Like a hockey game with rhetorical pucks
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Plexiglass was placed around the Senate press box before the lame duck session…
* The House has followed suit…
The difference is the Senate allows three reporters in each of the two press boxes. The Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association accepted just two per box in the House.
* Whatever, I got on the list and am heading over to the House now for the rules vote. This will be the first time I’ve been on the House floor in almost a year. Same for Hannah…
* Speaking of the new rules, here’s Greg Hinz…
Overall, “Functionally, there’s not much different,” House Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said in a statement. Demmer was the lead GOP negotiator on the rules changes.
For instance, he said, bills are not guaranteed a hearing even if they go to a substantive committee, and there was no change to make it easier to offer amendments from the floor. Beyond that, he said, ruling Democrats still will be able to offer huge amendments that no one has seen to pending bills, and then call a vote after only an hour or two of notice.
“We need transparency,” he said. “It ought to be at least a day of notice.”
Demmer has a point. But even with a day of notice to stir up opposition to a controversial plan, Democrats still have such a large House majority that they generally can push through whatever bill they want.
Majority Leader Greg Harris said during the Rules Committee debate this morning that the Republicans asked for more time to come up with some other proposals, so working groups will continue to meet. Leader Harris said those talks would include “notice for consideration of bills, amendments and other legislative measures.” Other items up for debate will include the selection of committee chairs and minority spokespersons, debate times, the disciplinary process, etc.
* Anyway, blogging could be somewhat light this afternoon.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,825 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 53 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Bond County: 1 female 90s
- Carroll County: 1 female 70s
- Champaign County: 1 female 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 females 60s, 2 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 4 males 80s
- DeKalb County: 1 male 80s
- DuPage County: 1 female 70s. 2 males 70s
- Franklin County: 1 female 70s
- Grundy County: 1 male 80s
- Hamilton County: 1 female 80s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 70s
- Kane County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Lee County: 1 male 70s
- Macon County: 1 male 50s
- Massac County: 1 female 80s
- McHenry County: 1 female 90s
- McLean County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
- Ogle County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Peoria County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- St Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
- Will County: 1 female 60s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,152,995 cases, including 19,739 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 82,885 specimens for a total of 16,822,385. As of last night, 2,082 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 464 patients were in the ICU and 232 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 3–9, 2021 is 3.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 3–9, 2021 is 4.0%.
A total of 1,724,325 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 428,100 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 2,152,425. A total of 1,480,079 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 223,790 for long-term care facilities. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 55,135 doses. Yesterday, 62,923 doses were administered. Illinois is on-track to have administered more than 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by Thursday, February 11, 2021.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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* Ghirlandi Guidetti, staff attorney with the ACLU of Illinois…
Today’s Auditor General’s report reveals a sad but unsurprising truth: DCFS is not meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth in care as required by its own policy. We regularly hear from youth about the lack of basic respect for their identity as well as the challenges they face accessing affirming medical care.
Instead, there is a well-worn pattern for these youth: when we learn of problems an individual youth is facing, DCFS typically cobbles together a one-off ‘solution,’ but leaves unaddressed the wide-ranging systemic issues that continue to expose LGBTQ youth to harm.
All children deserve the dignity of being respected for their authentic selves and feeling safe. When the State takes children away from their families of origin and into custody, we all are responsible for ensuring safety and dignity are accorded to them. Until safe and affirming care is the norm at DCFS, will continue our ongoing work advocating for these children.
* From the audit’s report digest…
Senate Resolution Number 403, adopted May 31, 2019, directed the Auditor General to conduct a performance audit of the Department of Children and Family Services’ (Department) compliance with its obligations to protect and affirm children and youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer.
Overall the audit found that there is a lack of reliable and consistent information regarding LGBTQ youth in the care of the Department. Further, although the Department has established policies and procedures to ensure the well-being of LGBTQ youth in care, the Department did not implement all of these procedures or the procedures were not implemented in a timely manner. We also found that there is a lack of monitoring and oversight of private agency compliance with these procedures.
In this audit, we also reported that:
• The Department does not have a formal process in place to identify youth in care that may identify as LGBTQ.
• The Department utilizes outdated, inadequate, or non-existent computer systems to track youth in care and particularly LGBTQ youth in care.
• The Department is not ensuring that caseworkers review the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights with youth in care as is required.
• The Department did not implement training requirements in a timely manner.
• The Department failed to monitor the requirements of Appendix K including whether POS agencies have adopted policies that are at least as extensive as Appendix K.
• The Department does not require licensed foster parents to commit to provide care and homes that are affirming of all children and youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity as part of the licensing process.
