Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x2 *** Rauner unveils education reform ideas

Monday, Sep 8, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Bruce Rauner is holding a press conference on education reform. Click here to read it. From the twitters…

Some education changes proposed by Rauner: reform tenure, teacher merit pay, roll back unspecified state mandates, admin "efficiencies."

— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) September 8, 2014

@BruceRauner re charters: lift cap on them, provide same amount of $$$ that traditional public schools get

— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) September 8, 2014

‘’

Rauner's policy book says there's an "arbitrary cap" on number of charters in IL

— Tony Arnold (@tonyjarnold) September 8, 2014

@BruceRauner blueprint also wants expanded funding for early childhood education, but how to pay for it??

— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) September 8, 2014

Rauner wants "Success schools" which are formed from teachers at top 10% of schools; gives $ per pupil to school for their discretion

— Tony Arnold (@tonyjarnold) September 8, 2014

Rauner says IL system is "rigged" to protect the bureaucracy; says funding formula has inequities in it and needs to be changed

— Tony Arnold (@tonyjarnold) September 8, 2014

On changing funding formula: pic.twitter.com/ELtc6e1Ixz

— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) September 8, 2014

Rauner proposes lifting cap on public charter schools #twill #IlGov14 pic.twitter.com/Ie9n89tw1v

— Mary Ann Ahern (@MaryAnnAhernNBC) September 8, 2014

* This one also caught my eye…

Rauner cites teacher tenure in Florida as a good example of what to do with tenure; says FL gets annual contracts for new teachers

— Tony Arnold (@tonyjarnold) September 8, 2014

* I was told early this morning that Rauner would not be calling for the end of teacher tenure. Well, according to NPR, Florida’s law essentially ends tenure for all new hires and teachers who move to new districts..

Rating teacher performance. The law requires districts to rate teachers and administrators annually, according to a legislative analysis, with half of their score based on student Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Performance over a three-year period.

How teachers are paid. New hires will no longer have to climb the decades-long seniority ladder to earn the highest salaries. Now, the highest-rated teachers can earn the top salaries just a few years out of college. Highly-rated teachers already working can opt out of the merit pay system — but if they switch districts they would be paid on their performance, according to a United Teachers of Dade Q & A. Teachers will also no longer be guaranteed additional pay for advanced degrees.

Job security. New hires will no longer enjoy long-term contracts, but instead must be rehired on an annual basis. Those already teaching are again exempted from the new law, but teachers who switch districts would then move to annual contracts.

*** UPDATE 1 *** From the IFT…

“Bruce Rauner’s blueprint reads like a Greatest Hits of failed education experiments that penalize good teachers instead of addressing the fact that Illinois schools are some of the worst funded in the nation,” said Dan Montgomery, President of the IFT and a high school English teacher for eighteen years.

“When it comes to what ails us, teacher tenure and merit pay are red herrings. There is no evidence that giving teachers due process negatively impacts student achievement, but research overwhelmingly shows the devastating effects of poverty and under funding schools. As a teacher, I saw firsthand the heartbreaking impact on a student when a parent lost a job or struggled to pay the bills.

“If Rauner was really interested in our students, he wouldn’t advocate eliminating the minimum wage.

“If Rauner was really interested in our students, he wouldn’t propose budget ideas that would cut billions out of public education resulting in teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and higher property taxes.

“We want great teachers for all of our students, and if the goal is to improve education, we don’t need to pit teachers and parents against each other. We need the resources to make success possible.”

*** UPDATE 1 *** Paul Vallas…

“Bruce Rauner’s education blueprint includes a lot of promises, but predictably fails to pay for any of them. In reality, Rauner’s plan will put an additional one million dollars in his own pocket while laying off 1 in 6 teachers by blowing a $4 billion hole in Illinois’ education budget.

“This is reckless and irresponsible. The outcome of Rauner’s plan - larger classroom sizes, higher property taxes and cuts up and down the line to education - will represent disaster for our public schools.

“Education is for everyone - not just the elite.

“This is just another example of Mr. Rauner looking out for people like himself at the expense of the working families of Illinois.”

72 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Karen Lewis gives $40,000 to own campaign fund

Monday, Sep 8, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Click here for the A-1. That’ll get some city tongues wagging.

*** UPDATE *** Lewis says it’s a loan. Sun-Times…

“It’s a sign that I’m trying to raise money,” Lewis tells Early & Often. “People have to see that we’re trying to raise money now. We have to do all kinds of other things.”

That includes getting a campaign office to operate out of.

