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*** UPDATE *** If you’re watching our veto session live blog, you already know that the revised regional superintendent funding bill just passed the House after two tries. The bill now goes to the Senate.
* Things are always fluid in the second week of veto session, and a new budget plan is now emerging…
Under the governor’s new proposal, the Department of Human Services would reduce the number of residents served by state-operated developmental centers by at least 600. That would allow the agency to close up to four of the state’s eight developmental centers by the summer of 2014.
An outline of the proposal did not identify which facilities, including centers in Anna, Dwight, Dixon and Centralia, may be on the future chopping block.
The new plan also calls for the closure of two unidentified state psychiatric hospitals by mid-2014. The proposal would at least temporarily end Quinn’s threat to close Logan Correctional Center and the youth prison in Murphysboro. […]
It appeared Quinn’s decision to cut money for school transportation costs may stand, leaving local districts scrambling to pay for busing.
“There’s not a lot of support for education in the negotiating room,” said state Rep. Will Davis, D-Chicago.
* Kurt Erickson wrote that above report and he also filed a story about the effort to restore salaries for regional superintendents…
Less than two weeks after an earlier proposal fell 12 votes short of passage in the House, state Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said he was still rounding up support for a package that would dip into a fund dedicated to local governments for the $13 million needed for the salaries.
He said he’s included a number of legislative tweaks that could draw enough support to move the proposal to the Senate for further action during the final two days of the General Assembly’s fall veto session. […]
Cities, counties and school districts say the money should come from a different source, but Mautino and supporters say the one-time use of the money can correct what they see as a mistake by Gov. Pat Quinn.
* In other news, the Southern Illinoisan published an editorial slamming striking SIU faculty members. The edit is entitled “Go to work, or get out!”…
Striking faculty members at SIU Carbondale have no valid issues. They should return to the classroom today or be replaced Monday.
For anyone driving Thursday on U.S. 51 near Southern Illinois University the sight of pickets at the campus’ main entrances was both historic and emotional. Striking faculty got salutes and toots of the horn from supporters, but a larger group of motorists responded with silent stares or insulting hand gestures.
Were they angry or offended? It is an interesting question to consider as the first strike at SIU moves into a second day. Our region is chronically beset with poverty and joblessness - troubles exacerbated by the nation’s deep and long recession. Employment at SIU is a career goal for many, a source of envy for many more.
It was especially troubling to see the highest-paid, most-protected class of workers, the Faculty Association representing tenured and tenure-track educators, feigning hardship because of their inability to attain what they loftily describe as a “fair contract.” What actually is being sought, and won’t be attained, are ridiculous demands they say are not financial.
In their own words, the FA said it has been offered raises of 0, 1, 1 and 2 percent in the coming four years of a proposed contract. When was your last raise? Can you even remember?
The stumbling blocks for the FA are differences over a new conflict of interest policy, and the procedures following sexual harassment claims. The FA also opposes the tuition hikes needed to yield the raises, wants a say on what constitutes financial hardship for SIU, insists on linking any raises to improved revenues at SIU and makes nonsensical demands for transparency and accountability in matters of tenure. All are senior-level-management issues, but it would be interesting to see what faculty strikers say accepting wage cuts if SIU revenues decrease.
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:25 pm
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The ire of news editors is increasingly reflected in their opinion columns, as their salaries are left stagnant by the decline of the print news industry. Having said that, those professors, many of whom are making $100,000, should be ashamed of themselves.
Comment by You Can't Always Get What You Want Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:41 pm
As a non striking faculty member who is teaching classes left by strikers, I have no idea what they are striking about. The actual number of teaching faculty striking is around 135 (and there are about 2,000 teaching faculty and grad assistants) and the effect on actual classes has been only 6%.
They need to realize they have great jobs-And get back to them and quit trying to be both management and labor.
Comment by SIUPROF Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:47 pm
Depends on the department, but plenty of those profs are sitting pretty. Plus, the cost of living in Carbondale is generally low, so 100,000 can go a long way.
Comment by Solomon Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:48 pm
AMEN!