• LGBTQ status was taken into consideration for some placements. However, the Department is not utilizing its Child/Caregiver Matching Tool in most cases.
• The Department has taken some steps to recruit LGBTQ affirming foster parents by holding events specifically to recruit LGBTQ affirming parents. However, there was no evidence that these efforts have led to more LGBTQ affirming foster homes.
• The number of emergency shelter beds in Illinois decreased dramatically between FY15 and FY19, leaving some areas of the State with no beds for youth in crisis.
• The Department is not providing accurate and complete information to the General Assembly in the required Youth in Care Waiting for Placement annual reports.
The audit report contains a total of 16 recommendations to the Department.
*** UPDATE *** DCFS…
Statement
The Department of Children and Family Services, under its current leadership, has taken aggressive measures to improve the services and care provided to LGBTQI+ youth since the time period covered by this audit. The progress is outlined in our audit responses, and DCFS continues to work diligently to provide resources and guidance to its staff and external partners to ensure that we meet the needs of this vulnerable population.
Background
This audit was conducted in 2019 using data primarily from 2017 and 2018.
Recent efforts include maintaining and expanding a list of providers, agencies, and organizations across the state that are available to meet the needs of LGBTQI+ youth. These providers include affirming therapists, LGBTQI+ organizations and agencies, and health care professionals that provide gender-affirming hormone therapy.
In June 2020, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Clinical Division and Office of Affirmative Action (OAA) began a coordinated effort to expand programmatic support for LGBTQI+ youth in care.
The Clinical Division completes staffing and consultations, while providing clinical recommendations regarding interventions, resources, and resource linkages for the youth in care.
The OAA LGBTQI+ Services team is addressing competency training needs and recruitment of affirming caregivers, continuing to build resources, and investigating all claims of discrimination as it relates to our LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
The Clinical Division and OAA are working closely together to ensure that DCFS is following best practices for LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
As part of our commitment to providing services across the state, DCFS has created a new hiring plan and is working to fill every vacancy as quickly as possible. The newly created position of Chief for LGBTQI+ Services will bring additional leadership to DCFS and advocacy on behalf of our LGBTQI+ youth in care. This vital position is being filled as quickly as possible and will provide additional support for our current LGBTQI+ specialist and LGBTQI+ team under OAA.
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* From US Rep. Krishnamoorthi’s office…
Hi, Rich –
Raja Krishnamoorthi sits on the House Oversight Committee that has jurisdiction over the portions of the COVID relief bill pertaining to aid to state/local governments.
We wanted to provide you with the bill text and a committee one pager, as well as the associated allocation estimates (attached). Please note that the allocation estimates are approximations, not guarantees. The nonentitlement municipality estimates are particularly subject to change due to data reporting variances.
The House Oversight Committee press team is preparing graphics with state-by-state relief fund totals that we will forward to you after we receive them.
Bill text is here.
The associated allocation estimates are here. The State of Illinois would get $7.549 billion under this plan. Local governments would receive $5.684 billion. Total: $13.232 billion.
* And here’s the one-pager…
State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Support: $350 billion
The bill would create new State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds to keep first responders, frontline health workers, and other providers of vital services safely on the job as states, local governments, Tribes, and territories roll out vaccines and fight to rebuild Main Street economies. Sixty percent of the funds would go to States and 40% to localities. Local governments of every size would receive dedicated allotments. Funds are available until expended, awarded directly from Treasury within 60 days of enactment, and subject to eligible uses including to replace revenue lost, delayed, or decreased as a result of the pandemic.
• States and the District of Columbia: $195.3 billion
o $25.5 billion equally divided — every state receives at least $500 million
o $169 billion based on the state share of total unemployed workers
o The District of Columbia would be made whole after being treated as a territory in previous coronavirus funding Acts
• Local governments: $130.2 billion divided evenly between cities and counties.
o $65.1 billion to cities using a modified Community Development Block Grant formula
o $45.57 billion for municipalities with populations of at least 50,000 o $19.53 billion for municipalities with populations of less than 50,000
o $65.1 billion to counties based on population • Territories: $4.5 billion
o $2.25 billion divided equally and $2.25 billion based on population
• Tribes: $20 billion to federally recognized Tribal governments.
o $1 billion divided equally
o $19 billion divided as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury
Emergency Leave for Federal and Postal Workers: $570 million
The bill would provide emergency paid leave for civilian federal employees and postal workers. Employees would be eligible for up to 600 hours of leave when forced to quarantine or ill with COVID, when caring for a child whose school or place of care has been closed or is conducting virtual learning, or when caring for a family member incapable of self-care whose care provider is unavailable due to COVID. Leave would be available until September 30, 2021 and employees would be required to first use any other paid sick leave when applicable.
