* Subscribers were briefed on the governor’s speech this morning. Crain’s…
JB Pritzker will ask state legislators for a half-billion dollars to attract new business to the state with ready-to-go real estate.
More than half that money would be used to turn state-owned property — such as the former women’s prison in Dwight or mental-health and disabled-care facilities in Rockford and Lincoln — into sites for new private development. […]
“It’s intended to address what we hear from industry is a real speed-to-market challenge. we want to make sure we have shovel-ready sites for them to begin either making changes to a greenfield or brownfield in order to pursue an expansion or relocation project,” says Kristin Richards, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. […]
Those dollars are separate from the state’s general fund, or day-to-day operating budget, which Pritzker will announce today. Pandemic-relief funds from the federal government have dried up, and Pritzker has warned legislators and staffers to prepare for a tight budget. The governor will outline his budget at noon in the state of the state address.
* Sun-Times…
Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to propose a crackdown on cryptocurrency ATMs during Wednesday’s State of the State address — a move his administration says will help address the scamming and money-laundering that have become pervasive in the industry.
The legislation would establish a daily limit for transactions on crypto ATMs, cap fees to “prevent predatory charges” and require receipts showing the dollar value of digital assets and any fees collected, according to a fact sheet provided by Pritzker’s administration.
“When left unregulated, crypto kiosks are often used as tools for scams that victimize the most vulnerable Illinoisans,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Those who are harmed by these scams have little or no ability to seek restitution or justice because of the unrestricted nature of these ATMs. In addition, the ATMs are a common tool in laundering money for drug transactions and other illegal activities.” […]
Pritzker said his proposal “would institute the same common-sense registration and regulation requirements that already exist for financial institutions across the state.”
* Capitol News Illinois…
Gov. JB Pritzker plans to offer a proposal in his budget address Wednesday that would allow some community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees.
The goal, according to the governor’s office, would be to make four-year degrees more accessible to working adults, particularly those who don’t live near a public university.
That would be a big change for Illinois community colleges, which typically offer two-year associate’s degrees and other kinds of training certificates. But Martin Torres, Pritzker’s first assistant deputy governor for education, said it’s a concept already in use in many other states. […]
The legislation would allow community colleges to offer programs in subject areas where they have identified unmet workforce needs in their region. The proposed programs would also need to be approved by both the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board.
* AP…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is aiming to improve student achievement, social interaction and the mental health of public school students by proposing a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, an idea that is rapidly gaining traction nationally regardless of political persuasion.
The Democrat’s top education aide, Martin Torres, said Pritzker is expected to endorse “screen-free schools” during his combined State of the State/Budget address at noon Wednesday.
Legislation introduced in both houses of the General Assembly would require school districts to set policies that ban personal wireless devices during class time, with notable exceptions, create a means for secure but accessible storage of phones and tablets, and review those guidelines at least every three years. […]
The legislation, which would require policies be in place by the 2026-2027 school year, has enough flexibility in the plan to allow school districts to develop a policy that best suits them.
Thoughts?
- JB13 - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 8:28 am:
“It’s intended to address what we hear from industry…”
I bet “industry” might have a few other suggestions concerning how Illinois could improve its economy.
Maybe we should try listening to those, too?
- DougChicago - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 8:49 am:
The cell phone ban is certainly appealing to an old guy like me. But it does seem to be Luddite in nature and sort of standing in the way of reality. It might be worth a try, but it seems like a lot of effort will go into developing all the policies and exceptions and this and that for what is likelto be an unsuccessful effort.
- Dan Johnson - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:03 am:
Good for Martin Torres and the team — I’ve got junior high aged kids and the screens are so addicting. I mean they are to me too. Asking kids to focus on schoolwork which isn’t always intrinsically interesting when they’ve got a source of endless entertainment in their pocket is an uphill climb. Keeping these little monster screens out of classrooms is a wise decision.
- Grimlock - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:17 am:
We can’t properly fund the current university system, how is the state going to come up with the extra money community colleges would need to offer four-year degrees?
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:18 am:
I am having a hard time imagining what four-year degrees would meet local labor market demand, in areas removed from four-year universities.
Clearly, we are talking about rural Illinois. Perhaps nursing and education would fit the bill’s criteria as briefly outlined above. The requisite investment in Agriculture-related 4-year degrees might be cost prohibitive. Some engineering degrees might work. But in general, those 4-year degrees that align with local labor market needs where jobs and economic investment are declining are going to require enormous investments, both on the labor supply-side, as well as the labor-demand side.
- Blue Dog - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:19 am:
Grimlock. property taxes.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:23 am:
“proposing a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms”
I understand institutional momentum can lead to slow responses to a quickly changing world, but this seems short-sighted.
It reminds me very much how our private school banned personal calculators many years ago. It limits the potential learning, to address a shortcoming of some students. That approach punishes those able to learn with their own tool. It was outside of school where I first learned how to use differing geometric coordinate systems, because restricting the use of calculators completely removes the ability to self-learn how to use the tool in your hands every day, until the school decides you are ready to learn it - not you.
Is it bad some kids can’t learn in the presence of a device? Sure. But it’s even worse to take it away from kids who can learn, because of the shortcomings of others.
Electronic devices are tools. Learning how to use tools is an important skill. If a student makes a choice to refuse to learn the tool correctly, then let it be an issue for that single student.
