Historic Step for a New Era of Public Education

The House of Representatives has authorized the S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to reauthorize the federal education law known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act!

“For the first time since No Child Left Behind was enacted nearly 14 years ago, ESSA empowers educators as trusted professionals to make school and classroom decisions while keeping the focus on students most in need. The bill also reduces the amount of standardized testing in schools and, most importantly, decouples high-stakes decision-making and statewide standardized tests so that so students have more time to learn and teachers have more time to teach. Last, ESSA begins to close the opportunity gaps for students by providing a new accountability system that includes an ‘opportunity dashboard’ with — for the first time — indicators of school success and student support."

Check out this link for more information on this important political moment for public education!

http://www.nea.org/home/64735.htm

Political Action at the IEASP Fall Conference

This weekend is the IEASP Fall Conference! Your Political Activists are so excited to give you the opportunity to truly "Make an Impression."

At this year’s IEASP Fall Conference, you will be able to “Make An Impression” in Political Action by donating to the NEA PAC fund! PAC stands for Political Action Committee, and essentially this fund serves to support issues and candidates that are champions of public education. Because no money from our dues goes to the PAC fund, we will be giving you all the opportunity to donate at our Political Action table at the Fall Conference. The theme will be “Change for Change,” so bring your spare change to the conference to support public education!

Money in Politics: The Koch Brothers

There's a lot of talk about money in politics these days with things like the Supreme Court decision called Citizens United which allows corporations and labor unions to spend as much money as they want on advertisements and other avenues of persuasion in support of their desired political candidates. This decision is controversial because it allows independent groups to fund campaigns without identifying the funding source. One subject that is not nearly addressed enough is the issue of who the Koch Brothers are and why we should care as future teachers.

image from www.politicususa.com

The Koch Family is a massively wealthy family that has used their vast wealth to influence politics in ways that are favorable for them. Koch Industries is the second largest privately held corporation in our nation. This family has made it their business to become more and more connected with powerful conservatives in U.S. politics including Supreme Court Justices, high ranking congressmen and more. These personal connections lead to discussions about monetary investment in politics. Thus, because of laws like Citizens United, Koch Industries can use their vast wealth to support conservative politics since that's what's most likely to suit their own needs. Because their funds are unlimited, so is their political influence. One could even argue that because the conservative politicians know they have the support of the Koch Brothers, which will in all likelihood help them be re-elected, they might be inclined to act in a way that will suit the needs of the Koch Brothers. Yikes! Koch Industries has a huge amount of influence in our political system, with our political pundits (experts), and also with the media.

We, as citizens in a democracy, need to stay vigilant when it comes to money in politics. We need to understand its influence and remember that our own politicians might only be saying something because corporations or other groups with their own interests have supported them with vast finances. Candidates and representatives have the responsibility of representing all constituents, not only those that are able to contribute to their campaigns.

There is another way to take this information though. Whether we like it or not, money is important in politics. This is why the IEA has things like IPACE (Illinois Political Action Committee for Education), a fund for supporting public education in politics. The goal of the IPACE is to channel "the force of thousands of organized education employees into many constructive relationships with candidates and elected representatives." IPACE is not affiliated with any political party and only supports political efforts of public education in Illinois. This means no IPACE money is contributed to the presidential campaigns, national elections or political efforts. IPACE also supports efforts to get IEA members more politically involved. IPACE listens to IEA members like us about political issues and candidates we think would best represent our views to support public education. IPACE has endorsed candidates from both parties only after a meeting in which IEA members interview the candidates. If you would like to attend one of these recommendation meetings, please contact one of your state officers whose contact information is on this very blog!

For more information on the Koch Brothers, I highly recommend checking out both the YouTube video "Why do the Koch Brothers want to end public education?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mbJhjCbwo8 and the documentary Koch Brothers Exposed. If you're interested, more information about IPACE can be found at ieanea.org.

NEA Board Recommends Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Presidential Nomination

The NEA board has officially recommended Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Presidential Nominee.