Oversight of Funds: $117 million
The bill would provide additional funds to oversight entities to promote transparency and accountability of all federal coronavirus relief funds.
• Government Accountability Office: $77 million
• Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee: $40 million
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* Press release…
In light of a steadily increasing federal vaccine supply, Illinois is making plans to expand Phase 1B eligibility on February 25 to people who have comorbidities and underlying conditions as defined by the CDC. In addition, Illinois will also prioritize individuals with disabilities.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has increased the vaccine supply by nearly 30 percent, including a 5 percent increase this week. Among the other major efforts to increase supply:
* The White House is launching a new Community Health Center vaccination program to direct additional vaccine to locations around the country that serve the hardest-hit populations, and that will ramp up over the coming weeks.
* The FDA is scheduled to meet to review the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine candidate, a one-dose vaccine that does not require extreme cold storage and provided 100 percent protection against hospitalization and death in its clinical trial, for February 26, and the company has said it’s on track to deliver 100 million doses to the United States by the end of June.
“As quickly as we receive enough vaccine supply, we need to waste no time in protecting a broader section of our most vulnerable population,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Those who are under 65 and live with comorbidities, such as cancer survivors or those living with heart disease, have an elevated risk of serious complications or death if they contract COVID-19. Illinois is moving forward in accordance with guidance from the CDC to expand our eligible population as supply allows, getting us closer to the point when the vaccine is widely available to all who want it. In the meantime, I encourage all Illinoisans to wear our masks and follow the mitigations so that more of our neighbors are healthy and alive when it’s their turn in the vaccination line.”
The Pritzker administration will begin working with local health departments and other providers across the state to include these additional higher-risk individuals into their community vaccination plans in the weeks ahead. Those health departments that have substantially completed their existing Phase 1B population prior to the February 25 statewide expansion date will be able to move forward earlier at the determination of local public health officials and IDPH.
This expansion applies to individuals 16 and older who aren’t otherwise covered in previous eligibility categories.
In accordance with the CDC guidelines, Illinois is using the below guiding framework for what qualifies as a high-risk medical condition once Phase 1B expands on February 25.
This list is subject to change as guidance evolves and does not reflect an order of priority:
Cancer
Chronic Kidney Disease
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Diabetes
Heart Condition
Immunocompromised State from a Solid Organ Transplant
Obesity
Pregnancy
Pulmonary Disease
Sickle Cell Disease
To date, the State of Illinois has used more than 78 percent of its vaccine on hand (not including the federal government’s Long-Term Care Vaccination program and the separate supply of the City of Chicago). All three vaccination efforts have together delivered approximately 1.5 million shots, including 1.15 million first doses, to date.
Illinois’ current statewide seven-day rolling case positivity rate is 3.3 percent as of February 10 – the lowest rate since July 2020.
Have you been moved up?
* SGOP Leader Dan McConchie…
“I am pleased to hear that the sickest amongst us and at most risk of death from COVID-19, regardless of age, will soon have access to the vaccine,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “While the state should have provided some method from the very beginning for those whose doctors have been insisting that their patient’s life or health depends on being vaccinated, as has been the case in other states, there is now a light at the end of a very long tunnel for those in greatest need.
“I hope Gov. Pritzker will create a more open dialogue with the legislature to build upon this improvement, to increase effectiveness of vaccine distribution, and to ensure the state is fair and equitable to all in need.”
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From yesterday…
* The Question: Have you had any embarrassing Zoom moments? Explain.
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Just stop it, already
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WCIA TV…
The state spent $559,845 to hire 250 National Guard troops and another $75,370 to rent armored trucks and military equipment to patrol the Capitol Complex and surrounding historic landmarks during the days leading up to President Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to records filed by the Illinois Department of Military Affairs.
Governor J.B. Pritzker gave the order to activate the guard to secure the perimeter around the statehouse after the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol. The deployment ended without incident.
The FBI issued a bulletin warning about the potential for armed protests at all 50 state capital cities. However, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Police said they never received any evidence of a specific threat in Springfield.
“The Illinois National Guard is only used in emergencies after civilian first responder resources are exhausted,” Lieutenant Colonel Brad Leighton said. “We are proud to work with our law enforcement and emergency response partners in ensuring our State Capital is secure against domestic terrorism.”
Unlike the National Guard troops who were deployed to protect the U.S. Capitol grounds during the inauguration, the deployment to Springfield was considered state active duty and will not be reimbursed by the federal government. The bulk of the expenses went toward salaries for the soldiers who had to leave their regular jobs to activate for the mission.
