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IEA Priority Bills

• IEA-backed legislation that would level the playing field for school employees threatened with subcontracting has been approved by the Illinois House. After intense lobbying on both sides, HB 1347 , sponsored by Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Litchfield, passed the House (76 yes, 37 no, 3 present).
  
  This legislation places the following requirements on school districts and private companies bidding to provide services currently performed by employees of a public school district:
  
  · No contract with a third-party may be entered into during the life of a collective bargaining agreement between a board of education and school district employees.
  · A 90 day notice must be given prior to the implementation of a decision to subcontract work to a third party.
  · A subcontractor must provide evidence of liability insurance equivalent to that required by code and provided by the school board.
  · A comparable benefits package for employees must be provided by the private
  company.
  · Requires a three-year cost projection included in the bid that can not be increased.
  · Requires the board of education to provide a cost comparison.
  · Requires that the subcontractor provide evidence that each of its employees has undergone a criminal background check and must provide information regarding
  substance or alcohol abuse, DCFS complaints and investigations, traffic violations, and licensure problems and revocations of employees who may perform the services.
  · Requires that review and consideration of bids take place in open session of regularly scheduled school board meetings unless the exclusive bargaining representative agrees in writing that consideration of the bid can take place in open session of a specially scheduled board meeting.
  · Requires one public hearing held before a regularly scheduled board of education meeting to discuss the issue. Public notice of the first hearing must be posted on or before the date that bids are first solicited or a minimum of 30 days before a bid is accepted whichever provides the greatest amount of notice.
  · Requires that a contract between a private company and a school board contain
  provisions that require the subcontractor to offer available positions to district employees who are terminated due to the contract.
  
  
  
• HB 3341 (Ramey, R-Carol Stream). This bill would allow the city of Bartlett to break off from the U-46 school district (Elgin). The IEA opposed this bill and no vote was taken.
  
  
  
• HB 2207 (House amendment #1) (Jakobsson, D-Urbana) and HB 3170 (House amendment #1) (D. Brady, R-Bloomington) – These two bills deal with the issue of sexual abuse of children by a teacher. It is clear that no one wants someone in the schools who will harm a child. HB 2207 mandated that any personnel complaints made against a teacher would follow that teacher from district to district for their entire career, even if the complaints were unfounded. HB 3170 required a superintendent to tell another superintendent who was hiring a teacher if the first superintendent “suspected” a teacher had been abusive.
  
  It is IEA’s position that reporting requirements MUST be followed in order to protect a child and also a teacher’s reputation.
  
  
• HB 1466 (Rita, D-Blue Island) – This bill gave the Illinois State Board of Education broad powers to use across the board in any case of financial mismanagement in a school district. IEA opposed the bill stating that each district should be looked at on a case by case basis.
  
  
• HB 3361 (J. Mitchell, R-Sterling) This bill took the remaining “unused” charter school slots in the suburbs and in downstate and transferred them to the City of Chicago. The bill states that these charter schools must be used to service dropouts in the city and may not be chartered for any other purpose. IEA opposed the bill, stating that the geographic allocation should remain the same.
  
  For the time being, the Illinois AFL-CIO and the Illinois Federation of Teachers have suspended their activity in support of the Tax Fairness Plan (the Governor’s gross receipts bill). Companion language to this bill that would increase the number of charter schools in Illinois is being disputed by these organizations.
  
  
• Higher Ed-Dual Credit - HJR 36 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) - This initiative of the IEA Higher Education Council passed out of committee unanimously this week.
  
  The resolution provides for representation on the committee from the IEA.
  
  
• House Bill 357 (Noland, D - Elgin) – This bill extends the time period during which a school district, other than the Chicago, may transfer moneys from specified funds for any purpose from June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2010.
  
  
• HR1148– This IEA-supported resolution urges the ISBE to measure the need to reduce class sizes in grades K through 3 and restricts the class size to 20 students.
  
  
• SB0857, sponsored by Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville) and Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) – This bill changes the definitions for debt limitations on bonds issued by a K-8 school. IEA supported this bill, which is important for our local in Millstadt, Ill.
  
