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* Click here for the poll results. Click here for crosstabs. Daily Herald…
As states across the nation struggle to staff schools, many Illinois teachers say they are considering leaving the profession, a recent poll shows.
The Illinois Education Association Tuesday released survey data showing nearly 60% of educators and support staff [IEA members only] have considered leaving their jobs. Pay, pension benefits and increasing workload are among the reasons cited for job dissatisfaction, according to the poll.
IEA President Al Llorens specifically noted the state’s two-tiered pension system, which requires teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2011, to work until age 67 for full benefits. Teachers hired before 2011 can retire at age 55.
“A majority of our members have thought about leaving their jobs,” Llorens said. “If there was any question why there’s a teacher and education support staff shortage, there should not be one now.”
* WGEM…
[IEA President Al Llorens] said the other major issues causing people to forgo teaching is the tiered pension system.
Teachers hired before 2011 are in Tier 1. They can get their full pension by age 55 if they’ve worked for at least 35 years, or by age 60. Tier 2 teachers can’t get their full pension until they’re 67.
“It’s simply not fair to have folks working right next to folks that are doing the same job but getting a reduced pension benefit,” Llorens said.
He said two solutions are eliminating Tier 2, making all teachers Tier 1 employees, and the state increasing education funding.
Organized labor is involved in a big push to upgrade Tier 2 pensions to the old Tier 1 plan, which was dropped partly because of its cost and because the state hadn’t been making sufficient payments.
The governor was asked about this idea last spring. Click here to read his response.
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* This won’t solve the deficit problem, of course, but CPS needs all the help it can get, so maybe it should start helping itself…
* From the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter…
Today, the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL), in partnership with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), calls for urgent action to address the mental health crisis affecting students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). NASW-IL recently announced a workload based safe schools ratio that once again shows major deficiencies in how CPS addresses mental health in schools. This data driven approach backed by recent state Medicaid funding changes, would allow CPS to hire a workforce of school social workers adequate to meet the rising needs of its students. This proposal advocates for a workload-based staffing model that estimates CPS requires at least 2,031 school social workers to support students’ mental health, a number that could be conservative given the level of trauma experienced by Chicago’s youth.
An Urgent Mental Health Need in CPS
With a student population of over 300,000, CPS is facing critical challenges in providing adequate mental health support. Recent data shows that 1 in 5 students in the United States experiences a mental health disorder each year, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-24. In Chicago, where students are disproportionately affected by trauma, the need for accessible mental health services is particularly acute.
Medicaid Funding Opportunity: A Path to Sustainable Mental Health Support
In 2023 (retro to 2021), to support student well-being, Illinois amended its Medicaid State Plan, allowing schools to bill Medicaid for services provided to eligible students. Given that the majority of CPS students are Medicaid-eligible, this new funding source offers CPS an immediate pathway to generate resources specifically designated for mental health services.
“Medicaid funding presents a transformative opportunity for CPS to bridge the gap in mental health support,” said Joel L. Rubin, Executive Director “By billing Medicaid for both general education and IEP students, CPS can secure the resources necessary to build a qualified team of social workers who can address the critical needs of our students.”
Chicago Public Schools was one of the first schools to be put into a Healthy Schools Campaign Cohort to provide free training, technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities to expand Medicaid billing, to date they have not implemented this option.
According to Latesha Newson, LCSW, NASW-IL Board President,” With the Illinois Medicaid plan amendment by Gov. Pritzker - CPS now has the mechanism to fund such a transformation that would promote healthy and thriving students, schools, and communities. Whether CPS is failing to capture one penny or millions it is unconscionable that CPS wouldn’t take every step to address the immense trauma our kids are facing.”
Key Highlights:
• 2,031 school social workers were estimated to meet the current mental health needs in CPS, a number that may be conservative given Chicago’s unique challenges (compared the estimated 610 currently.)
• Medicaid Billing Expansion: CPS can bill Medicaid for services provided to both general education and IEP students yet only bills for IEP services, complete billing would generate sizeable means to support the mental health workforce.
• Long-Term Impact: More social workers mean better attendance, improved behavior, and academic gains, fostering a positive learning environment.
Call to Action
NASW-IL urges CPS leadership, policymakers, and community stakeholders to adopt this proposal and implement Medicaid billing immediately. Investing in a qualified team of social workers is an investment in the future of Chicago’s youth, ensuring every student has access to critical mental health resources.
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Go read the rest
Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sam Stecklow at the Invisible Institute…
After lengthy delays, Illinois police regulators are one step closer to strengthening their ability to strip officers of their ability to work in law enforcement. The move aims to prevent officers who commit misconduct at one agency from simply moving on to another — a phenomenon sometimes called “wandering cops.”
Regulators with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) released draft administrative rules earlier this month that will allow the agency to begin tackling hundreds of cases in which a police department, prosecutor’s office or member of the public has filed a complaint seeking to strip a police officer of their certification.