* WTVO TV…
The FBI warned about the potential for heavily armed protests at all 50 state capitols, but some critics say the deployment was nothing more than a PR stunt.
“We’ve never had a Trump protest or gathering in Springfield. It’s done anything, but be peaceful and pick up after itself,” said Rep. Dan Caulkins. “I don’t believe that it represents anything going on in Illinois other than a political agenda.”
Yes, because the FBI was all-in on a political stunt. Right. If the deployments hadn’t been ordered and something bad did happen on par with what went down at the US Capitol, there woulda been heck to pay, not just money.
I learned when covering Kosovo and then Iraq that threat assessments are made by people with a whole lot more information than I have. The assessment this time was off, perhaps because potential insurgents saw the reaction to their insurrection in DC. Rep. Caulkins might want to consider what his public denialism is doing to his country.
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News cycle mission accomplished
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dan Petrella at the Tribune has a very good story about yesterday’s budget peekaboo. A small taste…
Pritzker faces high stakes as he prepares to present his third state spending plan to lawmakers.
His proposed change to the state constitution to allow for a graduated income tax was the cornerstone of his plan for addressing the state’s long-running fiscal problems, and it crumbled when voters resoundingly rejected the idea in November.
Pritzker proposal to exempt state income taxes from a federal tax law change that would result in a loss of more than $500 million in corporate tax revenue also fell short when lawmakers rejected it in the waning days of the previous General Assembly in January.
The governor has taken other long-discussed options, including a tax on retirement income, off the table, leaving few options for providing long-term stability. […]
David Merriman, an expert on state finances at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the plan Pritzker’s office has outlined would do nothing to address the major structural problem facing the state: a lack of adequate revenue to meet its financial obligations and support the programs and services taxpayers expect.
* But the headlines show that the governor’s main message got through…
* No income tax hike in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2022 budget proposal
* Pritzker proposing no spending hikes, no tax increases to deal with COVID-19-related woes
* Pritzker’s Office Says No Tax Hikes, Flat Spending in Upcoming Budget
* Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s Budget Plan Won’t Push For An Income Tax Hike For Next Year
* No income tax hike in Pritzker’s budget
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What is a mainstream Republican these days?
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I do not think that we’ll be covering Adam Kinzinger the same way going forward because, as I told you yesterday, he really did seem to take himself out of the 2022 statewide race. From his press conference yesterday…
I will tell you January 6 changed a lot. My focus went from wanting to fight hard and figure out the best platform in place to do it, to literally see in front of me, to… to use the US military term, what’s the nearest target objective.
And I think it’s saving the saving the country and saving the dialogue of our politics. And importantly, saving what I think is a great party that’s very much lost its way. So I don’t have any plans for anything higher in Illinois. And, as always, I’ll put the caveat that I’m not going to rule anything out, because January 5th and January 7th were two very different days in this world. You never know what can happen. But it’s not my intention to run for anything statewide.
And I’ll tell you, I think there’s probably less of that chatter. But at the beginning, I heard people speculate that I was taking the positions I was taking to set myself up to run statewide. And I’ll tell you, the people that speculate that don’t know me. And I would even argue that they probably don’t know something about politics if you think I can get through a [statewide] primary pretty easily. So none of my decision was based on anything that have to do with my political future was just based 100% on conscience.
* More…
Like I said, I’m not doing this to run statewide, I won’t rule it out just because if whatever reason something happens and I do, then, you know, I want to have that integrity. But a lot changed on the 6th.
And then he went on to talk about his new PAC.
* He was also asked about Kendall County Republican Party Chairman James Marter, who said he would challenge Kinzinger in the ‘22 primary…
I guess we don’t even know what the new district looks like. He didn’t live in the district last time, so I guess that doesn’t necessarily preclude him. He’s got a great history of losing races, and I certainly would welcome him to the race. Because if last time was any indication will be a pretty easy [district] primary for me.
* On the current climate within the party…
I feel very, very convinced that in the future, when we look back in the perfect eyes of history, this is going to be seen as that moment where the future of the country is at stake based on what choice we make. And so I’m not going to compel people by fear. There’s times to use fear naturally, right? If there’s something to truly be afraid of. I’m afraid of COVID, I’m afraid of Chinese aggression, for instance, I’m afraid of division in this country, and we can talk about that fear.
But I’m not afraid that the Democrats, if they take power, are going to turn this into a communist country and kill my family. I don’t like their policies and I’ll fight them. But that’s the difference. And so I’m hoping that this works. But there’s no other alternative.