  
• SB0859, sponsored by Sen. Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) and Rep. Lisa Dugan (D-Bradley) – This bill requires that certain crimes committed in another state may be used to disqualify a teacher from employment in Illinois even though the crimes may go under another name in another state. IEA supported the bill after the sponsor, Rep. Dugan, accepted an IEA amendment.

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Originally posted by jombl:
No, my anonymous tried to be more anonymous (in an effort to not leave a trail for the IEA internal communication) - it then ran into the problem of wanting to respond, this raised the issue of speaking to oneself - and that can't be overcome.

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Rally Generates Results
IEA President Ken Swanson called Wednesday, “A great day for the children of Illinois,” when a crowd estimated at 8,000 education employees, parents and students participated in the largest Statehouse rally in Springfield in a quarter century. The C.A.R.E. march and rally (video), organized by IEA and A+ Illinois, delivered a clear message to state policymakers: “The time is now to fix school funding in Illinois.”

TV stations and newspapers delivered the Invest in Excellence message to millions throughout the state. Meanwhile, IEA members who didn’t come to the Capitol were inundating lawmakers with faxes urging them to support funding reform.

It’s no coincidence that, while advocates called for action outside the Statehouse, inside Speaker Michael Madigan announced that the entire Illinois House will meet in a rare Committee of the Whole session next Wednesday to discuss the Governor’s Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). This is seen as a signal that Speaker Madigan is ready to take a more active role in the school funding discussion. The speaker has already stated that he expects the House to approve a tax increase for education during this current session.

The House Republicans made some noise this week, proposing HR 344, a resolution to block imposition of the GRT. Nine Democrats are among the 61 sponsors. HR 344 has not been considered for a vote.


Priority Bills

• Subcontracting Bill Senate Hearing Wednesday Afternoon
  HB1347 (Harmon, D-Oak Park) may be heard in the Senate Education Committee this Wednesday. The bill places requirements on private companies and school districts when considering bids to outsource work currently performed by school district employees. Please take time to contact your senator and ask for his or her support of HB1347.
  
  
  Floor Action
  
• HB 146 (Cross, R-Oswego), which passed the House this week, would require a diabetes medical management plan for any student with diabetes who wishes assistance with diabetes care while at school. The Act establishes guidelines and training for volunteer unlicensed medicals (referred to as a designated diabetes care aid) to assist in this care if a school nurse was not employed in the building.
  
  The Act also requires training for all bus drivers who have a student with a diabetes medical management plan on their bus.
  
  The Illinois Education Association (IEA), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), the Illinois Association of School Nurses and the Illinois School Management Alliance oppose the measure. IEA believes a trained school nurse should be employed at each school and in charge of all medical procedures. Placing an unlicensed volunteer aide in charge of a student’s medical management plan creates safety and liability concerns.
  
  
• Despite opposition by IEA and IFT, the House passed HB 3361 (J. Mitchell, R-Sterling), which would allow up to five slots for charter schools from the suburbs and downstate that haven't yet been filled and transfers them to the city of Chicago. They will become new Chicago charter schools and must be used specifically to service dropouts and truants.
  
  Senate Education Committee Action
  
• HB1648, sponsored by Sen. Demuzio, D-Carlinville, creates the P-20 Council, which will examine the coordination of education programs from pre-kindergarten through grade 20 education in Illinois. IEA supports this legislation and anticipates an amendment that will expand the membership of the council to include representatives from labor unions. The bill passed out of committee unanimously.
  

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Are You Highly Qualified?
The Illinois Education Association is committed to being the primary source of information on the topic of whether a teacher is "Highly Qualified," as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act.

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... That means that everything you bargain at the table will always be compared (no matter how fair or unfair) to what the standards everywhere else are.

...

And given that there's apparently plenty of money around for some folks, we in education need to do our part to help make the economy work for more people. We depend on it, the families we teach depend on it, and it's the right fight.

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Are You Highly Qualified?
The Illinois Education Association is committed to being the primary source of information on the topic of whether a teacher is "Highly Qualified," as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Here's a little test to determine if your "Highly Qualified".