Nobody would seriously suggest removing hammers from all students in a shop class, because one person smashed their own finger when they weren’t paying attention. But that’s what we are about to do here.
Electronics are an easy scapegoat for the larger problem, which is much more complex and difficult to address. We’ve been at this crossroads before and we’re making the same mistakes all over again.
—
As information spreads rapidly, authorities worried about misinformation, the undermining of established knowledge, and loss of control.
—
That was the modern concern - almost 500 years ago, about the printing press. Can anyone give a rational argument why books printed on a printing press should not have been allowed in schools, and instead only approved scribe or monk drafted unique documents should be allowed? Other than the church who wanted it that way, of course.
If you create schools for students without the ability to learn how to use tools of everyday life, you are going to churn out helpless students. Any proposed ban should include the option for parental consent to allow an override on a per student basis. Which is exactly how this is handled in other countries.
Punishing those with the ability to learn on their own, is exactly how we’ve created the anti-intellectual society today that Carl Sagan warned of so many years ago.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:33 am:
I think the 4-year community college plan would hurt enrollment at Western, Eastern and SIU Carbondale, which are already in decline.
The best part of the plan is the tuition limit.
- yinn - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:34 am:
Objectively, the phone ban is probably a good idea. But I also just remembered that my child first asked for a phone at age 10 following a soft lockdown at their school. My emotional reaction is to say frack that noise until the schools are safe.
- Matty - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:39 am:
I fully endorse the cell phone ban, but calling it “screen-free schools” is rather rich considering so many districts almost exclusively use tablets for in-person education.
With so few physical workbooks, how are these kids learning the mandatory cursive? /snark
- City Zen - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:44 am:
Allowing Chicago city colleges to offer four year degrees makes it easier to close Chicago State.
- SWSider - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:48 am:
Half a bill for businesses but everyone else needs to tighten our belts and zero based budget?
Got it.
- Steve - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:05 am:
The cell phone ban in schools is a great idea. Just a reminder, schools were actually better without cell phones.
- Downstate - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:12 am:
“I think the 4-year community college plan would hurt enrollment…..”
Absolutely, and that doesn’t include the demographics that are showing even lower enrollment in the coming years.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:43 am:
We already ban phones for the entire school day, no exceptions. It has worked great and discipline has been minimal. We are a small rural district so it may be easier for us to police.
Adding…we are not buying storage devices since we already have a storage device for each student called a “locker”.
- RNUG - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:43 am:
4 yr community colleges - wasn’t LLCC already moving there / doing that?
RE cell phones in schools - glad to see they are going to offer local district flexibility. Grandson’s high school technically has a ban, but the teachers tend to be flexible on it. It is reassuring to get a text when the school is on lockdown or other questionable events. Without that flexibility, I expect there would be major pushback from the parents.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:55 am:
==We already ban phones for the entire school day, no exceptions==
My daughter is allowed to have her phone with here in class and USE IT if she is done with her work. Makes me extremely mad. I couldn’t even chew gum when I was in class when I was in school. Ban them during classes. Make them put them in a basket when they enter the room and take it out of the basket when they leave.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 10:58 am:
Wasn’t there a cell phone ban once, sponsored by Mary Flowers?
And, wasn’t that ban repealed with legislation also sponsored by Mary Flowers?
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 11:07 am:
=== makes it easier to close Chicago State ===
=== would hurt enrollment at Western, Eastern and SIU Carbondale ===
But the pitch, community colleges remote from 4-year colleges, would suggest 4-year colleges would be safe.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 11:45 am:
===And, wasn’t that ban repealed with legislation also sponsored by Mary Flowers? ===
Correct on both counts.
The reason for lifting the ban? School shootings.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 11:58 am:
=The reason for lifting the ban? School shootings.=
The rumor ’round the building at the time was that Mary couldn’t get in touch with her daughter one day so she decided to file the bill. School shootings make more sense tho
- Busy mom - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
The cost to build up a bachelors degree in education to fulfill the degree and licensure requirements may very well eliminate an ability to offer a teaching license at reduced cost. There are many online and hybrid programs students can access after completing a community college as/as to reduce degree costs. Let’s focus on attracting high quality candidates through better benefits, pay, and supports.
- Felonious Gru - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:55 pm:
The cell phone ban is giving me Blagojevich flashbacks.
Politically popular, dubious benefit, large opportunity for unforseen consequences.
- No relation - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:00 pm:
I have been retired from the community college system for 10+ years. I seem to recall in the early 2000’s we had the discussion of offering 4 year degrees on campus. As HW postulated nursing or education might have been a good fit along with some of the humanities. My area, STEM, would be cost prohibitive. My memory tells me a a few of the community colleges in the state did offer a 4 degree in nursing but a quick search did not find one, so the memory may be faulty.
At the same time we had this discussion we were offering degrees online. (I believe we taught our first courses online in 1996 (English and Chemistry)) Many of the state Universities were late to the game but with the expansion of online course offerings at Universities there may be no reason for a student to go to campus to complete their degree. The ideal of an education desert is a myth for many majors. It would seem with the 3+1 degrees already in place and pairing them with online courses the goal of students finishing a 4 year degree for most majors could be accomplished with out stepping on too many toes.