Read Jay's Twitter stream from the evening. A very non-beanbag night in the 26th. If the election stands, we'll be keeping Christian Mitchell under a microscope until the next election.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Stand For Sleaze Gets What It Pays For
Looks at the quality of legislator that Stand For Children bought last night in the 26th House District.
Read Jay's Twitter stream from the evening. A very non-beanbag night in the 26th. If the election stands, we'll be keeping Christian Mitchell under a microscope until the next election.
Read Jay's Twitter stream from the evening. A very non-beanbag night in the 26th. If the election stands, we'll be keeping Christian Mitchell under a microscope until the next election.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Good Contract, But What Comes Next?
UNO teachers ratify a contract, 445-16. Close vote!
I'm declaring it a very good thing, although I've had mixed feelings about this issue from the start. A contract is a good thing for everyone, and I believe that an organized faculty will be a force for good over the long run.
Still, the financial model at UNO is unsustainable, as we've seen. So, now it's an unsustainable financial model with a contract in place. The pessimist in my nature is suspicious that the teachers are going to be blamed for systemic money problems already baked into the UNO network when UNO comes begging for a bailout or has to shut schools.
And unless the problems with charters in general are fixed--- and there's real hope for a beginning there, with some of the new bills in the House-- what we have with Chicago ACTS success at UNO is a double-edged sword. Good for the UNO community-- the teachers, the kids, the families--- but nothing gained for the neighborhood schools.
I have faith. I feel that with this negotiation behind them, the teachers can and probably will come out in support of things that will right some of the wrongs. For example, they could fill out a witness slip or even testify as proponents of HB 6005, the Charter Accountability bill by Linda Chapa Lavia. Or for HB 5328 by Elizabeth Hernandez, which would establish LSC's for charter schools.
Or really any of the excellent bills I've discussed.
You can bet your--- good lord, I almost wrote "sweet bippy" --- you can bet your bottom dollar that the charter people will be filling up buses (probably with school kids) to travel to Springfield in April to protest charter accountability, LSCs, the removal of the unelected state charter commission. I can almost hear the chants now:
What do we want? NO VOICE! When do we want it? NOW!
For-profit CMO's! We can't function without those!
One, two, three, four! Push those kids right out the door!
Five, six, seven, eight! Keep the cash and claim you're great!
Ok, I'm having a bit of fun there. But seriously, they'll be on buses in April. What a powerful thing it would be if the teachers--- following their great success in bargaining--- would follow the same path toward social justice that I associate with so many great Chicago teachers.
We'll see. Baby steps.
I'm declaring it a very good thing, although I've had mixed feelings about this issue from the start. A contract is a good thing for everyone, and I believe that an organized faculty will be a force for good over the long run.
Still, the financial model at UNO is unsustainable, as we've seen. So, now it's an unsustainable financial model with a contract in place. The pessimist in my nature is suspicious that the teachers are going to be blamed for systemic money problems already baked into the UNO network when UNO comes begging for a bailout or has to shut schools.
And unless the problems with charters in general are fixed--- and there's real hope for a beginning there, with some of the new bills in the House-- what we have with Chicago ACTS success at UNO is a double-edged sword. Good for the UNO community-- the teachers, the kids, the families--- but nothing gained for the neighborhood schools.
I have faith. I feel that with this negotiation behind them, the teachers can and probably will come out in support of things that will right some of the wrongs. For example, they could fill out a witness slip or even testify as proponents of HB 6005, the Charter Accountability bill by Linda Chapa Lavia. Or for HB 5328 by Elizabeth Hernandez, which would establish LSC's for charter schools.
Or really any of the excellent bills I've discussed.
You can bet your--- good lord, I almost wrote "sweet bippy" --- you can bet your bottom dollar that the charter people will be filling up buses (probably with school kids) to travel to Springfield in April to protest charter accountability, LSCs, the removal of the unelected state charter commission. I can almost hear the chants now:
What do we want? NO VOICE! When do we want it? NOW!
For-profit CMO's! We can't function without those!
One, two, three, four! Push those kids right out the door!
Five, six, seven, eight! Keep the cash and claim you're great!
Ok, I'm having a bit of fun there. But seriously, they'll be on buses in April. What a powerful thing it would be if the teachers--- following their great success in bargaining--- would follow the same path toward social justice that I associate with so many great Chicago teachers.
We'll see. Baby steps.
Testing Mandates Be Gone!
This petition takes just a minute to sign and it's gaining momentum. Do it!
Meanwhile, our own state senator, the Senator from Pearson, is moving full steam ahead on testing the Common Core. Test, test, test, test, test, test, test.
