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Working for Illinois Caucus

House Downstate Democrats work for the good people of Illinois

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July 2023

Scherer’s New Law Cuts Red Tape for Retiring Teachers

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DECATUR, Ill. – Retiring teachers will be able to focus on classroom education rather than burdensome evaluations under a new law passed by state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, waiving the evaluation process for high-quality teachers in their final year.

“I was an educator in our community for years, and I can tell you that evaluations can be a useful tool in the education of new teachers, and can help experienced teachers add to their skillsets, but they are an unnecessary burden on our high-quality teachers who are leaving the classroom,” said Scherer. “I want these skilled teachers to spend their final year mentoring others and using their years of experience to benefit one last class of students, not focused on bureaucratic oversight.”

Scherer’s House Bill 1351 allows retiring teachers to waive an annual evaluation requirement if they are set to retire in the following year. A teacher who received poor ratings would not be able to waive the requirement. In addition, school districts may require retiring teachers complete an evaluation as long as they are notified 14 days before it is due to take place. The bill was passed with bipartisan support and is now law.  

“Focusing our energy on the core missions of our institutions has been one the guiding tenets of my legislative agenda since I first took office,” said Scherer. “This is just the latest of those efforts. I’m always excited to think and hear about innovative solutions to make our government more efficient for the people we serve.”

Rep. Sue SchererRep. Sue Scherer

(D-Decatur)
96th District

Springfield Office:
E-2 Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 524-0353
(217) 524-0354 FAX

District Office:
1301 E. Mound Rd.
Suite 270
Decatur, IL 62526
(217) 877-9636
(217) 877-9659 FAX

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July 27, 2023 at 06:13PM

Manley recognized as a leader in Springfield | The Times Weekly

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Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, has been promoted to deputy majority leader, one of the top positions in House Democratic leadership.

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July 27, 2023 at 06:13PM

Another Elected Official Condemns County Clerk’s Anti-LGBTQ Facebook Post

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The drama surrounding the recent Facebook post by the La Salle County Clerk has taken on a new level of seriousness, as one county board member has brought up the “R” word.

About two weeks ago, County Clerk Jen Ebner posted a meme of a stick figure decorated as the American flag, kicking in the stomach a stick figure decorated as the Pride rainbow flag. Under the image is the text, “It’s finally July.” The image is an apparent slap at June’s designation as Pride Month. Ebner posted it to her personal Facebook page. She since has defended her right to do so.

Since then, Ebner’s post – and her refusal to acknowledge its anti-LGBTQ sentiment – has earned the condemnation of the La Salle County Democratic Party and her own La Salle County Republican Party. Democratic State Representative Lance Yednock has brought the matter to the attention of the Illinois Attorney General. Board Members Brian Dose and Douglas Trager, both Democrats of Ottawa, have also weighed in against the clerk and her post. Most recently, Trager brought up the subject at a committee meeting Tuesday.

Republican County Board Chairman Don Jensen himself drew fire at a full board meeting just last week as he spoke on the matter. Jensen quoted scripture throughout his remarks, urging forgiveness for the clerk. It should be noted that Ebner has not asked for forgiveness.

 

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July 23, 2023 at 04:28PM

Raftopoulos seeks to face Elik in 2024

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Nick Raftopoulos of Granite City will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Alton, for Illinois’ 111th House District in 2024.

Region: Metro East,City: Alton,News

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July 23, 2023 at 11:14AM

Faraci and Ammons to host Mobile DMV event in Urbana – WICS

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(WICS) — State Senator Paul Faraci and State Representative Carol Ammons announced a Mobile DMV event in Urbana that will give the community a one- …

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July 17, 2023 at 04:46PM

State Rep. Maurice West hosts free Community Health Fair | News | wrex.com

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AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT… The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency forecasts Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups …

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July 15, 2023 at 04:46PM

Rep. Ammons leads healing retreat for women impacted by gun violence in Champaign

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Rep. Ammons leads healing retreat for women impacted by gun violence in Champaign


by Samantha Beil

State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) is leading a retreat for women affected by gun violence at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 29 at a church in Champaign. (Photo courtesy of Uniting Our Strength’s event on Eventbrite)

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July 14, 2023 at 10:58PM

Stuart Bill Addressing Underpayment of Teacher-Mentors Becomes Law

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Experienced educators will no longer be underpaid for mentoring newer colleagues under new legislation passed by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, and signed into law on June 30.

“For many Illinois educators, teaching consists not only of many hours inside the classroom, but also many hours outside the classroom,” Stuart said. “But even though mentoring by more experienced colleagues is an important part of newer teachers learning their indispensable trade, we were seeing that those who provided this mentoring were too often doing so without adequate pay in proportion to their time. And that wasn’t right.”

During the legislative session, advocates showed how teachers who’d been mentored by veteran colleagues were markedly more effective in achieving positive learning outcomes for students, including an average of over 6 months of additional learning achievement per mentored teacher and higher average scores on standardized tests.

Under existing law, veteran teachers who were part of the National Board of Certified Teachers (NBCT) “Teaching Excellence Program” could mentor their junior colleagues for up to 30 hours a year and receive up to $1,500. However, many mentors were exceeding that limit out of necessity and ultimately ended up working for free.

Stuart passed House Bill 1291 which will increase the limit to 45 hours a year with a maximum pay incentive of up to $2,250—levels which advocates told lawmakers are more in line with reality. The bill was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday.

“Teachers are already grossly underpaid in many cases and on top of that they have one of the most challenging and, too often, thankless jobs in our economy. Asking those who are recognized as experienced veterans to do even more for even less is simply unfair,” Stuart said. “They should be paid for every hour they work and, with this law, we’ve taken a significant step toward meeting that standard.”

Rep. Katie StuartRep. Katie Stuart

(D-Edwardsville)
112th District

Springfield Office:
278-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8018

District Office:
2105 Vandalia St.
Unit #16
Collinsville, IL 62234

Phone: (618) 365-6650

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July 12, 2023 at 06:19PM

Yednock Denounces Inappropriate Rhetoric of Local Official

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OTTAWA, Ill. — State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, released the following statement:

“I am very disappointed that an elected official in LaSalle County would post such a divisive and hurtful message. It is imperative that all elected officials complete their legal duties to the fullest extent of the law regardless of their personal opinions, but this conduct forces many to question her ability to fairly serve everyone in our community.

“My office will be contacting the Attorney General’s office and the Human Rights Commission to determine if any laws were broken.  I hope the county will investigate as well.”

Rep. Lance YednockRep. Lance Yednock

(D-Ottawa)
76th District

Springfield Office:
292-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0140

District Office:
628 Columbus St.
Suite 204
Ottawa, IL 61350
(815) 324-5055

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July 7, 2023 at 05:20PM

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