* Absolutely nowhere in the Sunday Tribune’s “Clout for teachers” story did the paper find an unqualfied person who got clouted into a teaching license. Instead, they found 100 instances over five years where legislators made inquiries about people who’d been stuck in the bureaucracy or used legislation to try and repair the bureaucrats’ decisions. But legislators are made out to be the bad guys here. It’s a completely ridiculous premise considering that there are about a quarter million certified teachers in this state and all the Tribune could come up with was a handful of calls and letters and two pretty darned good bills.

* Look, this is what some reporters will just never understand…

“I have constituents who walk in the door and call daily with frustrations about the bureaucracy in Springfield,” [said state Rep. Chad Hays]

And when people call, responsive legislators check into what’s going on. Sometimes it’s just a goofy constituent who is totally in the wrong. Other times, constituents are having real problems dealing with the bureaucrats.

* But instead of recognizing this, a certain breed of reporters loves to twist stories by heaping praise on what is really just bureaucratic red tape…

an area many consider sacrosanct

Bureaucracies are run and staffed by human beings. Sometimes, even often-times, those people make mistakes, partly because they work in under-funded and under-staffed programs.

The natural inclination by some citizens who have to deal with those mistakes is to call somebody with power. And those “somebodies” are usually state legislators or US congresscritters.

My uncle, for instance, was having some serious problems with transferring over to Medicare. They apparently wouldn’t listen to reason or facts. So my mom, his sister, called his congressman and had him straighten things out (my only involvement was telling my mom the congressman’s name - just in case somebody wants to stupidly claim I “clouted” my uncle into a program he was clearly qualified for).

Making an issue out of someone who has had trouble dealing with unelected bureaucrats and then turns to an elected legislator for help and/or guidance is just out and out elitist.

* Also, that “sacrosanct” phrase is used high up in the Trib’s story. Deep down in the piece is this…

The Tribune contacted a half dozen states where most officials agreed it’s not unusual for lawmakers to ask questions about the process.

Apparently, it’s not so sacrosanct.

* And then there are the evil-sounding words like “donor”…

[Rep. Tom Cross] pushed legislation to help a donor, Karl Karantonis, of Naperville, who wanted a license to be a chief school business official. ISBE said Karantonis didn’t qualify because he had a master’s of public administration rather than the required master’s in business administration, finance or accounting.

But a bill filed in February 2011 inserted language so that someone with a master’s degree in public administration could qualify. Former state Rep. Ron Stephens, a lawmaker on Cross’ leadership team, said he filed the measure after Cross talked to him about Karantonis.

It looks to me like a constituent’s issue turned into a really good idea. Finance degrees are A-OK to be a school business official but a master’s in public freaking administration isn’t? What the heck is that about? Of course the law should’ve been changed.

Sometimes, good legislation is written because a constituent finds a real problem with the way things are being run. This is a clear and obvious example, which is why it passed unanimously in the Senate and almost unanimously in the House.

* Let’s get back to the notorious “donor” word. Notice how Karantonis is described as “a donor,” but the level of his involvement is not revealed.

Remember how I’ve been telling you lately that when reporters don’t attach numbers to their stories it’s safe to assume they’re exaggerating for affect?

Well, In the six years before Cross took that action, Karantonis and his wife had contributed $250 in 2010 and a whopping $25 in 2005, which was on top of another mind-boggling $150 contribution that year. The two had contributed a few hundred bucks before that.

Somebody, please, call the feds!!!

Again, we’re dealing with a totally elitist attitude here. If you are a “donor,” then you’re automatically tainted. Do not ever dare to offer up a valid legislative idea or you’ll be dragged through the public mud by a bunch of anti-democratic snobs who think the public should just butt the heck out of the oh-so-superior bureaucrats’ domains.

* The Trib story also goes into great detail about another bill that Cross passed to assist a guy who who had been “a math teacher, dean of students and coach at a private Aurora Christian school but wanted to make a career change.”

Nowhere in the story, however, do the reporters mention the real reason for the intervention.

Steve Hanson was enrolled at a university which for whatever reason didn’t realize that ISBE had changed the rules. It turns out there were four schools - Aurora University, Dominican University, St. Xavier University and Lewis University - which didn’t alter course requirements. So Cross’ bill (which passed unanimously in both chambers) allowed students in all those schools to be grandfathered in under the previous ISBE rules.

Hanson is now an assistant principal at Coal City High School. He’s a success story - a man who wouldn’t allow the bureaucrats to keep him from his dream. Good for him.