Meanwhile, our own state senator, the Senator from Pearson, is moving full steam ahead on testing the Common Core. Test, test, test, test, test, test, test.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Policy Recommendations For March 17, 2014: RED ALERT
These are my witness slip recommendations for the coming week. The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee meets on Thursday, and we're now living in an age where every concerned citizen needs to lobby. I've covered a couple of these in previous posts, but if you haven't done your witness slip yet, I'm covering them again here.
There are also Senate Bills, and their hearing is Wednesday, but I won't have time to cover those tonight. I will tomorrow, if anyone is interested.
The recommendations in red are RED ALERTS. Everyone following the privatization and general destruction of public education should go online, fill out witness slips, and get friends to do the same for these bills. This is really all we've got. Stand For Children and the other deep-pocketed privatization groups have pallets of money to throw at lawmakers; all we've got is our voice and our votes.
And hey! It's not a petition. Fill out one witness slip per bill or amendment, not multiples. All the contact information must be verifiable. And if you're submitting written testimony, which makes you a saint in my opinion, it should be your own testimony, not a pre-prepared thing.
In a humorous aside, I also see some folks are filing slips with "no position." Probably by accident. But it makes no sense to file one with no position, if you ask me. "No position" means that you don't care either way, and on these bills, you care!
Here's the original video explaining how to do witness slips. For the bills below, I provide you a link directly to the specific witness slip for the specific bill or amendment.
House
1. HB3937, Linda Chapa LaVia (HCA1) extends the moratorium on virtual charter schools. Be a Proponent; this is a good bill. Here's the Witness Slip For This Bill . Go! Be a proponent for the Amendment.
2. HB4591, Martwick. Charter schools would have to return pro-rated funds for the kids they "counsel out." Here's the Witness Slip For This Bill. Go be a proponent! Look who's opposed, natch.
I myself have not filled out one for this bill because I don't want to look like the nut filling out all the witness slips. But I totally will if you guys come on board and fill those slips out.
3. HB5328, Hernandez. LSCs for charter schools, among other things. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Go! Look who's opposed:
4. HB5330, Chapa LaVia, Along with Amendment One sets up an intelligently formed and tasked committee to look at assessment. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Here is the Witness Slip For the Amendment. Go be a proponent! (yes, you can be a proponent for the original bill, too.)
5. HB5887 Crespo, puts reasonable financial accountability on virtual charter schools. This one is interesting, I'm for it, and it looks like some people are weighing in for it. Here is the Witness Slip For This Bill. Go be a proponent.
6. **HB6005, Chapa LaVia, Charter School Accountability. Excellent, Excellent bill. Deserves your written testimony. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Go be a proponent! This bill in its entirety is reasonable, responsible, and fair, and it would start to eliminate a lot of the shenanigans, including some of what's going on in the Gulen-affiliated operations. This is the most important bill of my recommendations tonight. Here's a CTU fact sheet on the bill. Get moving on this bill. You are a proponent!
Guess who doesn't want this kind of accountability for charter schools?
Looks like they're all red alerts this week! And I'm out of time. I actually have five more House bills and four Senate bills I'd like to make recommendations on, but I need to reintroduce myself to my family. So that's it for now.
UPDATE: I was emailing the smartest people I know last night to try and figure out what Heather Steans is up to with (7) this monster bill pending over in the Senate, SB3412 but I ran out of time. Then this morning, Jim Broadway sent out a special edition covering it.
Turns out this bill is Steans's way of codifying into law the testing on the Common Core Standards without using the actual words "Common Core." It appears to have the effect of approving the standards, as well, a process that people now recognize was a bit problematic.
I will say this much: that Heather Steans knows how to be a bit sneaky in a bill. The whole family does. It's how this entire ed reform movement has operated nationally, sort of under the radar. If you feel that your voice was left out of the original Common Core discussion in Illinois, then in the future, they're going to say that this new Steans bill was your chance to pipe up and yet you said nothing. So say something.
RPNPS doesn't work on the Common Core Standards, so I haven't filed a witness slip opposed yet. But I'm going to as an individual. I wish I could go back and be on the record against NCLB, but I can't. This I can do. Here is the Witness Slip for the bill. I myself am an opponent, and that's how I'll fill out my slip. But I'm going to try to write my own testimony tonight. Submitting written testimony to the Senate hearings is a bit harder than in the House; more on that later.
There are also Senate Bills, and their hearing is Wednesday, but I won't have time to cover those tonight. I will tomorrow, if anyone is interested.
