Disgraceful to not support our public higher ed. We made a commitment to support them & they are engine for progress in IL. #CutsMeanUs
Bi-partisan SB2047 emergency stop gap funding passed today. Still need a budget though. https://t.co/aZx0WiTp5d
Great weekend event! fb.me/55VpWX409
Jerry Costello, the state representative from Smithton, presented the Red Bud High School and Chester High School bass fishing teams each with $200 scholarships from the Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.
“Supporting our high school bass fishing teams helps to preserve this great tradition and keeps our children active outdoors,” Costello said.
The teams will purchase equipment and participate in future fishing tournaments and events with money from the scholarships.
Speech winner
Sam Geiger won the national championship at the National Speech & Debate Association’s tournament June 17.
The 2016 Belleville West graduate won in expository speaking. Other Belleville West graduate winners were Brooke Ingram and Donnie Bland, taking 10th and 11th places out of the 250 competing in that portion of the competition.
Sarah Hayden, Henry Holm and Tiffani Volkman were also among the 4,200 students participating in the tournament.
Teachers recognized for excellence
Several metro-east teachers were honored by the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association. They were selected as the best in their expertise during the last school year and were honored at a lunch on Tuesday in Bloomington-Normal.
It is the sixth annual Exemplary Teacher Recognition Award Luncheon. Local teachers honored were: Reggie Duncan, of Wingate Elementary in Shiloh; Kyle Gordon, of Collinsville High School; Jeannine Moeller, of Belleville West; and Emily Weber, of Joseph Arthur Middle School in O’Fallon.
Going to Germany
Mark Thomas-Patterson, of O’Fallon Township High School, is one of 22 Illinois teenagers who won a scholarship to study abroad for the next school year. Mark won the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange and will be spending the year in Germany. Other students, many from the Chicago area, will be going to Germany and Japan.
The scholarships are administered by Youth For Understanding USA. Go to YFUSA.org for more information about hosting an international student, scholarships and more.
Movie performers
The pre-kindergarten class of St. John Neumann Catholic provided some entertainment at the June 17 Movies in the Park hosted by Maryville Parks & Recreation. They sang three songs at the “Minions” movie.
Registration
Some area districts have summer registration online. They include:
▪ Wolf Branch: Returning students have until June 30 to re-register, which is required to put the child’s name on a class list. Families are required to provide residency requirements every year.
Returning families can start the registration process by logging onto the Teacher Ease parent account and filling out the forms; the forms need to be mailed, emailed or faxed to the school. Payment may be made online, by mail or placed in the drop box at school.
Call district offices at 618-277-2100 with any questions.
▪ Collinsville students may register this year from their computer, smart phone or tablet; they can also come to the schools to do so.
Online registration starts July 20; the district will send instructions to returning families by mail.
Students new to the district must register in person at Collinsville High School.
Call the enrollment/records office at 618-346-6350, ext. 4237 for more information.
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ALTON – State Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, issued the following statement after the passage of stop-gap budget measure which passed on Thursday:
“The spending bills passed today will ensure our schools open on time, provide much needed funding for social service organizations, and allow construction projects to continue on schedule. The budget provides a six-month spending plan for all of these programs, except elementary and secondary education, which is fully funded for the next fiscal year.
“This budget removes the anxiety school administrators, teachers and parents have had during the past months about whether or not schools will open in the fall. With other legislators, I fought attempts by the governor to decrease funding for our local schools. Instead, teachers and students in our region will have additional resources to use in the classroom.
“The spending bill also provides funding for human services for the next six months. This includes funding for in-home care for seniors, domestic and sexual abuse programs, services for children with disabilities and breast cancer screenings. Our seniors, children and most vulnerable citizens will be able to continue receiving the services they need and a little bit of pressure will be taken off providers.
“Even though these spending bills were passed, it is not enough. I am calling on the governor and legislative leaders to continue to negotiate a full budget. If this spending plan expires in six months, our colleges and universities, human service providers, students, seniors and disabled residents will be in the same position they were yesterday. We must focus on long-term solutions that provide stability for our economy and promote the health and safety of our communities.”
For more information, please contact Beiser’s constituent services office at 618-465-5900 or email dvbeiser@sbcglobal.net.
