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* We’re going to go through Gov. Rauner’s State of the State Address in a bit more detail today. Let’s start here…
We have ten long-term goals. This legislative session we will begin to:
1. Work closely with President Cullerton to significantly increase state support for education, focusing our additional resources more on low income and rural school districts so we can provide high quality classrooms in every community, without taking money away from any other districts.
2. Provide proper funding for early childhood education while setting rigorous benchmarks for program performance, so we can continue to be national leaders in this important work.
3. Give school districts more flexibility when it comes to bargaining, contracting, and bidding, to save taxpayers money, while enabling districts to pay higher teacher salaries.
4. Empower our universities and community colleges to reduce their administrative costs, work rules, pension liabilities and unfunded mandates, and then offer additional financial support to those schools that show real progress in putting more resources in the classroom.
5. Support more partnerships between high schools, community colleges, and local employers so that our young people who are not going to university, can receive the training to step into good paying careers beginning in their teenage years.
6. Develop a comprehensive, consistent, objective student growth measure, not necessarily based on the PARCC system, so we can track our students’ progress in each grade towards college or career, holding our schools accountable for results while eliminating unnecessary testing and bureaucratic mandates.
7. Support programs that create more quality school choice options for low income children stuck in failing schools.
8. Create new quality schools of choice for our disconnected youth as a way to get them back in school.
9. Consolidate the majority of our councils and task forces under the P20 and Early Learning Councils, in order to decrease bureaucracy, increase high-quality outcomes for our learners, and improve the coordination of these working groups.
10. Create a Cabinet on Children and Youth so we can better align our health and human services with our cradle to career education initiatives, in order to provide higher quality, fully integrated services for our young people.
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 8:56 am
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While it’s not hurtful to the feelings of Speaker Madigan, nor is it figuratively triangually making Speaker Madigan weaker…
It’s not helpful in the two instances by the Governor to make a point to exclude the Speaker in a purposeful way.
Mentioning President Cullerton in Rauner’s #1 wasn’t random.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:00 am
A lot of edreform speak. It’s pretty hard for me to take this seriously when he’s responsible for real economic hardship among our states college students and twice sabotaging CPS bond sales.
Comment by Carhartt Representative Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:00 am
Goals are nice, but to each point: How?
Comment by burbanite Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:04 am
Leading compromise with Cullerton on pension reform and education funding reform, plus improved efficiency and performance.
Reasonable, do-able goals.
What are Madigan’s, other than reacting to everyone else’s ideas with “no” or “we’ll see”?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:06 am
” Work and Pray , Live on Hay , and You’ll get Pie in the Sky When You Die ” ( Wobblies )
Comment by x ace Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:08 am
===What are Madigan’s, other than reacting to everyone else’s ideas with “no” or “we’ll see”?===
He would like a budget. Is that too much to ask?
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:09 am
#3 is the usual swipe at teachers’ unions. #4 looks like rewarding universities for scraping programs and offering a financial reward for acting accordingly. #7 looks like charter schools but #8 is baffling. Why spend the money getting “disconnected youth” into “new quality schools” when we have cut the money for services to keep them in existing schools via slashing support services? Are we creating new schools when we allegedly can’t afford to support our lowest income kids currently? Has my coffee not kicked in yet?
Comment by sparklepants Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:15 am
“…holding our schools accountable for results while eliminating unnecessary testing and bureaucratic mandates.” So… he’s going to hold schools accountable in a non-bureaucratic way? What does that even mean?
Comment by J-Train Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:15 am
Goal #4. How can universities remove “unfunded mandates”? These are mandates *imposed* upon the universities by state and federal government (e.g. compliance rules, procurement rules) that can only be complied with using appropriated dollars — and can only be removed the government agencies, not the universities.
The governor either does not understand higher education, or he dislikes higher education and is following Scott Walker’s Wisconsin model of intentionally weakening public higher education under the guise of “efficiency” arguments.
Comment by Scamp640 Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:16 am
Translation:
1 & 2 = more money from somewhere
3 & 4 = gut unions
5 = apprentice programs / corporate sponsorship
6 = different tests that might show a better outcome
7 & 8 = charter schools
9 = more conformity and central control
10 = ???
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:17 am
How’s he going to pay for all of this? His 1.4% savings from his Turnaround Agenda?
Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:22 am
“He would like a budget. Is that too much to ask?”
Not at all. He can pass a balanced budget at any time he chooses.
He only needs 60 votes out of 71 Democrats, and Rauner can either sign it or “own” a veto.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:24 am
Um…how about goal number 1 being passing a budget? I don’t care about anything else as long as that hasn’t happened.
Comment by Dread Pirate Roberts Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:26 am
@ RNUG. Very nice translation / summary.
