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February inaction is no grand conspiracy
Monday, Feb 25, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller * WBEZ…
Um, huh? It’s February 25th. Committees have barely started meeting. Only five House bills have made it out of committee and are currently awaiting floor action. Just one bill got the super-fast-track treatment since Pritzker was sworn in. Martwick’s bill is in the hopper with literally every other bill. There’s no need for conspiracy theories here - at least not at this point in the session. * And there’s good reason for avoiding a fast-track. As the story itself notes, there’s no real agreement yet on how to move forward…
* And even Martwick isn’t sure of the specific language he wants to push…
Martwick, by the way, passed an elected school board bill out of the House in 2017, but never publicly tried to move it once the Senate amended it and sent it back to him (inconveniently enough, on May 31st). The bill then sat in House Rules for over a year. Both chambers have played lots of games with this concept because Mayor Emanuel wanted to keep appointing school board members. So, conspiracy theories have been justifiable in the past and they likely will in the future. Just not today.
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- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 9:55 am:
I’m sure this is on hold until the next mayor is decided upon.
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:01 am:
Chicago doesn’t need more politicians.
- low level - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:04 am:
A very bad idea. Proponents should stop and consider whether they really want legislative deal making on the Chicago School Board. Ill vote to keep your school if you vote to keep mine.
Financing: so do we really want something like structured roll calls, where targeted, close race board members dont vote for budgets or revenue increases while “safe” ones do?
Election expenses: a good deal of fundraising, from candidates backed by privatization backers and unions on the other side, and Im not certain constituents want to be flooded w even more mailers and ads.
Proponents think this would have somehow saved a school they didnt want closed. On the contrary, lets say you had an elected Chicago School board where corporate, privatization backed candidates had a majority. Even more schools could be closed.
Elected districts work in smaller communities because you have only a handful of schools located in a district and relatively small areas. That would not be the case in 299.
Proponents tend to view this is some sort of cure all for whatever issues they see in CPS. The reality is that such an elected board has the real potential for not only failing to address their issue but making it worse.
- low level - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:06 am:
Anon - “Chicago doesn’t need more politicians”
Exactly my point.
- Not It - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:06 am:
Not moving quickly is now a legit issue to complain about given the minimum wage bill, which doesn’t even get implemented for a while. JB and the majority parties deserves this hit.
- Eureka Ernie - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:12 am:
Martwick: Government officials should be elected!!
Also Martwick: Government officials should be appointed!!
This bill will have a better chance of going through if it has a smarter and more presentable sponsor, IMHO.
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:13 am:
Agree with everything you wrote low level. This is a disaster in the making. Hopefully it doesn’t happen. Can you imagine Karen Lewis types running the show?
- Ed Equity - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:17 am:
Democracy in education happens best when parents are able to choose a school for their child the same as their elected officials can. Ask your elected where they went to school and where their kids went/go, and ask for the same for your own. That is real democracy.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:17 am:
===Not moving quickly is now a legit issue===
lol
Only in your addled mind.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:24 am:
Some sort of hybrid proposal might be OK, but my concern with a fully elected board is that the members elected would be from or supported by the most active and motivated constituencies, most notably the CTU. When it comes to the labor contracts, Chicago taxpayers don’t need the union negotiating with itself across the table.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:39 am:
–Can you imagine Karen Lewis types running the show?–
What type is that?
I’m quite certain she is not a degenerate gambler soliciting kickbacks on contracts from a former employer, as was the case with BBB and Emanuel’s handpicked school board of good-government superstars.
Amazing to me that there are those who believe representative democracy is okay for themselves for not others.
By that logic, that College of DuPage elected board should have been shut down. They signed off on a lot of outrageous shenanigans involving world-class wine cellars, club memberships and much more.
- Not It - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:45 am:
Rich, the Democrats have now shown that they can move at lightning speed when they want, so when they don’t, it is a fair question to ask why (insert random issue) isn’t as big of a priority.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 11:17 am:
===they can move at lightning speed when they want===
On bills where they have more than enough votes and a general consensus at the top. Don’t be so deliberately daft.
- low level - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 11:54 am:
==Karen Lewis types running the show==
And those who like Karen Lewis should not want the very real potential of Ken Griffen and other megabucks donors having funded a potential majority on the board.
==COD board expenses; democracy==
Perhaps that is another argument against CPS board. Were you to get rid of them, the DuPage Cty Bd Chair - Cronin, would be held accountable.
Just as a good argument can be made that decisions of the CPS board in closing schools helped galvanize opposition to Rahm. Not that thats a reason to keep it appointed, just that the argument you are someone frustrating democracy is not logical.
The mayor of chicago should continue to make the appointments and if you dont like the appointments or decisions made, you vote against the mayor. W Martwick’s 20 member CPS board proposal, you only get to vote for 1 of those members.
- low level - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 11:56 am:
“someone frustrating democracy”
Sorry - should read “somehow frustrating democracy”
- Teve Demotte - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 12:13 pm:
I am not a fan of Rob Martwick, particularly after his dust up with Lori Lightfoot. If you looked up the definition of “craven politician” I think Martwick’s recent behavior and actions might fit the bill.
- Bourbon Street - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 1:59 pm:
Great. Another forest of names ala the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District ballot for voters to contend with.
- Proud Sucker - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 2:47 pm:
–Can you imagine Karen Lewis types running the show?–
I’ll reject that snipe as well. Mrs. Lewis was one of the best teachers, if not he best teacher, I ever had (Lane Tech ‘82). Her concern for her students and her love for the profession of teaching, is part of what is missing at the CBoE.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 4:31 pm:
==Emanuel’s handpicked school board of good-government superstars.==
They were so smart and better than anyone. Sex offenders got employment and the janitors were fired to bring in a private company that left the schools filthy. And we got BBB too.
No thanks.
I’ll take my chances with the “Karen Lewis types” and a few extra mailers in my mailbox.
- Mama - Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 7:06 pm:
Voting for the School Board where one’s child goes to school may empower the parents to get involved with their local school district. Downstate has been voting for school board members for years and it appears to work for the public schools outside of Chicago.