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| Education Reforms Celebrated in Springfield |
(IRN)-A nearly hour long celebration Thursday in Springfield launched what is known as Senate Bill 7. It's a package of education reforms that touts a premium on quality teachers. The idea is to make it easier for school districts to get rid of under performing teachers, regardless of their salary or seniority.
State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) negotiated the deal with unions and other interest groups. One senator, Ed Maloney (D-Chicago), went so far as to call her "the Miracle Worker." While House members are not throwing cold water on the celebration, Representative Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville), himself a school superintendent, cautioned that the proposal would need a full vetting; and that "you have to balance this desire to keep the best teachers in front of children with the reality that as teachers advance in their career, they're paid more."
Lightford said she wants to throw out rumors that the big money of such groups as Stand for Children and Advance Illinois had an undue influence, and she also did not want to focus on provisions to make it more difficult for teachers to strike. When reporters insisted on asking about recall rights in a dispute between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union, a lawyer representing the school district said that ongoing litigation was not the reason for the news conference.
Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois Education Association, said his members, particularly more experienced ones, have concerns about the measure, but he believes he and leaders of other unions, CTU and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, will be able to sell it.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 04 14 11 by Newsroom |
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