The regulations are the first step in implementing several provisions around police decertification included in the 2021 criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act. The process has been “stalled” for years, according to Impact for Equity, a Chicago-based law and policy nonprofit organization. […]
The proposed rules allow for “discretionary decertification” of officers, who were previously only subject to “automatic decertification” if they had been convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors.
The rules would create a new Certification Review Panel of ILETSB, which would hear complaints about allegations against officers, such as excessive force, tampering with camera footage or other evidence, false statements, failure to intervene in another officer’s misconduct, or “other unprofessional or unethical conduct or practice harmful to the public.” The categories of misconduct are set out in the state statute but not the rules themselves.
Lots more, so go read the rest. The draft rules are here.
* Lake County News-Sun…
In late October, Gov. JB Pritzker stood in the event hall of the Illinois Beach Hotel to celebrate the completion of a $73 million Illinois Beach State Park shoreline restoration project.
He praised it as a “model” for the country. The breakwaters will save the beach from erosion, rejuvenate area communities and provide habitat for endangered species, the governor said.
But now, water-safety nonprofit Great Lakes Surf Rescue is sounding an alarm over a spate of drownings at the park over the summer, pointing to the recently installed breakwaters as the culprit and calling for improved safety measures. […]
Dave Benjamin is the co-founder of Great Lakes Surf Project, which tracks Great Lakes drowning statistics, provides water safety training and works to raise awareness about water safety. An advocate for water safety for well over a decade, he is critical of the breakwater project.
“You just spent $73 million to increase the water hazards for your beachgoers, and you didn’t do anything to protect the beachgoers,” he said.
Go read the rest.
* What’s being mostly lost in all this is that dipping into TIF money would once again be using one-time revenue to plug a long-term deficit…
Johnson responded by saying he’s ready to use TIF funds to provide revenue to CPS and help close the city’s own $982 million 2025 budget shortfall, but he did not commit to dipping into the accounts to the extent necessary to provide the roughly $485 million Martinez says is needed.
It’s unclear if Johnson supported the plan that the City Council would even approve it, according to members of the body.
To meet Martinez’s request, the city would have to delay or cancel projects in the pipeline to build infrastructure, support affordable housing developments and make capital improvements at the city’s schools and parks.
Putting one-time cash into the permanent spending base is mostly how CPS got itself in so much trouble. Anyway, go read the rest
* Sun-Times…
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is pitching a good news budget for next year: no layoffs, new taxes or tax hikes.
Her proposed $9.89 billion spending plan includes investments in generative artificial intelligence to help county workers do their jobs more efficiently — not to replace them — along with replenishing a fund to help communities helping migrants or hit hard by flooding, and putting solar panels on county facilities to ultimately lower energy costs and save the county money. […]
In her budget speech in the county’s downtown boardroom, Preckwinkle looked back at the beginning of her tenure in 2010 when the county faced a dire $500 million deficit, and what it took to get to where the county is today. Lots of planning, tough choices (including layoffs), thoughtful spending, and a clear long-term vision, she said.
“We avoid using one-time revenues for recurring expenses,” Preckwinkle said. “We don’t borrow more than we need. We don’t spend more than we have, and we don’t do quick fixes.”
Go read the rest.
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* August…
The United Auto Workers union says it is prepared to possibly strike after claiming Stellantis hasn’t kept its end of the bargain to reopen the idled Belvidere assembly plant.
In the UAW-Stellantis agreement last fall, the automaker said it would make a nearly $5 billion commitment to reopen the plant which was indefinitely idled in February 2023. […]
Under the contract, the union is able to strike once an issue goes through the grievance procedure.
A statement from the UAW shared the language of the grievance filed:
“The Company has informed the Union that it will not launch the Belvidere Consolidated Mopar Mega Hub in 2024, it will not begin stamping operations for the Belvidere Mega Hub in 2025 and it will not begin production of a midsize truck in Belvidere in 2027. The Company’s failure to plan for, fund and launch these programs constitute a violation of the U.S. Investment letter in the P&M and OC&E Collective Bargaining Agreements. During 2023 National Negotiations the parties agreed to the investment plan for Belvidere to address job security concerns impacting bargaining unit members throughout the entire system. The Company’s failure to honor its commitments in the U.S. Investment letter is a serious concern to all bargaining unit members.
* A few days ago…
Automaker Stellantis continued its counterpunch to the United Auto Workers union with eight more lawsuits filed on October 4 against the union and 23 of its local chapters. These follow a suit filed October 3 against UAW and the local representing Stellantis’ Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center, which voted to request strike authorization from the UAW’s International Executive Board.
Although the two sides completed a new labor agreement in 2023, the UAW claims the automaker is violating that contract. Stellantis is charging that the UAW is seeking to initiate an unlawful strike against the company. […]
The Jobs Bank was a project started by General Motors in the 1980s “and adopted by Ford and Chrysler due to pattern bargaining,” Stellantis explained. It guaranteed that UAW employees would be paid a majority of their potential hourly wages, even if their positions were suspended or eliminated. According to Stellantis, it “generally prohibited the Detroit automakers from laying off employees.”