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Peoria Public Radio |
Illinois Issues: The Impasse And The Damage Done
Peoria Public Radio “We’ve been borrowing from nonprofit social service providers in order to fund our basic government functions.” DuBoe says the United Way estimates that the state owes at least $500 million for services rendered for the fiscal year that ends tomorrow … and more » |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw03Q_i9vB4
Then-candidate Bruce Rauner spoke at the Tazewell County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner on March 9, 2013. Rauner threatened to shut down vital state services for working families in order to pass his extreme agenda. Rauner said "if we sort of have to do a ‘do over’ and shut things down for a little down while, that’s what we’re going to do."
From: seiuhealthcareilin
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State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, says school funding legislation proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner cuts some Southern Illinois schools short on funding. (RK PR SOLUTIONS PHOTO BY RYAN KEITH) |
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Staff Report• |
MARION — Citing the desperate need for adequate funding for downstate schools, state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, is urging passage of a school funding bill that boosts investment in all schools — something the Southern Illinois lawmaker says doesn’t happen under Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed plan.
"For too long, downstate schools have taken less than what they require when it comes to public school funding," Bradley said. "The governor’s plan puts far less money into our schools than the plan I supported, and instead provides more to wealthy suburban Chicago school districts. The governor’s proposal would send our tax dollars to help schools with Olympic sized swimming pools while at the same time providing no increase for many schools in Southern Illinois."
The spending plan backed by Bradley would invest an additional $4.9 million dollars into schools in the 117th district, which are already struggling to make ends meet. The number of dollars going to local schools is drastically reduced by $2.7 million dollars under Rauner’s proposal. Bradley points out that Rauner’s plan would provide no additional dollars for four schools in the 117th District: Akin CCSD 91, Ewing Northern CCSD 115, Thompsonville CUSD 174 and Sesser-Valier CUSD 196.
"The governor may not understand downstate Illinois, but if he was take a look at the condition of many of our schools, he would understand that every dollar counts," Bradley said. "While we are negotiating a stopgap budget, making our schools stronger must be a key part of the discussion. My focus remains on making sure that our schools and critical providers have the funding they deserve."
The state legislature is scheduled to be back in Springfield today. The deadline to reach some sort of budget agreement is the end of the day tomorrow to prevent the state from entering its second fiscal year without a state budget.
— Dateline Marion
Read more: Bradley says Rauner’s school budget doesn’t do enough to help Southern Illinois classrooms http://ift.tt/293UiZF
OPINION
State of Illinois needs to invest more – not less – in higher education.
A new ILEPI Economic Commentary examines the rising costs of higher education in Illinois’ public 4-year universities and the potential economic gains associated with lowering tuition costs. The full report is available at this link.
The cost of a public 4-year university education is expensive in Illinois. Largely because the State of Illinois only invests $217 per capita in higher education, the annual tuition cost in the state is $20,054 on average for public universities – the 4th-most expensive state in America. Many working-class and middle-class families are struggling to afford college.
Additionally, the Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that unease over the lack of state funding has caused a drop in the number of applications at Illinois’ public universities. Western Michigan University expects to enroll its largest freshman class from Illinois ever, while Murray State University in southwest Kentucky says that “applications from some Illinois border counties are up as much as 40 percent.”
Many students from Illinois are deciding to attend college in another nearby state with cheaper tuition, and a portion of these students stay and enter that state’s workforce. In fact, research has found that a 20-percent decrease in tuition can increase the number of college-educated citizens in a state by between 2 and 10 percent. By lowering tuition costs through increased public funding, Illinois lawmakers can halt the outflow of highly-educated citizens from the state.
A 20-percent reduction in tuition costs for students at Illinois’ public universities would require a 0.20 percentage-point increase of the state’s personal income tax, which would be just $3 per week for the average household. At this minimal price, the state could create– or, in the current budgetary climate, save– nearly 3,800 total jobs, mainly at public universities over the short run.
The policy change would also save or create between 4,700 and 23,500 total jobs and boost the state’s economy by up to $2.6 billion over the long run.
Governor Rauner’s agenda calls for Illinois to cut financial support for state universities. By spending significantly less per capita on higher education, costs are shifted onto poor college students and their families. This move not only makes college less affordable and less accessible to low-income families, it makes Illinois a less attractive place for students to learn and ultimately work. Underinvesting in higher education can have serious long-term effects on a state’s economy.
Illinois must invest in higher education. The state must take action to increase the accessibility of college by lowering tuition costs and to support those in need of financial assistance to attend college.
Higher education builds a skilled workforce and the strong middle class that Illinois needs in a global economy.
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Working for Illinois Caucus 