Sullivan unveils education platform
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jesse Sullivan press release…
This morning, outsider candidate for governor Jesse Sullivan was joined by Illinois parents and former teachers at a press conference to unveil his latest policy agenda: “Power to the Parents.”
“This isn’t a problem of dollars and cents in Illinois, it’s about power – the radical union bosses have too much, and parents have too little,” Sullivan said. “Schools are injecting sexual and racial ideology into our curriculum, and the teachers’ unions are funding the campaigns of Illinois Democrats then turning around lobbying them to get whatever they want. It’s time to call out the Chicago Teachers Union for what it really is – a radical, extremist wing of the Democratic party.” […]
DELIVER PARENTAL CHOICE BY FUNDING STUDENTS, NOT SYSTEMS
• Universal school choice. Education funding should follow the child. Every parent in Illinois should receive a “Backpack Scholarship” to send their child to the school that best suits their needs: whether public, private, religious or charter.
• Expand the Invest in Kids Opportunity Scholarship Program. Rather than allowing the program to sunset in 2023, we will expand and improve the program to meet the needs of all families seeking access to a quality education for their children. Our plan will:
• Streamline the donation process for investors
• Move from a 75% tax credit to a dollar-for-dollar tax credit
• Allow earmarks for corporate donors
• Advocate for allowing donors to deduct the contribution on federal taxes
• Incentivize workforce training. One of Illinois’ strengths is its diversity. Our manufacturing, information technology, agriculture, and countless others require trained, highly skilled employees. Today, we do not have enough labor to fill the jobs available. Our plan will:
• Expand pathways to post-secondary educational success and open them up to Illinois students. We will end the days of a one-size-fits-all, top-down education system that is failing a significant portion of our students.
• Incentivize industry-driven, proprietary education directly related to available jobs (tying communities that need jobs to available jobs / the jobs of tomorrow). Every child who graduates high school in Illinois should have mastery over at least one skill that will lead to high-wage employment.
DEFUND TEACHERS UNIONS
Self-interested teachers’ union bosses in Illinois prolonged the shutdown of our schools, funded extremist politicians that have made our streets unsafe, protected sexual predators, and have harmed the noble reputation of the teaching profession. The Sullivan administration will:
• Ban political giving from teachers unions: Illinois teachers union bosses give millions of dollars to corrupt Illinois Democrats who sit on the other side of the bargaining table. This is a blatant conflict of interest that has cost Illinois taxpayers billions of dollars.
• Declare the Chicago Teachers Union an extremist hate group: The CTU has openly promoted violence, protected sexual predators and praised murderous, socialist dictatorships abroad. My administration will immediately declare the Chicago Teachers Union an extremist hate group.
PROTECT ILLINOIS SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM SEXUAL PREDATORS
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has refused to provide basic, commonsense protections against sexual abuse in schools, while pushing radical gender curriculum throughout the state. The Sullivan administration will:
• Punish predators in schools: Make it a crime for school employees to have sexual contact with a student, regardless of the student’s age. Teachers unions, Illinois Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker fought against passing a law to do this, despite rampant sexual abuse in Chicago Public Schools uncovered by Chicago Tribune reporters.
• Require parent notification of teacher misconduct: Even if an educator was disciplined by the state for misconduct, Illinois law prohibits ISBE from releasing records related to their misconduct, unless the educator fought against license sanctions. We will require parental notification of all findings of misconduct.
• Close the obscenity loophole for Illinois public schools: We will amend Illinois’ obscenity statute (720 Ill. Comp Stat. Ann, Sections 11-21(c)3) to remove the special protection given to employees of schools, museums and public libraries regarding the distribution of “harmful material” to minors. These employees should be held to the same standards as every other adult in a child’s life. Harmful material is defined as the quality of any description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochistic abuse, when, taken as a whole it (i) predominantly appeals to the prurient interest in sex of minors (ii) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in the State as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors.
END POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION IN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS
It doesn’t matter where you stand on the issues of sexual education and pronoun usage in school, you should know who is teaching your kids, and what they’re learning. The Sullivan administration will:
• Reform ISBE to focus on core education, merit and competency, not political indoctrination:
• Increase transparency by passing House Bill 5239, requiring school districts to accept parent or guardian requests to review curriculum and learning material throughout the school year.
• Forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade
• Appoint members of the State Board of Education who value local control, to ensure curriculum decisions are made at the local level wherever possible, rather than mandated by the state.
• Remove racist curriculum from Illinois schools: The Sullivan administration will affirm that no teacher, school official, or student should ever be compelled to teach or affirm any idea that violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Require curriculum transparency: We will require public schools to post all gender and sexuality education materials online for parents to be able to access.