“The company understands that this situation is extremely unsettling for its Belvidere employees, which is why it agreed during 2023 negotiations to place these employees on temporary layoffs, which provide 74% of pay and full healthcare benefits,” Stellantis stated. But it emphasized that it will not reestablish “contract provisions” that contributed to bankruptcy filings by both Chrysler Corp. and General Motors within recent memory.
More on the union’s jobs bank demand…
Kevin Gotinsky, the director of the union’s Stellantis Department, disputed the company’s framing of the situation.
“Stellantis is falsely comparing its commitments in our current contract to the jobs bank program from decades ago. The jobs bank program offered non-production work to members whose jobs had been outsourced,” Gotinsky said in a statement Monday. “If Stellantis lives up to its commitments and reopens Belvidere Assembly and builds the Belvidere parts megahub, our members will be back to work soon and the cost to the company will be minimal. These employees can and are willing to perform work today. That is all they want, to have a future and be able to provide for their families as agreed to in our contract.” […]
“It is laughable that Stellantis claims our proposal to reopen Belvidere is ‘outrageous.’ In just the last nine weeks, Stellantis has p*ssed away $1 billion in stock buybacks for a total of $3 billion in stock buybacks this year. Our proposal would cost a fraction of that and would go directly to the autoworkers who have built this company,” [UAW President Shawn Fain] said.
* Sen. Bernie Sanders is in town today with Fain…
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will join United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain in Belvidere for a “Rally with the Working Class to End Trump’s NAFTA 2.0.”
The rally is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday at the UAW Local 1268, 1100 W. Chrysler Drive in Belvidere.
* Gov. Pritzker issued this press release at 10 o’clock…
Today, Governor Pritzker issued the following statement:
“For over two years, the State of Illinois has offered its complete and full support so that the Stellantis plant in Belvidere can reopen as soon as possible and put our people back to work after Stellantis management chose to shut it down. Working families’ lives have been turned upside down and they deserve peace of mind.
Throughout labor negotiations, I maintained contact with auto workers, Stellantis executives, and UAW representatives to offer unprecedented state support for an agreement that would result in thousands of good, union jobs and billions in private investment.
Our Illinois workforce is second to none, and Stellantis knows it. With significant work and support from the state of Illinois, a historic national contract was signed that will restart the Belvidere plant. It is good for workers, good for the company, and good for Illinois. Ensuring auto workers get back to work with higher wages, good benefits, and valuable opportunities in a growth industry remains one of my highest priorities. That’s why I call on Stellantis to live up to the commitments it made a year ago to Illinois workers. There is every opportunity to begin the restart at Belvidere, and there is no time to waste.”
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Today’s quotable: George McCaskey
Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Colleen Kane at the Tribune…
The Bears are confident in President/CEO Kevin Warren to break ground on a new stadium next year.
Warren said Wednesday the goal remains to begin construction on a $4.7 billion stadium project on Chicago’s lakefront at some point in 2025. When [Chairman George McCaskey] was asked whether he’s confident in that timeline, he said, “Yes. We’re confident in Kevin.”
But McCaskey acknowledged progress has to be made as the Bears seek public funding for nearly half of the project.
“There’s a veto session in November, there’s a lame-duck session in January and then there’s a spring session right after that,” McCaskey said. “So at some time in one of those sessions, we’re going to have to have some sort of enabling legislation to allow the project to move forward.”
Is “enabling legislation” a new way of saying “state government handout”?
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Buried nugget and magic beans
Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times interviewed embattled CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Scroll way down…
Both borrowing and TIFs would be one-time band-aids. That’s why the mayor and CPS say they are looking to Springfield for more long-term sustainable solutions.
The CTU blamed Martinez for not going downstate earlier in the spring to lobby for more funding for CPS.
Martinez on Wednesday said the city was too focused on other issues, such as a few CPS-related bills on an elected school board, school cops and selective enrollment programs.
He added that officials from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office told Martinez and Board of Education President Jianan Shi in a “heated” meeting in May that CPS and the city didn’t appear aligned on funding as their top legislative goal.
The current strife doesn’t help CPS make its case. But Martinez said he’d like to go down earlier in the spring session and make funding the top priority.
The mayor never asked the governor or legislative leaders for additional CPS funding, even though he was saying publicly that the state “owes” CPS $1.1 billion (which isn’t true). Instead, he was more focused on a new stadium for the Bears and some other issues.
* And now for the magic beans, via WTTW…
Before Martinez publicly called for TIF funds to be used to balance CPS’ budget, CTU leaders called for all funds now set aside in TIF districts to be returned to taxing agencies, which would allow CPS officials to balance the district’s budget.
That would likely violate state law and upend Johnson’s already approved plan to phase out the city’s decades-long reliance on TIFs and use those funds for a wide-ranging slate of projects designed to expand the supply of affordable homes and good-paying jobs.
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Open thread
Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Isabel is still off today. Talk amongst yourselves.
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