work with the LRSD Board of Directors, community members, teachers, and administrators to improve education across the district.

“The Little Rock School District Board of Directors was a democratically elected body and provided a seat for a student ex officio at every meeting. Several students engaged in forming the LRSDSA worked on the campaigns of school board members, and many students formed personal connections with the board. The Arkansas State Board of Education currently allows for no official student representative at their meetings and often schedules these meetings during school hours, making it impossible for students to attend meetings concerning their education. The LRSDSA seeks to change that.

“Additionally, the LRSDSA plans to make known to the Arkansas State Board of Education and to the public that they are displeased with both the dissolution of the LRSD Board of Directors and the silencing of student voices through a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, February 5th, 2015. At 5pm, students will march from the Arkansas State Board of Education at 4 Capitol Mall to the LRSD Central Office– the location of LRSD Board of Directors meetings– located at 810 West Markham. The organizing students emphasize that this demonstration will be done peacefully and encourage any community supporters to join them.”

 

The LRSDSA - Our Education, Our Voice, Our Vote:

The Little Rock School District Student Association recognizes that when students feel they have lost influence in their education it becomes necessary to organize and lobby for their rightful influence. The LRSDSA exists as an advocate for reform in a time of strife and division in our district, the consequences of which have served to further polarize students’ rights. The issues listed below are not exhaustive, they are a compilation of issues and grievances seen across the district by thousands of students. These issues are a developing platform on which we may build the progressive change we wish see.

We wish to see recognition of student voices as they are critical in advocates for the crafting educational policy.

We wish to have students provided a representative voice with direct influence on policy making in all administrative decisions involving students on the district and school level.

We wish to see reform of student assessment in the classroom that takes into account the individual strengths’ and weaknesses of students.

We wish to see a substantial decrease in the emphasis and frequency of district wide standardized testing as a means of measuring student and school performance.

We wish to see a reform in district treatment of English as Second Language students that take into account the individual difficulties of taking on the American public education system while still learning the primary language of that system.

We wish to see the Little Rock School District take substantial steps to engage the communities of Little Rock as a uniting force to overcome the disadvantages students are presented based on socioeconomic and racial divides.

We wish to see an end of discrimination towards students on campus based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, class, or any other forms of personal identity that draw prejudice.

We wish to see all students adequately advocated for in all matters and in at levels of schooling and the rights of individual students protected from violation.

We wish to see the Little Rock School District remain a public, free, and open district welcoming equally of all students with a desire and passion to engage in meaningful learning and scholarly development.

Our power as students is only recognized when it is seized by the students themselves. It is the democratic duty of those that have had their rights suppressed to rally against that suppression and towards a bright future of success where students have gained their seat at the table of reform in the LRSD.

The LRSDSA - Our Education, Our Voice, Our Vote