"Hillary Clinton has always been on the right side of the key education issues. She supports reducing the role of standardized tests. She believes in equal opportunity for all students, regardless of their ZIP code. She opposes school vouchers and supports making college more affordable." IEA president, Cinda Klickna, says.

Photo from ieanea.org

Candidates are selected based off of completing a questionnaire and interviewing with NEA President, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, in person. This video is recorded and made available to all NEA members as well. The NEA questionnaire was available to all viable candidates in all parties. Those who filled it out include Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders.

For more information, check out http://www.ieanea.org/2015/10/03/nea-board-recommends-hillary-clinton-for-the-democratic-presidential-nomination/

Education Secretary Arne Duncan Stepping Down

Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education for the United States, is stepping down after seven years of service under President Obama. The President will be tapping John King Jr, an Education Department official, as acting secretary, but will not name Mr. Duncan's replacement until later.

Arne Duncan (photo from nbcchicago.com)

Read more here: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Education-Secretary-Arne-Duncan-Stepping-Down-330408541.html

Override Effort Falls Short

Unfortunately, the attempt to override Governor Rauner's veto of SB1229 Amendment #2 has failed, perhaps as a result of the Governor's threats of forcing a strike and shutting down the state government if the Governor's demands were unmet.

"Although the bill did nothing more than extend to child protection workers, nurses, caregivers, emergency responders and other state employees the same independent arbitration process [(a legal method widely used to end disputes outside of court)] provided to police, fire and other public safety personnel in Illinois for more then 30 years, the Rauner Administration justified its veto with an array of false claims about the bill's provisions, constitutionality and potential cost, as well as unsubstantiated ad hominem attacks [(arguments attacking a person instead of their position on an issue)] on the independence and fair-mindedness of arbitration professionals" - ieanea.org

You can still help! Send the Governor and your representatives an email letting them know what you think about collective bargaining and the rights of state workers. Information about our Illinois Representatives can be found on this very blog under the "Illinois Representatives" tab!

Read more here: http://www.ieanea.org/2015/09/02/override-effort-falls-short-see-how-your-legislator-voted/

Override Governor Rauner's Veto!

Hey IEASP! We need your help!

As you might know, Governor Rauner has been in a bit of a stalemate with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) who represents many workers that are part of a union. As we know, Governor Rauner has been working to diminish union rights such as collective bargaining (negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees.)

The Illinois House of Representatives has recently passed a bill called SB1229 which proposes the following:

"Under SB1229, House Amendment #2, the Illinois Public Labor Relations Ace (IPLRA) would be amended to allow AFSCME to waive its right to strike while providing an alternative procedure for resolving collective bargaining agreements between the state of Illinois and units of employees of state agencies"

This quotation along with more details of the bill can be found at this link: http://www.ieanea.org/2015/08/30/protect-union-rights/

After vetoing SB1229, Governor Rauner threatened forcing a strike and shutting down the state government is AFSCME does not agree to his terms. Now it's up to us to tell Governor Rauner we support collective bargaining to protect our rights as teachers. We as students must contact our state representatives and tell our legislators to vote to override the governor's veto of SB1229 (Amendment #2).

The vote is scheduled for Wednesday so call or email now!

Rauner Report: Rauner hopes to leverage state aid to eliminate union rights

So, IEA often publishes updates regarding our governor, Bruce Rauner, and his actions regarding education. These updates are titled Rauner Reports, and we will be posting some of them here with short, accessible, summaries for all of you. 

So, Bruce Rauner has used the phrase "Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures" throughout his campaign as a reason to attack certain sectors of society, unions included. Currently, CPS is experiencing a huge budget deficit of $500 million. Rauner is willing to give CPS the $500 million, but he has conditions. His conditions mainly involve stopping the practice of the school district paying into teachers' pensions. Currently, school districts do this as part of the collective bargaining rights of teachers and it has been a long held and widespread practice. CPS desperately needs the $500 million for pensions, and Governor Rauner sees an excellent opportunity to weaken collective bargaining efforts for the unions.   

Here's the link to the original Rauner Report: http://www.ieanea.org/2015/08/11/rauner-hopes-to-leverage-state-aid-to-eliminate-union-rights/

It's That Time Again!