* And I just love this…

ISBE said it takes about 120 business days to process licenses due to the volume of work, new laws, a revamped licensing system and the nature of reviewing transcripts.

That’s classic bureaucracy”in-action” for ya. In fact, it’s probably the biggest scandal in the entire Tribune story. No wonder people are making calls to their legislators. Sheesh.

And when Speaker Madigan’s office asked to skip someone ahead a bit, the ISBE complied…

On Sept. 2, Madigan staffer Amy Ballinger-Cole appealed to ISBE governmental relations staffer Nicole Wills: “Please help! Let me know if there is anything I can do.”

In an email to Ballinger-Cole, Wills noted applications are processed in the order they are received. “It would be unfair to do otherwise,” Wills wrote.

Still, within hours, the certificate was issued.

Wanna guess why?

Because ISBE’s delays are stupidly long and they most certainly know this. If they had decided to be bureaucratically rigid on top of inept, then they would have attracted unwanted attention from a very powerful dude.

But if ISBE was smarter, they would’ve kept the brick on the teacher hopeful and waited for Madigan to react (as is his standard MO). When he did, they could tell him that they can’t help his friend’s kid because he’s not appropriating nearly enough money to process those requests in a timely manner. This being Illinois and Madigan being Madigan, the friend’s kid gets the license and nothing gets fixed.

* Let’s get back to what I said earlier about how some constituents are goofballs and are in the wrong…

Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, intervened in 2009 on behalf of Ian Scott, who had been disciplined by Iowa licensing officials and charged with falsifying academic credentials, records show. Even before the Iowa case, Scott got a job in the East Moline area as a substitute teacher, though he didn’t have the proper credentials at the time, according to records.

By 2009, when Jacobs’ office began calling on his behalf, Scott had acquired a substitute license and was pursuing a full-time license. But ISBE didn’t approve that license and began the process to discipline Scott.

Notice, again, that the Tribune doesn’t say how often Jacobs’ office called. Either way, the ISBE stood firm and the guy wasn’t given a license. I’ve asked the Board of Education for the precise number of calls Jacobs’ office made. I’ll let you know what they say.

*** UPDATE *** Here is the original e-mail from Ian Scott to Sen. Jacobs’ district office…

Dawn-

I just got off of the phone with Linda Tomlinson (Assistant Superintendent of Education for the State of Illinois) and Linda Jamali (Certification Advisor) from the ISBE. As of today, I still have a valid substitute license issued to me from the State of Illinois. No action has been taken against this license. However, now that I have tried to apply for a teacher’s certificate, there is a block on my account and the situation has to go to the legal department. I don’t know why and they could not give me a valid explanation. They said, “the sub license should not have been issued in October without looking over the information” and “it might have been missed.” They also informed me of the status of my application. They said that it is in the hands of Jessica Riddick (xxx-xxx-xxxx) within the legal department. As of last week, she is still waiting on documents from the State of Iowa. Through some research I have discovered that Jessica Riddick, in some capacity, has something to do with fingerprinting. If this is the information that they are waiting on they will not find it. I have never been fingerprinted for criminal purposes. I did attempt to contact Ms. Riddick, but was told that I could not speak with her due to my status as an applicant. I believe she is the person we should contact, or have the liaison contact, in order to find more pertinent information as to the status of my certification.

I have 14 days to secure my certification or I miss out on providing significant assistance to my family and the children for which I am teaching.

Talk about misleading. The guy never mentioned he was disciplined in Iowa for falsifying academic credentials.

And he was a major pest. According to internal ISBE e-mails, Sen. Jacobs’ district office manager contacted the ISBE about the matter after herself receiving “a lot of calls” regarding the delay.

A month later, Jacobs’ office manager sent an e-mail revealing that Ian Scott had been repeatedly calling Sen. Jacobs on his mobile phone while he was on vacation and was “also having a couple of others” call Jacobs. “Wondering if you have an update,” she wrote.

The ISBE staffer’s response two days later…

Hi, Dawn.

Sorry, I was out sick. I just saw this email. Mr. Scott’s application is still under review.

I’m so sorry - I wish I could get this to stop for you and the Senator, but unfortunately I don’t have anymore information than that to give you.

A few weeks later, the Senator’s staffer called again to get an update. The ISBE staffer sent an e-mail to other staff members…

Any updates, or the standard, we are still in processor reviewing and we have no timeline.

The response from a higher-up…

No update. File remains under review. Thanks, Nicole.