The recommendations in red are RED ALERTS. Everyone following the privatization and general destruction of public education should go online, fill out witness slips, and get friends to do the same for these bills. This is really all we've got. Stand For Children and the other deep-pocketed privatization groups have pallets of money to throw at lawmakers; all we've got is our voice and our votes.
And hey! It's not a petition. Fill out one witness slip per bill or amendment, not multiples. All the contact information must be verifiable. And if you're submitting written testimony, which makes you a saint in my opinion, it should be your own testimony, not a pre-prepared thing.
In a humorous aside, I also see some folks are filing slips with "no position." Probably by accident. But it makes no sense to file one with no position, if you ask me. "No position" means that you don't care either way, and on these bills, you care!
Here's the original video explaining how to do witness slips. For the bills below, I provide you a link directly to the specific witness slip for the specific bill or amendment.
House
1. HB3937, Linda Chapa LaVia (HCA1) extends the moratorium on virtual charter schools. Be a Proponent; this is a good bill. Here's the Witness Slip For This Bill . Go! Be a proponent for the Amendment.
2. HB4591, Martwick. Charter schools would have to return pro-rated funds for the kids they "counsel out." Here's the Witness Slip For This Bill. Go be a proponent! Look who's opposed, natch.
3. HB5328, Hernandez. LSCs for charter schools, among other things. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Go! Look who's opposed:
4. HB5330, Chapa LaVia, Along with Amendment One sets up an intelligently formed and tasked committee to look at assessment. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Here is the Witness Slip For the Amendment. Go be a proponent! (yes, you can be a proponent for the original bill, too.)
5. HB5887 Crespo, puts reasonable financial accountability on virtual charter schools. This one is interesting, I'm for it, and it looks like some people are weighing in for it. Here is the Witness Slip For This Bill. Go be a proponent.
6. **HB6005, Chapa LaVia, Charter School Accountability. Excellent, Excellent bill. Deserves your written testimony. Here is the Witness Slip For The Bill. Go be a proponent! This bill in its entirety is reasonable, responsible, and fair, and it would start to eliminate a lot of the shenanigans, including some of what's going on in the Gulen-affiliated operations. This is the most important bill of my recommendations tonight. Here's a CTU fact sheet on the bill. Get moving on this bill. You are a proponent!
Guess who doesn't want this kind of accountability for charter schools?
Looks like they're all red alerts this week! And I'm out of time. I actually have five more House bills and four Senate bills I'd like to make recommendations on, but I need to reintroduce myself to my family. So that's it for now.
UPDATE: I was emailing the smartest people I know last night to try and figure out what Heather Steans is up to with (7) this monster bill pending over in the Senate, SB3412 but I ran out of time. Then this morning, Jim Broadway sent out a special edition covering it.
Turns out this bill is Steans's way of codifying into law the testing on the Common Core Standards without using the actual words "Common Core." It appears to have the effect of approving the standards, as well, a process that people now recognize was a bit problematic.
I will say this much: that Heather Steans knows how to be a bit sneaky in a bill. The whole family does. It's how this entire ed reform movement has operated nationally, sort of under the radar. If you feel that your voice was left out of the original Common Core discussion in Illinois, then in the future, they're going to say that this new Steans bill was your chance to pipe up and yet you said nothing. So say something.
RPNPS doesn't work on the Common Core Standards, so I haven't filed a witness slip opposed yet. But I'm going to as an individual. I wish I could go back and be on the record against NCLB, but I can't. This I can do. Here is the Witness Slip for the bill. I myself am an opponent, and that's how I'll fill out my slip. But I'm going to try to write my own testimony tonight. Submitting written testimony to the Senate hearings is a bit harder than in the House; more on that later.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Brian Jones On Democracy Now
Did you miss Brian Jones on Democracy Now? Here is it.
The charter situation in New York State is putting the agenda into a fuller perspective; the hedge fund people have unlimited funds to buy public policy, and that's what they're going to do here. They've already started.
That's why these charter bills in Springfield are so important. Did you see this?
The charter situation in New York State is putting the agenda into a fuller perspective; the hedge fund people have unlimited funds to buy public policy, and that's what they're going to do here. They've already started.
That's why these charter bills in Springfield are so important. Did you see this?
DFER charter vultures just gave Rep. Christian Mitchell $15K. Vote Jay Travis. http://t.co/GjVdXZMwUK #JayTravis
— fklonsky (@fklonsky) March 15, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
More Red Alerts Coming- Stand By!
By Sunday I will post the remaining Red Alerts--- these are urgent requests for you to fill in witness slips before March 20, 2014, when the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee is scheduled to meet again. There are couple more excellent bills that we definitely want to get out of committee and onto the floor of the House.