• Move to parental opt-in for Comprehensive Sexual Education programs. Opt-outs only work in situations where parents know about the curriculum. Opt-in for these sensitive topics will necessitate transparency and accountability to parents.
• Establish an American Civics Bootcamp for teachers to replace Pritzker’s CRT training: Our public education system was founded to teach students how to be productive citizens and engaged members of our representative democracy.
Regrettably, in Illinois schools today, civics and American government are afterthoughts. Our administration will ensure that Illinois teachers have a proper and comprehensive understanding of American civics to teach these core principles to their students.
PASS ILLINOIS’ FIRST PARENTS’ BILL OF RIGHTS
Trust and collaboration between parents, administrators and teachers is the key to student success. By bringing transparency and accountability to Illinois’ education system, we will restore that trust. The Sullivan administration will:
• Pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights: In the model of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Parents’ Bill of Rights, we will introduce and pass legislation establishing the government cannot infringe upon the fundamental rights of parents and legal guardians to direct the upbringing, education, healthcare, and mental health of their child.
• Restore Parental Notification about a Child’s Physical, Mental or Emotional Health: Our administration will ensure that a school district may not adopt procedures or student support forms that require school district personnel to withhold from a parent information about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, unless a reasonable person would believe that such disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Additionally, we will make it so that school district personnel may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.
Lots to unpack there, but CRT is not being taught in schools. My big question (which I have asked) would be what happens if and/or when he can’t pass these bills? Does he try to shut down the government and/or veto the budget, for example?
Your thoughts?
 
51 Comments
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- Diogenes in DuPage - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:10 pm:
Sullivan: “Hey, Ron DeSantis, hold my beer …”
- Roadrager - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:12 pm:
Whoops, he forgot to make the school vouchers in crypto instead of fiat currency.
- Long year - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:14 pm:
It’s more than any other Republican candidate has put out in terms of a plan. Gotta give him that.
- My 2 Cents - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:17 pm:
So, the state is currently experiencing a teacher shortage, but Jesse thinks it is a great campaign idea to….attack teachers and make their jobs harder? Apparently it is not enough to preach the parent rights mantra, let’s demonize the poor teachers while we are at it. Sheesh, even Bailey hasn’t done that to my knowledge.
- Lt Guv - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:18 pm:
Sigh, now Beetle’s gonna have to out crazy him on schools. This is so tiresome, the embrace of illogic.
- Someone you Should Know - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:18 pm:
He’s Lost his darn mind………….
- Tour's Latte - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:18 pm:
Quite the eager beaver agenda you got there, buddy. So original too.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:19 pm:
We’re fortunate that in six weeks, nobody will have to even pretend to pay attention to him.
- uialum - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:20 pm:
Will Jesse be trying to close the obscenity loophole for religious schools too? I seem to remember a few instances of nudity, sexual conduct and sado-masochistic abuse in the Bible.
- Peanut Gallery - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:20 pm:
Very interesting to see who some people are and are not willing to call an extremist hate group…
- Panther Pride - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:20 pm:
“Establish an American Civics Bootcamp for teachers to replace Pritzker’s CRT training…”
Sullivan wants to establish re-education camps? And these are the people who claim to care so much about freedom?
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:22 pm:
Leaving aside the unconstitutional inanities in the plan, here’s the thing about “universal school choice” - he doesn’t mean it. Ask if they mean African-American kids can cross district lines and attend better out-of-district schools. North Chicago used that threat to get more funding (they threatened to decertify their district (high school IIRC) and send their kids to the neighboring towns.
- Atlas - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:22 pm:
Oddly off brand as it doesn’t include overt references to Christianity. I was expecting at least one bulletpoint on “ensure the teachings of the Judeo-Christian traditions our great country was founded on…” This is word salad and parts of it (banning political giving by teacher unions) are obviously illegal.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:23 pm:
I went to reread some of the finer points and my head started throbbing. The increase in violent crime is due to teachers’ unions, you say. This reads like a 3 am right-wing talk show where the host is openly snorting a line off the desk every twenty minutes.
Here’s your attention, Jesse. It won’t last long. You’re going to have an easier time convincing people to buy the dip than vote for you.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:25 pm:
==Oddly off brand as it doesn’t include overt references to Christianity.==
It’s not overt, but if he pulled this off (And he won’t, as he’ll be a private citizen), it would massively reorient state educational policy to religious schools.
- all righty - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:25 pm:
Atta boy Jesse. Come on Darren, you can come up with something worse than this. If you guys work hard enough, the General Election will be over before June.
- OneMan - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:25 pm:
I am going to treat this like a rational thought for a minute.
So you can use this ‘backpack scholarship’ to send my kid to any school, will a school district have to accept all students to wish to study there. So if I wanted to send my kid to one of the Naperville districts they would have to take them? Would a private school be able to deny my child’s attendance or admission because of my membership (or non-membership) in a particular faith or an organization in general? Will I be able to choose a building within a school district? If so who will cover transportation costs? Will a charter school be able to deny my child admission? Would additional money be offered if my child has special education needs?
