Tag Archives: Illinois Federation of Teachers

League of Women Voters, Peoria Public Schools

League of Women Voters to host charter school debate

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From my inbox:

League of Women Voters Invites the Public to hear about the Charter Schools Proposal in Peoria – Will this “fix” District 150 or cost money & hurt other schools?

Peoria – Should Peoria School District 150 approve a math, science and technology charter school, a middle school to be expanded into a high school? How will this impact other schools and students? How will it be financed?

Cindy Fisher and Vicky Stewart will explain the plans of the Peoria Charter School Initiative to open a math, science and technology charter school in District 150 by August, 2010, beginning with grades 5 – 7 then expanding yearly into high school. The plan contemplates a school with 600 students, with the students chosen by lottery.

Gerry Brookhart, the Regional Supt of Schools, will explain what charter schools are and the restrictions the state of Illinois places on them.

Tom McLauglin and Sharon Teefey from the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) will present their alternative view on charter schools.

The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session.

When: 9-11am Saturday, November 21, (free) Program (8:30am optional light breakfast $8)
Where: Peoria Castle Lodge (formerly Jumers) 117 N Western Ave.

Having heard the charter school proponents’ view quite a bit as of late, it should be interesting to hear the union’s take on the issue.

2008 Campaign, State of Illinois

Local groups oppose con-con for Illinois

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A number of local groups came out against a constitutional convention yesterday.

Representatives with the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Labor Council of West Central Illinois gathered Monday at Peoria City Hall to voice their disapproval with a referendum they claim will only exacerbate problems in the state.

“We believe it’s inappropriate, unpredictable and expensive,” League President Mary Jane Crowell said.

Their basic premise is that there’s nothing wrong with the state’s constitution. Rather, the problems in the state house are the result of bad behavior by our elected representatives. All we need to do is elect different (better) people and Springfield will be fixed. If anyone has a problem with the constitution, they should work on amending it, rather than rewriting it.

The pro-constitutional-convention website Yes for Illinois counters this argument:

Some “No” proponents argue that we can improve the state through “better leadership”. That’s fine on paper, but it reminds us of all the “guaranteed rights” in the Soviet Constitution. You can talk about better leadership, but how will we ever get better leaders.

It is our position…that while there are many good people in Illinois who could do a better job than their current legislators, they have precious little chance of getting elected, given Illinois gamed system of election laws and ballot access hoops….

This can’t be fixed by “electing better people” for one very simple reason. “Better people” are locked out of this system. ONLY dynamic changes of the kind brought about by a Constitutional Convention offers the opportunity to bring “better people” into the process.

A good example of that is how the legislative districts are drawn. Take a look at this political map:

This is textbook gerrymandering. Legislators are picking their voters instead of the other way around. So, what incentive is there for an elected representative to fight for a redrawing of a legislative district that he or she won? The system is fundamentally broken, which is why a constitutional convention is critical.

A “no” vote is a vote for the status quo. And we know the status quo isn’t working.