After that, we have a campaign planned for around the state, and we're going to need help. Basically, if you've got a computer, an interest in research, and willingness to put in a few hours, I could sure use your assistance in the next two weeks. If you can help, send me a note.
I'd like to thank the folks who are doing the witness slips; it's hard to get an actual handle on who is submitting them and exactly how many are submitted; I hear from people who've definitely submitted but who don't show up in the lists yet.
If you're aware of the process but not filling them out, then help me understand what's standing in your way. I'll try to answer any questions that come up that can make this process more do-able for everyone.
After that, we have a campaign planned for around the state, and we're going to need help. Basically, if you've got a computer, an interest in research, and willingness to put in a few hours, I could sure use your assistance in the next two weeks. If you can help, send me a note.
I'd like to thank the folks who are doing the witness slips; it's hard to get an actual handle on who is submitting them and exactly how many are submitted; I hear from people who've definitely submitted but who don't show up in the lists yet.
If you're aware of the process but not filling them out, then help me understand what's standing in your way. I'll try to answer any questions that come up that can make this process more do-able for everyone.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
We Have Another Red Alert; Get On The Horn!
This post has been updated and the clock is ticking! Click Here!
...and by "horn," I mean computer.
Friends, Romans...
There's another excellent bill pending in the House compliments of Linda Chapa LaVia. It has a hearing next Wednesday, March 20th, and as we've learned, it's really, really helpful to fill out a witness slip before a hearing.
The witness slip is your way of going on record during the hearing, which is sort of the most important time to go on record. When you fill out a witness slip, you can simply declare yourself as a proponent or an opponent, and doing so is infinitely better than doing nothing.
I'm going to show you the bill, show you how I would fill out the witness slip, show you how to take it one step further, and then beg you to move on this bill right now.
Here's the bill, HB5330.
The official synopsis:
Basically, it's a bill that requires "to create a permanent committee to review the nature and content of state-required tests, the effectiveness of the tests in achieving educational goals, the effects of poverty on test scores - a host of excellent questions," --- which is how the great Jim Broadway summarizes it.
In this age of rampant over-testing, and test-bullying, and test worship, and horrifically wrong-headed narratives being spun out of test data, and whole bureaucracies built around a constant testing cycle, it's an excellent bill. You should absolutely fill out a witness slip for it.
Check out the text of the bill--- look who's on the permanent committee, according to the language.
That's a bill that Illinois needs. Here's me, filling out my actual witness slip for it, which you should also do immediately. It makes no sense to try to fill one out after the hearing.
)
So how do you submit written testimony? It's actually pretty easy. It's a two-step process. 1. Write your testimony 2. Fax your clearly labeled testimony to the House Committee Clerk at FAX # 217-557-2165 before the hearing. There is no clear deadline for submission, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Submit early. You can also mail or express mail your testimony to the same office:
House Clerk Committee
Illinois State House, Room 426
401 S. Second Street
Springfield, Illinois 62076
We have so, so many parents with detailed knowledge of the scourge of over-testing; it would be a shame if the committee didn't hear from you first hand. Because they're going to hear first hand from the lobbyists from Stand For Children, or Pearson, or Michelle Rhee's corrupt outfit, or the Steans family, or from whomever else, about how fabulous testing is for everyone and about how your kids should just suck it up and fill in the bubbles all day, every day because of data and global something.
Remember, the legislators have a completely skewed understanding of all these issues. They get their information from Illinois Policy Institute and other lobbyists. They think you're thrilled with Race To The Top.
This is not a format for petitions or for pre-prepared texts. Write your own testimony; otherwise, it's a waste of time. Here's an example of what I would consider to be a clear label and an appropriate beginning.
Don't have a fax machine? Yes you do. If you're reading this on a computer, you have a fax. Don't make me make a video about how to use it, because I will. I will.
That's it! Please fill out a witness slip! Or even better, write down what you've seen and fax it in. We really can't expect Linda Chapa LaVia to carry this load by herself; let's give her some backup right now.
...and by "horn," I mean computer.
Friends, Romans...
There's another excellent bill pending in the House compliments of Linda Chapa LaVia. It has a hearing next Wednesday, March 20th, and as we've learned, it's really, really helpful to fill out a witness slip before a hearing.
The witness slip is your way of going on record during the hearing, which is sort of the most important time to go on record. When you fill out a witness slip, you can simply declare yourself as a proponent or an opponent, and doing so is infinitely better than doing nothing.
