©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Candidate for Governor Favors Charter Schools |
A Republican candidate for governor has an education plan that leans heavily on charter schools.
State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) proposes eliminating the current limit on charter schools, which is 120 statewide.
"Charter schools have proven to give parents more choice," he says. "That choice not only comes with the benefit of competition and the efficiencies that that brings, but when parents have a choice, they get more involved in their child’s education."
Charter schools are publicly funded but operated by private organizations. The employees are not covered under the collective bargaining agreements that apply in the rest of the school district; as a result, the teachers are typically paid less. Teachers and employees can unionize separately and negotiate a contract directly with the charter school operator.
The current limit is 70 charter schools in Chicago, 45 in the rest of the state, and five schools devoted to re-enrolling high school dropouts.
Brady also proposes gradually increasing the tuition tax credit from the current $500 to the per-pupil funding level of over $6,100; allowing local school boards to offer vouchers, and giving high school students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree from the local community college while still in high school.
He also wants to eliminate the state Board of Education, shifting the political responsibility for schools onto the governor and the Legislature, and having what's left of the bureaucracy operate at the level of regional superintendent or community college district.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
|
| 11 20 09 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
