Education

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Frequently asked questions: Updated rules on COVID-19 and schools

By Mailee Smith

06/07/2021

Breaking down the state's latest rules concerning COVID-19 restrictions in Illinois K-12 schools.

TAGS: COVID-19, IDPH: Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois, ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education, K-12

Teachers union vows to keep chasing health rules for Illinois private schools

By Patrick Andriesen

06/03/2021

After nearly 17,000 Illinois parents opposed a bill to impose state health mandates on private schools, and state lawmakers let the effort sit, it seemed the fight was over. Not quite. A teachers union lead lobbyist pledged to keep pursuing it.

TAGS: COVID-19, education, health care

Scholarships for low-income students survive Pritzker’s threat, gain a year

By Brad Weisenstein

06/03/2021

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted to gut the Invest in Kids program for low-income students. Lawmakers opposed that, adding a year to the program.

TAGS: education, Invest in Kids, JB Pritzker

Illinois bill to impose more public health controls on private schools dies

By Brad Weisenstein

05/31/2021

Private schools kept most of their students in class during the COVID-19 pandemic, making public schools look bad. Union bosses tried and failed to force through a bill to mandate state controls on private school operations in the case of a new health crisis.

TAGS: Illinois, private schools, teachers union

ISBE official confirms teachers’ union bosses have heavy hand in anti-private school bill

By Hilary Gowins

05/28/2021

Private schools found a way to stay open during the pandemic while the majority of public schools remained closed. Teachers’ union bosses want to rewrite the rules to handicap their competition should another state of emergency arise.

TAGS: emergency, ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education, private schools, teachers union

Illinois takes aim at private schools with new bill

By Amy Korte

05/25/2021

An amendment to Illinois House Bill 2789 could result in a flurry of complaints against private and public schools for alleged violations of COVID-19 protocols, provides harsh penalties, including punishing teachers, and expands state authority over private schools.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education, private schools, teachers union

Illinois students will return to in-person schooling in fall

By Brad Weisenstein

05/19/2021

In-person learning will resume in the fall, the Illinois State Board of Education has decided. Whether kids will still be required to wear masks and sit behind plastic shields in the fall remains to be decided.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, JB Pritzker, public schools, teachers union

Bill would allow Chicago Public Schools principals to go on strike

By Mailee Smith

05/17/2021

A bill that passed the Illinois House and is now in the Senate would allow Chicago principals to unionize and strike, creating an even more unstable environment for the city’s school children.

TAGS: public schools, strike, teachers union

Illinois lawmakers introduce bill to save scholarships for low-income Illinois families

By Ann Miller

05/13/2021

House Bill 4076 would make the Invest In Kids Act permanent. The Invest in Kids Act provides a tax credit of 75 cents for every $1 donated to qualified scholarship granting institutions, up to a maximum of $1 million dollars. It’s currently set to expire in 2022.

TAGS: Invest in Kids, JB Pritzker, school choice

Pritzker boosts public school funding by $350 million but wants to cut low-income scholarship program

By Patrick Andriesen

05/07/2021

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted to renege on the promised $350 million increase in education spending until state lawmakers pushed back. He still wants to cut the scholarship program low-income and minority students use when public education doesn’t fit them.

TAGS: Invest in Kids, JB Pritzker, public schools, school choice, teachers union

Bureaucrats over classrooms: Illinois wastes millions of education dollars on unnecessary layers of administration

Illinoisans pay large sums for public education, yet a large portion of the money goes to Illinois’ bloated school district bureaucracy that diverts resources away from the classroom. Through smart, strategic reforms, Illinoisans can better prepare their youth for the future as well as provide property tax relief.

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Education

Bureaucrats over classrooms: Illinois wastes millions of education dollars on unnecessary layers of administration

Melissa Taylor

A model of success: Chicago’s charter schools hold the top nine spots for 2012 ACT scores

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students