I'm going to show you the bill, show you how I would fill out the witness slip, show you how to take it one step further, and then beg you to move on this bill right now.
Here's the bill, HB5330.
The official synopsis:
Basically, it's a bill that requires "to create a permanent committee to review the nature and content of state-required tests, the effectiveness of the tests in achieving educational goals, the effects of poverty on test scores - a host of excellent questions," --- which is how the great Jim Broadway summarizes it.
In this age of rampant over-testing, and test-bullying, and test worship, and horrifically wrong-headed narratives being spun out of test data, and whole bureaucracies built around a constant testing cycle, it's an excellent bill. You should absolutely fill out a witness slip for it.
Check out the text of the bill--- look who's on the permanent committee, according to the language.
| 1 | AN ACT concerning education. | |
| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly: | |
| 4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | |
| 5 | 2-3.64c as follows: | |
| 6 | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.64c new) | |
| 7 | Sec. 2-3.64c. Test and assessment review committee. The | |
| 8 | State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a committee to | |
| 9 | review the tests administered by the State Board of Education | |
| 10 | and national, statewide, and local assessments administered by | |
| 11 | school districts. The committee shall consist of 3 parents; one | |
| 12 | teacher appointed by the Illinois Federation of Teachers; one | |
| 13 | teacher appointed by the Chicago Teachers Union; one teacher | |
| 14 | appointed by the Illinois Education Association; one charter | |
| 15 | school teacher appointed by the local collective bargaining | |
| 16 | unit representing teachers; one early childhood teacher | |
| 17 | appointed by an early childhood advocacy organization; 2 school | |
| 18 | administrators appointed by the Illinois Association of School | |
| 19 | Administrators; and 2 concerned citizens, one of whom is a | |
| 20 | resident of a city having a population exceeding 500,000 and | |
| 21 | one of whom is a resident of another region of this State. The | |
| 22 | committee shall select one of its members as chairperson. The | |
| 23 | committee shall meet on an ongoing basis to review the content |
| |||||||
| 1 | and design of the tests and assessments (including whether the | ||||||
| 2 | requirements of subsection (a-5) of Section 2-3.64 have been | ||||||
| 3 | met); the time and money expended at the local and State levels | ||||||
| 4 | to prepare for and administer the tests and assessments; the | ||||||
| 5 | collective results of the tests and assessments as measured | ||||||
| 6 | against the stated purpose of testing student performance; | ||||||
| 7 | parent, student, and educator perceptions of the level and | ||||||
| 8 | intensity of testing; and other issues involving the tests and | ||||||
| 9 | assessments identified by the committee (including without | ||||||
| 10 | limitation technology access and the role that school poverty | ||||||
| 11 | levels play in test administration). The committee shall | ||||||
| 12 | annually report and make recommendations to the State | ||||||
| 13 | Superintendent and the General Assembly concerning the tests | ||||||
| 14 | and assessments. The reports must be posted on the State Board | ||||||
| 15 | of Education's Internet website and be available for public | ||||||
| 16 | review. | ||||||
That's a bill that Illinois needs. Here's me, filling out my actual witness slip for it, which you should also do immediately. It makes no sense to try to fill one out after the hearing.
)
So how do you submit written testimony? It's actually pretty easy. It's a two-step process. 1. Write your testimony 2. Fax your clearly labeled testimony to the House Committee Clerk at FAX # 217-557-2165 before the hearing. There is no clear deadline for submission, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Submit early. You can also mail or express mail your testimony to the same office:
House Clerk Committee
Illinois State House, Room 426
401 S. Second Street
Springfield, Illinois 62076
We have so, so many parents with detailed knowledge of the scourge of over-testing; it would be a shame if the committee didn't hear from you first hand. Because they're going to hear first hand from the lobbyists from Stand For Children, or Pearson, or Michelle Rhee's corrupt outfit, or the Steans family, or from whomever else, about how fabulous testing is for everyone and about how your kids should just suck it up and fill in the bubbles all day, every day because of data and global something.
Remember, the legislators have a completely skewed understanding of all these issues. They get their information from Illinois Policy Institute and other lobbyists. They think you're thrilled with Race To The Top.
This is not a format for petitions or for pre-prepared texts. Write your own testimony; otherwise, it's a waste of time. Here's an example of what I would consider to be a clear label and an appropriate beginning.
Don't have a fax machine? Yes you do. If you're reading this on a computer, you have a fax. Don't make me make a video about how to use it, because I will. I will.
That's it! Please fill out a witness slip! Or even better, write down what you've seen and fax it in. We really can't expect Linda Chapa LaVia to carry this load by herself; let's give her some backup right now.
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