Since it is going to be my tax dollars that are paying for this and my kids are now adults, what assurances will I have as a taxpayer that minimum standards are being met. As a taxpayer am I getting what I am paying for. Who will set those standards? Who will enforce those standards.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:25 pm:
“Education funding should follow the child.”
This phrase has come back into popularity again, and I was skimming looking for exactly this. It didn’t take long to find.
And… Nope. This is how public funds get shoveled to private religious schools. Illinois is already too far down that road with the tax credits for private scholarships program Rauner(I think) started.
If you want your money to pay for your child’s private schooling and don’t want to pay for public schools, then move to a place with low public school taxes(good luck on that), and use your own money to support your private choice. That’s how ‘funding follows the child’.
Coincidentally, good public schools also make for places where people want to live. Why can’t libertarians like Sullivan live up to their own ideals? There is plenty of BLM land all over the country available to homestead on with few or any regulations. But libertarians once again demonstrate how they want to enjoy the benefits of taxation, without paying for any of it themselves.
Why can’t these groups form a small collective/town to put their own ideas into practice. I know every single attempt so far has failed miserably, but surely the next time it will work. This time around, they can call it the ‘Parents Choice Temple”. Although, I’d recommend any Senators not take a flight to such a place.
- Ryan - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:26 pm:
Good thing he has zero chance getting anywhere near the governor’s office.
- Montrose - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:27 pm:
No where does he say “Eliminate government funded schools and transition to a market-based education system.” RINO /s
- Proud Papa Bear - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:27 pm:
How does he propose to defund the unions? Their money comes from its members, not the state.
It’s almost as if he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
- Fixer - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:30 pm:
He was already a fringe candidate down there with Rabine, buts he’s officially jumped the shark with this word salad of a plan.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:34 pm:
Said like a man who has the cash to opt out of public schools. Hey Jessie, did you know your tax dollars are taken to support a system of public schools, not to educate your specific child?
And to go on to say: “ Our public education system was founded to teach students how to be productive citizens and engaged members of our representative democracy”…how ironic that you want to defund public schools at the same time. The plan, while detailed, is nonsensical and based on untruths.
- OneMan - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:34 pm:
Yet right before and after this, you have things that limit local decisions on curriculum and the like.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:35 pm:
Ted Talk Jesse creates quite a diatribe.
“Protect Illinois Schoolchildren from Sexual Predators”
Jesse, start with identifying and removing the pedophiles in your Catholic Church.
- Jibba - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:36 pm:
3:34 was me
- Over It - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:44 pm:
Rudy’s Teeth- stop being an anti-Catholic bigot and learn some facts.
https://go2tutors.com/teachers-more-likely-abuse-kids/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Dept.,times%20greater%20than%20Catholic%20priests.
- vern - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:46 pm:
He says “defund teachers unions” but the only policy proposal that involves teacher union money would result in the teachers unions having more money. “Declaring an extremist hate group” is him just promising to issue a press release. The only union-related policy he proposes is to ban campaign donations, so how does that constitute defunding the union? It takes money from politicians, the unions will still have the money.
Ok that’s the best I can do to take this tripe seriously. There’s 8 million other things wrong with this “plan” but the biggest issue is the guy just isn’t gonna be Governor.
- Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:50 pm:
===Our plan will:
• Expand pathways to post-secondary educational success and open them up to Illinois students. We will end the days of a one-size-fits-all, top-down education system that is failing a significant portion of our students.
• Incentivize industry-driven, proprietary education directly related to available jobs (tying communities that need jobs to available jobs / the jobs of tomorrow).===
Gee, Jesse. Have you ever heard of community colleges? They already are doing this.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 3:53 pm:
Speaking of learning facts—-
Review BishopAccountability.org
This is the largest public library of information on Catholic clergy abuse crisis.
Lots to read and review.
- ArchPundit - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:03 pm:
===• Incentivize industry-driven, proprietary education
Interesting. Industry driven is already how most community and technical colleges operate with varying degrees of success.
Proprietary though? Huh. Why proprietary? Most of the effort is moving away from more proprietary oriented programs because of the increasing availability of open education resources which save students money in texts and other materials.
Or is he wanting to do for profit colleges? They haven’t worked out well. Industry credentials are somewhat driven by proprietary curriculum, but the effective ones tend to be more about a series of standards and then demonstration of skills over canned curriculum.
Proprietary and local often are in conflict with each other as well as local needs may be different from national bodies.
Yeah, it could be some idea of enriching donors, but frankly he doesn’t seem to have given it that much thought.