* CBS News Poll taken February 5-8, 2021…
Actual questions…
When you think about Democrats, do you tend to think of them as
Asked of those who identify as Republicans:
Political opposition - that is, if they win, you just won’t get the policies you want - 43%
Enemies - that is, if they win, your life or your entire way of life may be threatened - 57%
When you think about Republicans, do you tend to think of them as
Asked of those who identify as Democrats
Political opposition - that is, if they win, you just won’t get the policies you want - 59%
Enemies - that is, if they win, your life or your entire way of life may be threatened - 41%
2,508 US adults, MoE ±2.3 percent.
To be clear, 41 percent of Democrats classifying Republicans as enemies is almost as alarming. But at least they’re not in the majority. And 57-43 is definitely a clear majority.
* Related…
* Opinion: My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America
* Republican US Rep. Kinzinger, an outspoken Trump opponent, says he doesn’t intend to seek statewide office in 2022
* Eyeing a run for statewide office? Kinzinger says no.
* Kinzinger calls for Trump’s conviction, throws cold water on statewide run
* Winnebago County Republicans condemn Trump impeachment, not Kinzinger
* Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger: Impeaching Trump ‘was, frankly, an easy decision’
* Republican congressman says Trump supporters will carry out more violence if he is acquitted by Senate
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CTU members ratify agreement
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Chicago Teachers Union members have voted two-to-one in favor of a reopening deal with Chicago Public Schools, signaling that in-person classes can resume Thursday as planned.
The union’s 25,000 members had through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to vote on the proposed framework after its 600-member House of Delegates on Monday decided to put the decision in members’ hands. Now ratified, it is a binding agreement between CTU and CPS.
The union swiftly certified the results, with more than 20,000 members voting. More than two-thirds voted yes, while nearly a third voted no, and only a simple majority was needed to pass. The number of yes votes accounts for close to 55% of total membership.
In a letter to members, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the plan represents where the parties should have started months ago.
* The Sun-Times notes that hard feelings remain…
The union’s rank-and-file teachers and support staff approved the agreement in a one-day vote held Tuesday, with 68% of voting members — 13,681 of 20,275 — favoring the deal, surpassing the simple majority needed, the CTU announced after voting ended at midnight. But the tally was even closer than it appeared, with more than 5,000 members not voting, a sign of the split views on reopening schools during the pandemic.
Union President Jesse Sharkey didn’t mince words in a letter to members early Wednesday. He rebuked Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of negotiations and even the final agreement, though he acknowledged it was an improvement over the district’s original plan.
“Let me be clear. This plan is not what any of us deserve. Not us. Not our students. Not their families. The fact that CPS could not delay reopening a few short weeks to ramp up vaccinations and preparations in schools is a disgrace,” Sharkey wrote. “This agreement represents where we should have started months ago, not where this has landed. That is a stain on the record of their administration.
“This agreement also puts us in a vastly better position than we were in November, when even after months of struggle, CPS’ ‘planning’ and ‘preparation’ would have been laughable were it not also so dangerous.”
* ABC 7…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson issued a statement saying, “The vast majority of CPS families have been separated from their schools for nearly a year, and the ratification of our agreement ensures families have options to choose in-person learning and make a plan that is best for them. We look forward to welcoming students as they return to their classrooms in the days ahead. This vote reaffirms the strength and fairness of our plan, which provides families and employees certainty about returning to schools and guarantees the best possible health and safety protocols. Our schools are fully prepared to safely welcome back students beginning tomorrow, and we are eager to provide additional support for the families who need more than remote learning can provide.”
* NBC 5…
CPS said about 20% of students have opted for a return to in-person learning, with 80% continuing with remote learning for the time being. The district said Sunday that families who chose to continue remote learning will have another opportunity to return to schools before the start of the fourth quarter that begins in April.
* Chalkbeat…
“This is the most comprehensive agreement for reopening schools that we have seen around the country,” said Brad Marianno, a professor of education policy and leadership at the University of Las Vegas, who has been tracking district reopening agreements since spring with a team of researchers. “It’s really setting a new standard for other districts.”
Chicago ceded significant ground to the union on a number of issues, perhaps most notably by delaying the reopening for most elementary students by a month or longer to allow more teachers and staff to get vaccinated. It also committed to weekly vaccine dose shipments, beefed up its school testing plan and gave schools more flexibility to accommodate employees who are not ready to return to school buildings.
The union made some concessions as well, backing off from a stance that all school staff are fully vaccinated before campuses reopen — a hard line some unions in California and elsewhere have continued to embrace. […]
But as a slew of urban districts and their teachers unions, including in Philadelphia and Baltimore, try to come to a consensus about school reopening, here’s how Chicago resolved a few key disagreements — and what that could mean for unions elsewhere.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keep it local, keep it polite. Thanks tons.
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