Comment by Scamp640 Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:26 am
“What” is nice, but it’s meaningless without the “how“.
“Stubbornness” and “persistence” aren’t plans. Not even for a rascal. Going into their second year, many governors’ future plans would be based on past successes. In the absence of past successes, Rauner needs to explain how he will succeed at achieving his goals going forward.
Without an actual PLAN for turning his goals into legislation, this list is nothing more than the governor’s Vision Board.
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:27 am
Isn’t there some Constitutionally mandated task missing here?
Seriously, enacting a budget and getting the state’s fiscal house in order doesn’t make the Top Ten?
That explains a lot.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:29 am
RNUG,
Thanks for translating the gov-speak into plain English. But everything needs a budget to get going.
Comment by Big Joe Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:30 am
The - @MisterJayEm - ” - Anonymous - ” commenters rule makes sense more and more each day…
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:30 am
#10 is ironic in a number of ways. From the classic small-government perspective it’s odd to create another cabinet position such as this. Additionally, seems like the focus should be on shoring up issues at DCFS, DJJ, DHS before starting a new cabinet with overlapping responsibilities
Comment by MOD Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:34 am
Just like the Economic Development Corp he proposed, a total sham. This was just fluff to fill minutes in a speech. It means nothing. All Attitudes No behaviors. The superstars will go to meetings and nothing will actually get done.
Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:35 am
The MisterJayEm rule applies equally well to some commenters possessing a unique ability to say so little while commenting so much.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:36 am
why is he so afraid of saying he wants to gut unions as his top priorities? he is holding the hudget up over doing it. 3 and 4 why not speak the truth that what he isnproposng is eliminating collective bargaining? why talk so far around it, particuarly when there is not a lot of factual aupport that the goals he cites are achieved by elminating collective bargaining. Every state to eliminate collective bargaining has seen drops in the middl class and median wages. But the elephant in the room, why is he so afraid tonspeak the truth…. why not just say end collective baragining over wages, benefits and work conditions… the effort to talk around his critical agenda speaks volumes. he fears what people would really thunk of thenidea, and so hides and obfuscates it
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:39 am
“… holding our schools accountable for results while eliminating unnecessary testing and bureaucratic mandates.”
I think I can help translate. This refers to the use of standardized test scores to close neighborhood schools, including rural and small-town school districts, and replace them with charters and “turnaround school districts” on a statewide basis. “Turnaround” school districts? Interesting language, isn’t it? They’re a means for the wholesale privatization of K-12 education, like in New Orleans and the statewide “achievement school district” in Tennessee. If Rauner means what he says, and this time I think he does, it would decimate public education throughout Illinois. http://educationnext.org/turnaround-school-districts/
Comment by olddog Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:42 am
Wow, Rauner just proposed a whole lot more spendin’ and creatin’ a lot more bureaucracy. I had no idea Rauner’s goal in life is to be the George W Bush of governors
Comment by Angry Republican Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:44 am
On the surface…lot’s of enticing sound bites. But, on second look, it’s full of generalities with a lack of substance. And, in the end, none of it matters unless the state has a budget.
Comment by Former Hoosier Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:45 am
RNUG nailed it. High falutin’ language for gutting unions and advancing the national Republican agenda.
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:45 am
He wants more money for education, but doesn’t want to pay for it. So sure seems like someone needs a brush up on 2nd grade math.
As for choice… that’s basically asking for more corruption at this point; only takes a quick look at Concept and UNO (and probably others) to see what a mess that is.
Comment by From the 'Dale to HP Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:48 am
I bet he could get 2, 5, 9 and 10 right away. Several of the others I bet could be negotiated. Why not start with what you can get and then work from there?
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:52 am
RNUG: My take on it as well, except that I would add “Vouchers” to #7
Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 9:54 am
“He is following Scott Walker’s Wisconsin model of intentionally weakening public higher education under the guise of “efficiency” arguments.”
Bingo! He wants the private sector to take over most of the schools in IL (including higher ed).
Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:14 am
“10. Create a Cabinet on Children and Youth so we can better align our health and human services”. I think this means let the private sector take over social services and education with little or no state funds.
Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:16 am
It appears that #1 would provide more revenue for lower income districts while #7 would immediately siphon it off to charters and for profit providers.
Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:17 am
Number 1 should be:GET A BUDGET! The others will mean nothing unless we have one in place.
Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:18 am
RNUG is right on Planks 1-9.
The answer to #10 is: All Of The Above,
Chief Undersecretary of Cannon Fodder Kids
Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:19 am
“8. Create new quality schools of choice for our disconnected youth as a way to get them back in school.”
IL use to have a program called Alternative Ed (administered by the Regional Supts) to keep kids in school.
Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:24 am
Apologies. I’m having a lot of trouble focusing on the others as #10 makes me so angry given his record on destroying social services.
Comment by Robert the Bruce Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:24 am
===The MisterJayEm rule applies equally well to some commenters possessing a unique ability to say so little while commenting so much.===
Agree. Also, everyone except possibly Schnorff are really “anonoymous”, right?
Comment by justacitizen Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:27 am
Rauner has had a year to learn how to do his job, and he has failed. He has not shown us that he can be a governor who is as good as who has preceded him. Rauner has not tried to be governor. He has not shown a willingness to do what other governors have done.
Rauner scapegoats and insults the institutions he needs to use to attain his goals. He has no credibility to be listened to. He lost his electoral mandate.
He might have long term goals, but attaining those goals are not impossible using our current political system and institutions. The problem isn’t his goals. The problem isn’t the government. The problem is that we have a governor who doesn’t know how to use our government to attain those goals without demanding extremist means to even try and make it happen.
Rauner is like the 12 year old demanding that his parents buy him a Corvette. He tells them about all the places he can go, all the things he can do, all the fun he can have - but doesn’t understand that he is undeserving of the means he wants to do these things.
You don’t buy a governorship. You can buy an election, but you have to EARN a governorship. Rauner hasn’t earned the power he is demanding, and his refusal to compromise with those who have earned their trust and respect - smacks of a desperate foolish man. He might be sincere, but that sincerity shouldn’t blind us to what he has proven to us, that he cannot do.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:29 am
“We have ten long-term goals. This legislative session we will begin to:”
I noticed there is no mention of a budget in his 10 goals. Does he not know IL needs a budget to bill in order to pay its bills?
Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:32 am
The weasel words “reduce their pension liabilities” in #4 really trouble me. Even if Unis and/or CCs as a group “got rid of unions” to use RNUG’s excellent summarization, that doesn’t mean that the pension liability for those de-unionized staff is going to decrease. At best, the rate of growth will slow down.
Further, it’s not like they can change pension laws by themselves or that the GA would pass a bill applying only to that cohort of employees.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:33 am
Very interested to see how (or if) Rauner’s goals are applied to low-income districts outside Chicago, where his reform footprint is. (Guessing district consolidation might be on the table.) Minority schools in cities tend to be the labs for that sort of thing; will we see it in downstate schools?
Comment by whetstone Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:37 am
RE: #10 - I copied this from Florida(it popped up first on the Google)- Perhaps he got this idea from George Sheldon since he was at Florida DCFS at the time this was created? Although here in NYC, we have this at the city level too.
It appears to be very similar to other statewide workgroups and interagency workgroups/commissions that are already in existence in other arenas.
Florida Children and Youth Cabinet
VISION: All children in Florida grow up safe, healthy, educated and prepared to meet their full potential.
MISSION: To ensure that the public policy of Florida relating to children and youth promotes interdepartmental collaboration and program implementation in order for services designed for children and youth to be planned, managed and delivered in a holistic and integrated manner to improve the self-sufficiency, safety, economic stability, health and quality of life of all children and youth in Florida.
On July 11, 2007, legislation was signed by the Governor that created the Children and Youth Cabinet.
The Cabinet is charged with promoting and implementing collaboration, creativity, increased efficiency, information sharing and improved service delivery between and within state agencies and organizations.
As directed by statute, in 2007 the Cabinet developed a shared vision and a Strategic Plan to guide the Cabinet in designing and implementing measurable outcomes and actions that promote collaboration and information sharing.
The members of the Children and Youth Cabinet consist of a chairman, the secretaries of the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Agency for Health Care Administration, as well as the directors of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Office of Early Learning. Other members include the State Surgeon General, the Commissioner of Education, the director of the Guardian ad Litem Office, and the director of the Governor’s Office of Adoption and Child Protection. Additionally, the Governor appoints five members from around the state who are representatives of children and youth advocacy organizations, but who are not service providers. Rounding out the Cabinet are the five ex-officio members named in statute, or their designees.
Comment by carbaby Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:39 am
I like #5 (apprentice program). I hope it goes somewhere.
Research shows there are many jobs unfilled because people lack the skills. Churning out the same graduates year after year isn’t working. Let someone else develop curricula.
Comment by Sir Reel Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:49 am
No.
a·non·y·mous adj. (of a person) not identified by name; of unknown name.
pseu·don·y·mous adj. writing or written under a false name.
Mark Twain, George Orwell, Lewis Carroll, and Oswego Willy are all examples of pseudonymous writers.
