School daze
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As subscribers already know, Sen. Kimberly Lightford has worked out a deal on the school reform “trailer bill”…
At the heart of the matter was the wording of the strike provision in this spring’s previously approved education package that would allow Chicago to lengthen its school days, make it harder for Chicago teachers to strike and make it easier throughout Illinois to fire bad teachers.
The original legislation, which is awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature, would require a 75 percent vote for Chicago teachers to strike, but teachers maintained the provision was written too broadly. Chicago union officials said only the teachers eligible to vote in union elections, for example, should be allowed to vote on whether to strike.
Sponsoring Sen. Kimberly Lightford said the follow-up measure makes it clear that only the roughly 26,000 eligible teacher union members would be allowed to cast votes on whether to strike.
Lightford told the Senate Education Committee the new legislation would not allow teachers to cast votes on whether to strike if they have opted out of union activities and make so-called “fair share” dues-like payments to the union. That group of about 2,600 workers does not vote in union elections, she said.
* That seems quite reasonable to me. Mayor Emanuel and the other education reform groups signed off on it as well…
“The mayor’s position hasn’t changed at all,” Lightford said. “He’s very pleased with the bill. He still has the opportunity to increase the length of the school day.”
“I think it’s the right outcome,” added Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, an education reform organization that was involved in writing the bill. “This is not a backward step. Seventy-five percent is still a high bar.”
* But the Tribune editorial board, convinced there was some secret plot to weaken the school reform bill, demanded that no changes be made just a few days ago…
The impressive education reform bill passed recently by the Illinois Legislature hasn’t been signed yet by Gov. Pat Quinn, but there is already a furious campaign to weaken it. This can’t be allowed to happen. […]
Don’t delay, governor. And please don’t hold the reform bill hostage to try to wrest some concessions on the Chicago strike provision.
That goes for everyone else who was involved in crafting and passing this excellent bill. You risk undermining your own efforts, and shorting the credit you deserve, if you turn right around and weaken the bill.
* In other school-related news…
Sex education instructors would be required to teach the use of contraceptives under a measure that barely passed the Illinois Senate [yesterday].
Currently, sex ed teachers are only required to teach students abstinence to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The legislation would require any sex education class offered between grades 6 and 12 to teach students about both abstinence and contraceptives.
The bill would not force schools that currently do not teach sex education to do so. It also includes a provision that would allow parents and guardians to review course materials ahead of time to determine whether they would want their child to take the class.
Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, argued that teaching students anything more than abstinence would encourage them to engage in sex. He pointed to California’s comprehensive sex education policy, which requires students to learn about contraceptives, and said students there have a higher pregnancy rate than their Illinois counterparts.
* From a proponent…
“There’s been some suggestion that perhaps this isn’t needed, that there’s not a problem. Well, I’d like to give you the facts that suggest very much why this bill is needed,” said Democratic Sen. Heather Steans of Chicago, who sponsored the bill.
Steans argued the measure is needed because significant numbers of Illinois high school students are having unprotected sex.
The bill calls for “age appropriate” and “medically accurate” materials that emphasize not only abstinence but also contraception to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in sex education classes in grades six through 12. The legislation passed 30-28 and now goes to the Illinois House.
* Related…
* Chicago Teachers Union says ‘swaps’ payments sap schools
* Students, alderman cry foul over West Side school suspensions
- Wensicia - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 6:45 am:
We have always taught about the different forms of contraceptives available to prevent pregnancy/STDs in our high school health classes. We have many students engaging in sexual relations and becoming pregnant even before they reach high school in my district. It doesn’t make sense to keep this information from students.
- Small Town Liberal - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 8:17 am:
- Sex education instructors would be required to teach the use of contraceptives -
What are the chances Rep. Lang can work condom races into the next gaming bill?
- Ghost - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 8:34 am:
This is good stuff, management, unions and governemnt work together for tough reforms.
Now AFSCME and the State need to pass real reform that returns management to State government. Right now we talk about this great bill, but the State is being run by AFSCME, and the general assembly is not ocused on carving out a reasonable number of management positions, such as the PSA and SPSA titles. you have entire prisons and mental health faicilties without any management employees! or only one managment employee (who has petitioned to go in)
Instead of the general assembly taking union money and looking at only excluding the legislative liaisions, we need to return a supervisory structure. Under IL law, no State supervisor qualifies as a supervisor accroding to the labor board. IL passed a definition that the national labor act refused as it recognized there would be no supervisors left if they used it.
We fixed the teachers now lets mind the store. Want to cut budgets, lets start by making sure we have supervisors outside th eunion to oversee worker producitivity.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 8:56 am:
–Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, argued that teaching students anything more than abstinence would encourage them to engage in sex.–
Oh yeah. Raging hormonal teenagers are just waiting for the green light from Mrs. McGillicuddy the health teacher to get their freak on. That was my life experience, anyway.
It’s a school, not a church. You impart relevant knowledge on the subject — abstinence and contraception.
Pretty amazing that Chicago will be able to lengthen the school day without ponying up more money. That’s a heck of an achievement.
- Because I say so - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 9:10 am:
I’m always amazed at adults who burry their heads in the sand when it comes to sex education. Don’t talk about it and kids won’t do it. Comprehensive sex education should teach abstinence and birth control.
I would hope that teachers emphasize that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method of birth control.
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 9:28 am:
=Oh yeah. Raging hormonal teenagers are just waiting for the green light from Mrs. McGillicuddy the health teacher to get their freak on.=
word’s being silly. They, of course, take the lead from their role models in all the fashion magazines. (Now where did I put that Red Dress and glittered shoes?)