Hey everyone! It's time to renew your IEA Student Program membership! All you need is your social security number and a means of payment. Register now to get all the benefits of our amazing program.

Link to Register: https://ims.nea.org/HowToJoin/stateStudent.do?mbrType=STUDENT&sea=il

ESEA reauthorization passed by Senate!

It's time to celebrate! The bipartisan action (both parties worked to create this legislation) of the new ESEA legislation was passed by the senate! This will deemphasize standardized testing and provide more opportunity for all students. 

"Every student in America will be better off under this legislation than the generation of students wronged by 'No Child Left Untested.' Educators enter their schoolhouses every morning with one desire foremost in their minds: that every student they encounter that day will know an educator cares for them and is dedicated to reaching, teaching, and inspiring them to reach their full potential. The unmitigated failure of the test and punish culture shackled educators, and we are now one step closer to ending that woeful chapter in American education policy."

Continue to this URL to read more!


http://educationvotes.nea.org/2015/07/16/breaking-senate-votes-to-overhaul-esea-no-child-left-behind/

ESEA Action

Hi Everyone!

Now is an important time for education legislature, namely the reauthorization of the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), which in the past basically meant No Child Left Behind. Now, there's a good chance you've been taught all about the pitfalls of No Child Left Behind, but the reauthorization of the ESEA actually makes a lot of much needed improvements like moving away from a focus on testing.


Here's some information about the bipartisan efforts to update the ESEA from the Department of Education:

It's time for you to take action! The vote happens tomorrow, and it's our last chance to email our senators to tell them to vote yes on this important legislation!

http://educationvotes.nea.org/get-esea-right/?source=150715_em&utm_source=150715_em%20&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ESEA%202015-4 --- This link will take you to a website that facilitates emailing your senators this message:

"As an educator and a constituent, I urge you to vote YES this week on The Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177), which is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

S. 1177 is a significant improvement over current law. It shifts the focus away from testing and punishing schools, so educators can get back to helping students learn.

S. 1177 moves decision-making to the professionals who know the names of the students.

It includes multiple measures and indicators to determine student and school success, not just one test. This will help states identify and begin to close opportunity gaps.

Our students, especially those most in need, have suffered from a broken No Child Left Behind Act for more than 13 years. The time is now to replace it with a law that provides more opportunity and time to learn.

I urge you to vote YES on S. 1177 this week."

***We would suggest changing the first line to saying "As a future educator..." - but it's up to you!

Make a difference and let your representatives properly represent you and your future as an educator!

Would you like some more information? Check out the department of education's website: http://www.ed.gov/blog/topic/esea-reauthorization/

Budget Update

One of the biggest issues in Illinois government today is the budget. Governor Rauner has written a budget that suggests slashing funding for higher education by 31.5%. Although his budget does support higher funding for K-12 education, he also seeks to reduce funding for Special Education. This along with many other issues has caused much unrest in Springfield as our legislators try to work with our governor to compromise. On June 25th, Governor Rauner vetoed the state budget. The following is the official statement by the IEA concerning this veto:

"Today’s veto announcement places the state budget debate in a new light.

By vetoing the budget, the governor is making it clear that Illinois must have additional revenue as part of any final budget “fix.” The veto proves that we cannot cut our way to a budget that meets the needs of Illinois citizens.

This is a serious moment for Illinois requiring the full attention of the governor and the members of the General Assembly.

Issues unrelated to the budget should be pushed to the side until a spending plan is signed that adequately funds higher education and countless other important state programs that Illinoisans count on."

Retrieved from: http://www.ieanea.org/2015/06/25/iea-statement-on-governors-budget-veto/


Although the Governor has finalized and signed the pre-K through 12 part of the budget, there is still more to work out even now that the deadline of August 1st has passed. If the governor and the Illinois congress do not come to an agreement on the budget soon, government workers and the people they serve especially in healthcare and transportation will suffer.

For more information about how the lack of budget affects our state, see this article from the Chicago Sun Times: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/738489/illinois-shutdown-looms-means