Comment by Right on Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:55 pm
I think its time that the media look at both sides of this story and not be so tilted to the union. These folks have it made and are wanting things against the law. I would hold my feet to the ground against their demands. You cannot let inmates run the prison. Why dont they interview some of the 2100 instructors that are teaching instead of the very small percent? Get back to work or there are plenty of unemployed to take your place.
Comment by Nuts Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 1:58 pm
“Right on” and “Nuts,” I have strict rules against sock puppetry. You are now in timeout. No more comments for “both” of you today.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:00 pm
The proposed plan for developmental and mental health centers is posted on the website of The ARC. The plan does specifically identify Tinley Park Mental Health Center for closure.
Comment by Sadly51st Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:03 pm
The Faculty Association is acting plain ridiculous. One of their main bargaining points was having some kind of say as to how/when SIU could declare a financial emergency. No other university in the country even has a policy like that. Financial decisions made by the university are an administrative decision, not a faculty decision. And asking to be repaid for furlough days within one year? That’s incredibly selfish. There’s even a group of professors who are so disgusted with the way things have gone that they’ve started the ground work on de-certifying the current FA. I just hate how the striking faculty claims they’re doing this all “for the students” when it’s blatantly obvious that they’re not.
Comment by LN Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:05 pm
UIS has not had raises over the last 4 years while the faculty salary average (all ranks) has gone from 60K to 71K in 4 years at SIU
http://www.irs.siu.edu/quickfacts/avgsal.aspx
Comment by UIS Prof Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:07 pm
Professors with 20 years in the job probably should be making a hundred grand or more. That being said most of the classes are being taught by grad students that make less that a grand a month. It seems the professors are to busy writing books and going on extended leave to write more books. Get back to work and enjoy what you have. To many folks in Southern Illinois on fixed income and making the minimum wage.
Comment by Nieva Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:13 pm
I agree with the editorial. The Faculty Association Strikers should be replaced Monday. They are supposedly educators, but are acting like some glorified upper crust class of elitists.
Comment by downstate hack Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:24 pm
People fortunate enough to be represented by unions should not suffer because those without a union are jealous. The people without representation should organize themselves instead of trying to attack the organized. Envy is a hard thing to overcome, and has allowed anti-union polcies at the federal and local level that make attacking the livelihood of one’s fellow man easier than cheering for it and/or joining a union. It wasn’t always that way, and it won’t always be that way.
Comment by chi Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:25 pm
Uproot people in a developmental center? Nice Pat, pick on the neediest of our society.
Comment by OurMagician Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:31 pm
What was it Kissinger said? Academic politics are so bitter because the stakes are so low?
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:39 pm
It feels a little strange to be agreeing with an editorial in the Southern Illinoisan . . .
Comment by Ray del Camino Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 2:54 pm
Dude working trash truck 20 years deserve a mil, college prof worth not much. Do your job or lose it fool, welcome to the real world.
Comment by Burning Down da House Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 4:34 pm
– What was it Kissinger said? Academic politics are so bitter because the stakes are so low? –
Wordslinger: You could ask Henry Kissinger if he said that, but you wouldn’t get a straight answer. The academics even debate whether Kissinger said: “Competition in academia is so vicious because the stakes are so small.” More on that in Wikipedia (so it must be true) under “Sayre’s Law” entry. A 1973 Wall Street Journal article quoted political scientist Wallace S. Sayre as saying: “Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low.” And Woodrow Wilson said something similar way back when.
Comment by Jim Bray Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 4:43 pm
If you look at the “Rebalancing Initiative” as the Governor is calling it, he is removing 600 beds that should be allowed for guardian choice, because he appears to be firmly in the pocket of people like the ARC of Illinois. These “advocates” only believe that choice for the developmentally disabled should be in the community, and not all those with disabilities can function WELL in a community based setting. The majority of agencies refuse to provide the kinds of support needed to sufficiently keep a person in their community home and would prefer to “snow” someone with medication rather than use behavioral treatment that is approved by the state.
There is a need for both community and state residential facilities and it’s about time that people acknowledge it. I’ve worked on both sides in my 22 plus years of service in this field. Both are good. But it’s also true that some places are better than others, on both sides.
Trying to move 600 people into the community in 2 1/2 years - pretty unrealistic. There are 21,000 in the community waiting for services now, Governor.
Comment by Wickedred Wednesday, Nov 9, 11 @ 5:58 pm