- Obamarama - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 9:32 am:
Duffy’s choice of words is interesting. He didn’t say that teaching anything other than abstinence “might lead to” or “could result in” more teenagers having sex. He said it would ENCOURAGE them–like there would be an outbreak of Sex Ed teachers saying “now get at it!”
- mokenavince - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:02 am:
Sex sells. No one seems to notice the great job,
Sen. Kimberly Lightford did on the trailer bill.
- lakeview - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:10 am:
Heh. I went to Catholic school. You know, where we learned that sex is only for married people who want to make babies. And where many people thought it was less of a sin to have sex out of wedlock without birth control than with it. And where every year, a few girls had to drop out because they were pregnant.
- Liberty_First - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:12 am:
I am not anti union but when a bargaining unit is declared, voting membership should go with the bargaining unit, not with the particular union who wins an election.
and on the sex ed issue…. every seventh grader knows about condems and they are easily available.
- dupage dan - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:31 am:
I wonder if the 2600 who opt out of union membership will be compelled to sit out with the rest of the teachers if a strike is approved. If so, they should have a vote. If not, they shouldn’t. Having to deal with the “scab” label if they report to work could be problematic.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:33 am:
- Liberty_First - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:12 am:
“I am not anti union but when a bargaining unit is declared, voting membership should go with the bargaining unit, not with the particular union who wins an election.”
Perfectly said, otherwise why are those non-voting members FORCED to pay dues? If these folks are not allowed to vote, then they should file a lawsuit to get their past dues, and to opt-out of any future payments.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:40 am:
–and on the sex ed issue…. every seventh grader knows about condems and they are easily available.–
I suspect both those assumptions are wrong, and indeed, dangerous. Kids get all kinds of wacky things in their heads from their peers when they’re not given the real information straight.
But say you’re right: then there’s certainly no reason not to reinforce what they already “know.” But if you’re wrong, it’s a more compelling reason to impart the knowledge.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 10:44 am:
“He pointed to California’s comprehensive sex education policy, which requires students to learn about contraceptives, and said students there have a higher pregnancy rate than their Illinois counterparts.”
Anyone care to address this data point?
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 11:08 am:
“He pointed to California’s comprehensive sex education policy, which requires students to learn about contraceptives, and said students there have a higher pregnancy rate than their Illinois counterparts.”
Anyone care to address this data point?
Cincy, is that a “data point,” or just someone spouting off? Twenty seconds on the google will get you this. Glad to be of service.
CALIFORNIA’S TEEN BIRTH RATE REACHES RECORD LOW
Date: 2/22/2010
SACRAMENTO
Births to teenage mothers have dropped to a record low in California, Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), announced today. In 2008, the rate of births among mothers ages 15 - 19 was 35.2 for every 1,000 females, a decline from the rate of 37.1 births in the previous year and lower than ever before. In California, 51,704 babies were born to teen mothers in 2008.
http://cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR10-014.aspx
Sen. Murphy’s contention is that knowledge of contraception encourages teenage sex without contraception. Ergo, knowledge is bad.
I’m not surprised you’re on board with that.
- Small Town Liberal - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 11:09 am:
- Anyone care to address this data point? -
Well, from a very quick google search I came across teen pregnancy rates for Cali at 38.4/1000 and for Illinois at 38.1/1000. So, not a huge difference, maybe the high school boys on the west coast have better game. I did notice that states like Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi all had rates above 60/1000. I wonder what kind of sex ed goes down in those areas.
- Cheryl44 - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 11:15 am:
Abstinence-only education is where babies come from.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 11:16 am:
Excuse me, I meant to write Sen. Duffy above. My apologies to any and all Sen. Murphy’s everywhere.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 11:54 am:
Contraceptive use is the primary difference in pregnancy rates. I know, shocking.
https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3324401.html
Results: Adolescent childbearing is more common in the United States (22% of women reported having had a child before age 20) than in Great Britain (15%), Canada (11%), France (6%) and Sweden (4%); differences are even greater for births to younger teenagers. A lower proportion of teenage pregnancies are resolved through abortion in the United States than in the other countries; however, because of their high pregnancy rate, U.S. teenagers have the highest abortion rate. The age of sexual debut varies little across countries, yet American teenagers are the most likely to have multiple partners. A greater proportion of U.S. women reported no contraceptive use at either first or recent intercourse (25% and 20%, respectively) than reported nonuse in France (11% and 12%, respectively), Great Britain (21% and 4%, respectively) and Sweden (22% and 7%, respectively).
So if you want to reduce abortion and teen pregnancy, teach about contraceptives.
- Obamarama - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 12:18 pm:
===Excuse me, I meant to write Sen. Duffy above. My apologies to any and all Sen. Murphy’s everywhere.===
Like there’s a difference…
- Liberty_First - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 1:09 pm:
Cheryl 44, it is not abstinence education that causes teen pregnancy - it is popular culture….. teaching boys and girls to respect girls is a lot better than behavior they see on cable tv.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 2:20 pm:
—Cheryl 44, it is not abstinence education that causes teen pregnancy - it is popular culture….. teaching boys and girls to respect girls is a lot better than behavior they see on cable tv.
British broadcast TV is as bad as our cable tv, yet they have a lower rate of teen births. Teens have always had sex and they always will.
- John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 3:07 pm:
“He pointed to California … and said students there have a higher pregnancy rate than their Illinois counterparts.”
There’s something in the air out there that’s causing this.
Legs.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 3:30 pm:
Archpundit, well said as always, but I think your point works better in the negative”
“So if you DON’T want to reduce abortion and teen pregnancy, DON’T teach about contraceptives.”
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 11 @ 7:27 pm:
Can you believe this stuff?
It’s two-thousand-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven.
2011.
Yet Sen. Duffy’s proposition is that education about contraception “encourages” more teenage births.
Alice, once you went down that rabbit hole, how did you get out?