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 10:53 am
(Tips cap to - @MisterJayEm - for his clarification, knowing full well that only in “name example” I match the writers I’m grouped with)
To the Post,
- RNUG - broke it out as pithy as you can. I also agree with - Wordslinger - it is telling that a list of 10 can be made, and getting a budget, a constitutional duty of the Illinois Executive is missing, and missing too for 7 months.
Doing the doable doesn’t mean avoiding the hard, or ignoring the difficult. A budget, avoiding its relevance and ignoring the need for one is not leading as Illinois’ Executive.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:11 am
-justacitizen-
Not all that anonymous. About a dozen of my former co-workers know. Heck, most of them guessed from my writing style and just asked me. There are at least 4 or 5 commentators here that know. Maybe another 6 or so members of RSEA who have either asked or been introduced to me by friends that knew. Add in a few family members and friends to make it about 25 - 30 people.
Anyway, a secret known by more than 2 people isn’t a secret.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:36 am
I interpret this as he is figuring out his vision of reality is not accurate and the polls are against him so he has done some straterigin.
Comment by Liberty Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:53 am
To Point 5- we have done a good job in Illinois (and across the nation) in decimating vocational or Career and Technical Training (CTE). Most of that started in the ’80’s. NPR had a good, thoughtful segment- http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/should-more-kids-skip-college-for-workforce-training/.
But, please, also remember, an individual’s life goals and challenges change with time. Many who may bypass any post-secondary education, may, in fact, return to such as adults later in life. Cradle to Career should not be cutoff in the teenage years. Careers change, and with that change, so do educational needs.
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:53 am
11. Buy a legislative majority.
Comment by Finally Out (and now very glad to be) Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:54 am
=IL use to have a program called Alternative Ed (administered by the Regional Supts) to keep kids in school.=
What you are referring to are the Regional Safe School Programs or RSSP which still exist today.
Funny thing- the Governor’s FY16 budget tried to zero fund these programs. So much for his 10 points of light! As with everything this governor says- the truth is in his actions.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:19 pm
==Not all that anonymous. About a dozen of my former co-workers know. Heck, most of them guessed from my writing style and just asked me. There are at least 4 or 5 commentators here that know. Maybe another 6 or so members of RSEA who have either asked or been introduced to me by friends that knew. Add in a few family members and friends to make it about 25 - 30 people==.
Your pension knowledge is hard to hide RNUG.
Comment by pseudonomous Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:20 pm
What has happened to Gov. Rauner’s campaign goals such as:
1 - Local right to work zones?
2 - Pension funding?
3 - Workman’s’ compensation reform?
4 - Tort reform?
5 - A property tax freeze?
6 - Ending government employee bargaining on wages, benefits, etc.?
7 - Term limits?
and so much more that would “Shake Up Springfield”. Are these goals now off the table? Is it time for me to give my “Shake Up Springfield” hat (cost $20.00) to the local history museum?
Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:22 pm
JSMill- yep, it will be very interesting to match his FY17 Budget proposal to his SOTS.
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:25 pm
- Hit or Miss -
No, he hasn’t given up on the other stuff. this is just his list of items for education.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:27 pm
You have to appreciate his strong close:
#9 - consolidate bureaucracy
#10 - create a new cabinet
Pro-tip: if you’re going to contradict yourself in the same list of goals, shuffle the deck so they’re not juxtaposed.
Comment by Anonymiss Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 12:35 pm
Hit or Miss the Governor closed the Museum, keep the hat.
Comment by burbanite Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 1:02 pm
No matter where you stand ideologically, it’s $2.5 billion in new spending.
Every reporter should be asking the governor who is sponsoring his tax increase.
Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 2:22 pm
1.-10. Destroy the poor and middle class. Transfer their wealth to the super-rich.
Comment by IllinoisBoi Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 3:25 pm
11. Create a cabinet post for Ken Dunkin.
Comment by jt Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 3:42 pm
Mama & Scamp640:“He is following Scott Walker’s Wisconsin model of intentionally weakening public higher education under the guise of “efficiency” arguments.”
Bingo! He wants the private sector to take over most of the schools in IL (including higher ed).
Sounds about right to me. Let’s not forget the ultimate purpose is to drain us of all happiness & joy so that we will never don’t even remember what joy and happiness are much like the dementors do in the Harry Potter books.
Comment by James Knell Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 5:08 pm
Look, an educated squirrel!
Comment by Rail Rat Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 5:49 pm
I have not made comments in months. I have read and checked in a few times a week. I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, does anyone believe this ? form a committee…hold schools more accountable. … My gosh, there is nothing there. Is there secret billions in the state coffers someplace? They keep rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. People and businesses are leaving. There’s a reason why…
Comment by Walter Mitty Thursday, Jan 28, 16 @ 11:13 pm