Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Morning Shorts

Posted in:

Illinois

* NEW: Planned Parenthood Survives Local Legal Challenges

* NEW: Scott Summers’ Reflects on Lack of Civility in the 3-Way Rockford Congressional Debate

Chicago Public Schools chief Arne Duncan, who criticized Meeks’ boycott, seems content to merely whine ineffectively about the need for more state aid for local schools.

* Meeks leads 1,400 to New Trier

Almost without exception, CPS students said they were treated warmly by their hosts.

In fact, Kathy Miller, a New Trier parent, said she and other North Shore residents had formed a group to explore the issue of school funding inequities.

* ‘Everyone should have someone to go to

The model in use at Schneider isn’t perfect — many kids and teachers are still struggling.

But it’s a vast improvement over the status quo. All but the most resourceful Chicago schools scrape by with far less help.

Every school, especially the ones in our toughest neighborhoods, should be like Schneider.

And this week, the public school system started on the path to take the city there.

* Suburban leaders still seeking viable funding change

Suburban educators, though, say such a “tax swap” would force them to cede some of their resources and control to the state, something they vehemently oppose

* Chicago students register at New Trier to make political point

* School Boycott to Continue

* Cook County faces $3.2 million tab for patronage

* Cook Co. to pay out $3.2 million for patronage hiring practices

* Cook County again set to approve highest bid on parking lot contract

The recommendation came despite Infrastructure’s $298,000 bid being 32 percent more than the lowest proposal of $225,615, by Dynasty Group Inc. of Chicago. It was 22 percent higher than a $243,675 proposal by another vendor.

* Cook County voters to weigh in on recall amendment

* State’s economy improves, but worst may be yet to come

* State park vendors seek answers on closings

* Missouri will prosecute illegal automated political calls

posted by Kevin Fanning
Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 8:50 am

Comments

I never recieved a job in cook county. I never applied for one, but I know I did not recieve it because of patronage.

Where is my check?

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 8:54 am
I never applied for a CC job becuase I knew the odds were not in my favor, check please!

New Trierians put on a nice face, but these kids are going home.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 9:25 am
$3.2 million appears to be a very conservative number, based on the sheer size of Cook Co. and manner in which it is and has been run over the past 5 years. I’m always amused when Chicago machine-bred Claypool is the leading voice of so-called reform for county government.

Houston, we have a problem.

Comment by The Doc Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 9:54 am
This boycott is awful. Meeks narcissism knows no bounds.

I hope in the “learning” that’s being provided for the boycotting students, there’s a simple math story problem. If you have a majority in both Houses and a Democratic governor you elected, what’s the best way to get legislation passed?

You don’t need Martin Luther King tactics when you have Emil Jones power.

Here’s to the kids who went to school this week — and the parents who insisted upon it.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 9:59 am
The State, through the income tax is sending more money to Chicago schools than anywhere else.

Mayor Daley and his pals are deliberately starving the CPS in a move that results in more money from outside the City funding City services.

This frees up the Chicago money to be diverted to fund the machine that keeps the pols in their comfortable positions.

Great politics which result in the fleecing of a population

Comment by plutocrat03 Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 10:49 am
===The State, through the income tax is sending more money to Chicago schools than anywhere else.===

1) Chicago has a much larger population than any other Illinois city.

2) Chicago has a much larger population of poor people than any other Illinois city.

3) Chicago is not quite but just about even in the tax money it sends to Spfld versus the money it gets back.

4) Lies. Darned lies. Statistics.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 10:54 am
$3.2 million is such a small amount of money within the overall county budget, that it’s almost an encouragement to the Dem pols who run the county board to continue with the massive County patronage hiring that has persisted for eons. If that’s all they have to pay to get their friends and relatives lifetime no-work jobs with super health insurance and pensions, it’s well worth it–especially since it’s not their money anyway and it’s not a sum which will get Cook’s uber-passive citizenry excited. What would? 3/12 billion maybe.
Yawn.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 11:06 am
The estimated 1400 kids that took part in the boycott and went to New Trier is only a fraction of the ones that used it as an excuse to cut for the day. It is a kids civic responsibility to get out of class and still look responsible.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 1:10 pm
Rich

I mean per student. The state values Chicago kids more highly than the kids elsewhere in the state.

As far as the lies go, if Rev. Meeks can use statistics to make his point,we can look at the figures ourselves.

Many suburban high school districts operate at overall funding levels well below that of the Chicago schools districts. Rev. Meeks has cherry picked one of the most expensive/affluent districts and wants to make the argument that that is what Chicago needs.

That is fine and good. Simply raise the property tax on property in the City. The surrounding counties have stepped up to the challenge. The Chicago residents should accept that responsibility as well. Chicago property owners do not bear the same tax burden as those in communities . Some time ago the effective Chicago property tax rate was ranked as 521 of 533 in the state. I doubt that it has changed much since.

I am not arguing whether the Chicago kids can use more revenue. I am pointing out that the bulk of the new revenue should come from within the City of Chicago rather than the State as a whole.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 1:12 pm
I was heartened to hear how well our neighbors to the north treated the CPS students. There was a great article in the Sun Times about a disabled student who went (her bus had not picked her up anyway) and was treated kindly and professionally.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 1:57 pm