Meeting James Stevenson on Block Island.
I just came back from a family trip to lovely Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island. My daughter-in-law Candy, who grew up on the Island, kept us on the move. She wanted to share all its wonders. One morning Jessica, Leigh and my grandkids went to an early morning drawing session of birds. It was organized by the bird lady who catches, bands, releases and tracks all the migratory birds tha
Saturday coffee.
Martin Luther King, James Baldwin and my dad at a fundraiser in LA for the Southern Civil Rights Movement, around 1965. My dad is the guy sitting while James Baldwin is intro ducing Dr. King from the microphone. Somebody went to find a clothes hangar and some aluminum foil to try to get better reception on the little black and white tv we found in the storage room of the kitchen. It was Augu
Latest from the Illinois Gang of Ten’s proposals for pension theft.
From the Springfield Journal Register: The Associated Press on Friday obtained an outline of ideas being considered by the 10-person committee, whose members have said they are making progress on an issue that has vexed the Legislature for years. Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat and the committee’s chairman, acknowledged the outline but said the document is preliminary and the panel is not re
Here’s the list of CPS principals who are receiving bonuses while thousands of teachers are fired.
High tea at the Four Seasons. Rahm suggested they spend the money taking their spouses to the Four Seasons. 6 principals achieving the $20,000 Bonus Award 75 principals achieving the $10,000 Bonus Award 53 principals achieving the $5,000 Bonus Award 13 principals are from Welcoming Schools 9 principals are from elementary and high school charters 7 principals are from elementary AUSL schools 2
The in box. Randy Hultgren. The Congressman from the health insurance industry.
For a politician claiming to value fiscal responsibility, 14th Congressional Representative Randy Hultgren certainly has wasted a lot of our money. Hultgren has voted with the rest of his Tea Party coalition to repeal Obamacare 40 times. According to a recent CBS study, each Republican vote to repeal costs all of us American taxpayers $1.45 million—for a total of about $58 million. Question: Why w
The in box. Micah Uetricht on Chicago’s safe passage in murder city.
Micah Uetricht (right) reports on Chicago’s schools set up for failure. By Micah Uetricht for Al Jazeera Walking along bustling 47th Street in Bronzeville, a poor, almost entirely African-American neighborhood on the city’s South Side, Irene Robinson pointed out two men exchanging money in what looked like a drug deal, and sites where young men, including her godson, have been gunned down in re
Schools close. Teachers fired.CPS principals receive a Rauner bonus. “Take your spouse to the Four Seasons,” says the Mayor.
CPS principals receive bonuses paid for by millionaire Bruce Rauner. The first thing right-wing loony Dr. Dathan Paterno did following his election to the Park Ridge school board was vote to give a handful of Park Ridge administrators thousands of dollars in bonuses. He ran for the board on a platform of cutting teacher salaries. Typical. The Chicago Sun-Times reports today that CPS principals
AUG 22
GOP Matt defends Park Ridge board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. But makes up his own facts.
Park Ridge District 64 board member Dr. Dathan Paterno. Fred, I love how because he doesn’t share your far left tendencies, he is automatically a psycho unworthy of sitting on the board. If making some bold claims online makes you a psycho, then I’d wager to say you are all right there with him. But we all know that isn’t the case huh? - Matt Matt, Park Ridge school board member Dr. Paterno has
The in box. Jerry Mulvihill on Illinois pensions.
Fred, Two weeks ago the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Vice-President published a letter in a very local news publication in the south Chicago area called the Mt. Greenwood Express. In his letter, he thanked my local legislators for their support for voting for pension reform. My response below was printed in the August 15th issue. August 13, 2013 Dear Editor, In the August 8th edition of the Mt. Gr
Join me and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky for lunch.
Join us for lunch with Congresswoman Schakowsky and join our new IEA Retired Chapter. Since retiring a year ago I have been actively working with other IEA-Retired members to establish a chapter in the north Chicago suburbs where we all taught. We have had several productive planning meetings. We have submitted a charter, constitution and by-laws to the IEA. We have a name: The Skokie Organizat
Sun-Times, Civic Committee and the Civic Federation: More blame the teacher pensions.
The Civic Federation’s Larry Msall. If ever there was a time for every public and private employee to stand in defense of Illinois teacher pensions, the Sun-Times made it clear, today is the day. Teacher Pension Have to Take a Hit, the Sun-Times editorial writers declared. While many of the state pension systems are underfunded due to decades of failure to make payments by the the states feckle
AUG 21
The in box. Jim Keating on Illinois penisions.
My friend Jim Keating published this in the latest issue of the newsletter of the Du Page chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. In 1968 Vietnam a war correspondent saw US troops burning down a village and asked an Army major why. The Army officer was reported to reply, “ To save the village, it became necessary to destroy it.” In 1968 Vietnam the military was telling our reporte
From the archives. The NEA and Pearson.
While the delegates to the National Education Association’s national convention last July in Atlanta were not ready to formally criticize the Common Core Standards that had been enthusiastically endorsed by NEA’s President Dennis Van Roekel, they did pass a number of resolutions condemning the use and misuse of the testing that accompanies the national standards. The criticisms of the testing a
AUG 19
Rahm Emanuel. Worst. Mayor. Ever.
Catching crabs with the grand kids on Block Island, Rhode Island. Jesus Christ, Rahm. Can’t I leave Chicago for a God-damn week without you screwing things up even more? I’m writing this sitting on a bench behind the Block Island library. It’s the only place in town that you can get a decent internet connection. There is internet access here even when the library is closed. I’m sharing the benc
AUG 18
Logan Square Rally Today to Support Our Public Schools.
Logan Square Rally to Support Our Public Schools Sunday, August 18 4:00 PM Logan Square Monument Milwaukee & Logan Join parents, students, educators, community organizations, activists, and local elected officials as we rally and call on Mayor Emanuel to put our kids first by declaring a TIF surplus and restore the devastating cuts to our local schools before the children go back to school. A
AUG 17
“More weapons of library destruction rolling into #Whittier on an otherwise lovely Saturday morning.”
Photo and Tweet: Matt Farmer More weapons of library destruction rolling into #Whittier on an otherwise lovely Saturday morning.
Another cup of coffee for the road. La Casita.
La Casita at Whittier School in Pilsen. Parents and police. Your sister sees the future Like your mama and yourself. You’ve never learned to read or write There’s no books upon your shelf. And your pleasure knows no limits Your voice is like a meadowlark But your heart is like an ocean Mysterious and dark. One more cup of coffee for the road, One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go To the valley
8-23-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: The in boxFrom the pen of Ellen Gradman. An Ellen Gradman graphic.1 by Fred Klonsky / 1h Schools close. Teachers fired.CPS principals receive a Rauner bonus. “Take your spouse to the Four Seasons,” says the Mayor. CPS principals receive bonuses paid for by millionaire Bruce Rauner. The first thing r