The money comes as petition circulators have begun their work on her behalf.

“We had petition training on Saturday. It was a big drive — 500 people showed up, it was amazing,” she said.

38 Comments

Checkbook campaigning

Monday, Sep 8, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner drove his 1993 van to a South Side credit union on Friday where he made a $1 million deposit aimed at helping to provide small business loans for the African-American community.

Rauner spent about 10 minutes talking to the South Side Community Federal Credit Union’s president, before depositing the money via a wire transfer. Rauner said he contributed $200,000 as a donation to the institution, and deposited $800,000 into an interest-bearing account.

Rauner pledged his support to the credit union near 54th and Wentworth in July. […]

But the Republican multimillionaire told reporters that his decision to contribute to the credit union was not political. He called accusations he’s buying African-American votes by donating the money “baloney” and “political spin.”

* Yeah, right. This is all about making an investment. The Tribune blows up that notion pretty handily…

Rauner said he would be receiving interest on his $800,000 credit union deposit at a rate he said was “small” but did not specify. “We’ll get our money back with an interest return,” Rauner said.

While Rauner described his deposit as an investment, he acknowledged the credit union had a 25 percent default rate on its loans. Records of the National Credit Union Administration, the federal agency that monitors credit unions, showed that as of June 30, the organization managed $3 million in deposits for 1,550 members.

On its website, the credit union advertises personal, auto and business loans for its members, including payroll advance loans at an interest rate of 16 percent and payday alternative loans at interest rates of up to 28 percent.

Yikes.

* Meanwhile, Phil Kadner got a tip that Rauner was meeting with African-American ministers in Harvey the other day, but he arrived too late to hear what Rauner had to say…

Rauner said he would use his contacts in the business community to encourage them to create a program that would make more jobs available to ex-cons, [David Gethers, minister of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey] said. […]

[J.R.] Jordan and Gethers said Rauner also spoke about his interest in improving public education. They came away with the impression that Rauner, as governor, would increase school funding.

I asked if he said how he planned to do that. Rauner has said he would cut the state income tax, meaning Illinois would have less money for education, among other things.

I was told Rauner had implied that he might dip into his personal wealth to fund some programs.

“He would use his own money?” I asked.

“That’s what he said,” Jordan replied. “He said he had been investing his own money in education for years. He said one thing he would do is make sure every teacher in Illinois is certified, and he has funded programs in the past to make sure teachers are properly trained.’

…Adding… This explains a lot…

“As my wife will say all the time, I’m pretty cheap. I don’t like to spend money I don’t have to. I invest in assets. I’ve done very well with my investments,” said Rauner, an equity investor from Winnetka.

33 Comments

Callis goes on the attack

Monday, Sep 8, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Democratic congressional candidate Ann Callis has a new TV ad. Last week’s ad was positive. This one’s a negative, but it’s done in a humorous way.

UPDATE: Callis has now released the new ad on YouTube, so I deleted the other code from the NRCC video and added this one…

* Script…

(GENE, FARMER)
When I first heard that Congressman Rodney Davis had spent forty grand in D.C. steakhouses, I said “well done.”

(PETE, BUTCHER)
Me too. But then I found out Davis voted to chop Medicare…

(GENE, FARMER)
But not perks for himself, like first class flights, pensions, or healthcare for life.

(PETE, BUTCHER)
Hey, steak is great, Congressman, but it’s time to trim some fat in DC.

(GENE, FARMER)
Putting yourself ahead of the middle class is a load of bull.

Pretty good. We’ll see if it moves any needles.

* From the NRCC…

Ann Callis is up on TV with an ad attacking Rodney Davis. Callis must now realize that her friends at the DCCC aren’t coming in so she will have to do her own dirty work and go negative right out of the gate.

The problem with Callis’ new ad is that she attacks Rodney on first class travel and health care for life for members. Callis didn’t do her homework because Rodney actually voted to ban first class travel for members and also voted to end health care for life for members. See for yourself HERE.
Callis also didn’t mention the perks she will receive after retiring as a judge – both a pension and health care which are paid for by Illinois families. Seeing Callis doesn’t like elected officials receiving perks, will she refuse to accept her state pension and state health care for life?

NRCC Statement: “The latest attack ad from Ann Callis is dishonest and factually incorrect. Rodney Davis has voted to end congressional perks all while Ann Callis plans to collect a state pension and health care. The only one in this race who wants to milk Illinois families is Ann Callis and this latest attack ad is just plain bull.” – Katie Prill, NRCC Spokeswoman

13 Comments

« NEWER POSTS