- Kippax Blue - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:07 pm:
Adding links in comment posts it so difficult to read the original post on an iPhone. I wish people would stop this practice
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:15 pm:
Public money to send someone to a church run school?
No.
No. No. No. No. No.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:16 pm:
Full on, hard right, MAGA absurdity.
- Da big bad wolf - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:18 pm:
I don’t know who “Go 2 Tutors” is but they don’t substantiate their claims.
From what you sent us, “And now, it has been confirmed that public school teachers are 100 times more likely to abuse kids than Catholic priests.” That May or may not be true, after all, there are only so many Catholic priests. But the link doesn’t take us to a study that has those numbers. It just goes to another organization making the same claim and so on.
They have other links but when you go to those link it just goes to another Go 2 Tutors story.
This isn’t a credible article.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:21 pm:
“END POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION IN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS” *unless it’s from “our” side…..because that’s different.
Made the proper correction there.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:22 pm:
Aside from my comment noting the absurdity of most of this, at least the guy is putting out proposals. I have no idea what “Let me finish” Irvin wants to do. Given his backers I can only assume he wants to be Rauner 2.0. Heaven help us.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:23 pm:
“Does he try to shut down the government and/or veto the budget, for example?”
Worked out just peachy when Rauner did it…..
(That sound you heard was the snark/sarcasm meter exploding as I typed that.)
- zatoichi - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 4:32 pm:
Please name the corrupt Illinois Democrats who got millions from teacher unions. Republicans got nothing or are they not corrupt?
If students can go where they want, when do schools systems get to recruit students and turn down anyone they choose? If local schools get filled with the students they want, where to the students who do not meet criteria go?
If a students Backpack Scholarship does not cover the cost of that students educational services, where does the extra money come from to meet that cost and who decides how much is enough?
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:03 pm:
“and learn some facts.”
And where do the “deliberately as an organization refuse to report abuse” facts fit into your calculations of where abuse is taking place?
Cant have any abuse, if you don’t report abuse.
- Chris - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:04 pm:
So much blatantly unconstitutional claptrap.
Who knew Sullivan was so anti-America.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:08 pm:
Wow, that’s a lot of crazy. Good thing he’s gonna lose.
My lowlights:
- Ban union contributions (Unconstitutional - hello?) and call them hate groups, but corporations, come on in.
- No racial ideology but diversity is Illinois’ strength. Got it.
- News flash: It’s already illegal for school employees to have sexual contact with students, just like it’s illegal for every other adult.
- End indoctrination but we’re gonna ban stuff and give the most radical and crazed parents control over the curriculum. That kind of sounds like indoctrination. Oh, and don’t say gay. Maybe go to private school instead, and yes, you can pay for it.
As noted above, Jesse is turning so far right he’s into fringe territory. I’d give him credit for his detailed plan, but that would be like giving the Unabomber credit for his thorough manifesto.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:08 pm:
=== Whoops, he forgot to make the school vouchers in crypto instead of fiat currency. ===
Roadrager wins the internet.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:11 pm:
=== I have no idea what “Let me finish” Irvin wants to do. ===
Mike Z - According to plan
- Manchester - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:44 pm:
What far right total bull hockey. This man is a total tool. I am so glad he has no path to be Governor of IL.
- James - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 5:54 pm:
So he will declare the CTU to be a hate group and short the state school budget to give parents the right to use taxpayer dollars to fund private and religious schooling, causing public schools to be perennially short which will negatively impact their performance. Maybe the idea is to squeeze public schools until they just go away. Let’s take Illinois back to 1860.
Bye, Jessie
- Over It - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 6:51 pm:
Yes, big bureucracies accumulate big numbers of abusers and groomers. To deflect from the very real problem among public school employees on this issue while choosing to focus on the Catholic Church seems like a blatant political choice that doesn’t take into account actual raw numbers.
- Daltown38 - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 7:55 pm:
I legitimately don’t know where to start…the fact that even if he should miraculously be elected, these proposals would never be passed, or even if they did, elements of this proposal would be tied up in litigation for years. So I’ll just go with…Yikes(banned punctuation)…
- Tired teacher - Wednesday, May 18, 22 @ 9:13 pm:
If ever there has been any failure in education it is with this guy.
- Da big bad wolf - Thursday, May 19, 22 @ 6:31 am:
Over it, you posted an article from some group that actually says “So why is the public not decrying teachers as pedophiles?”
You really shouldn’t be lecturing other people on making “blatant political choices.”
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, May 19, 22 @ 8:40 am:
Power to the parents, not to people actually educated and trained in, you know, properly educating children. Power to the parents, even if they might be poorly educated themselves, mentally ill, religious zealots, abusive, etc. It’s bad enough some children have to suffer living under such people - why do we have to empower them over all our kids?