Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, October 28, 2013

10-28-13 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.:






List of currently scheduled Illinois Medicare Advantage information meetings.
SEMINAR SCHEDULE Any impacted retiree may attend any meeting. All locations will host two sessions (9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) unless noted otherwise. November 11, 2013 Rock Island High School 1400 25th Avenue Rock Island, IL 61201 (Sponsored by Senator Mike Jacobs and Blackhawk Unit (Rock Island Cty) IRTA) November 12, 2013 Legacy Theatre 101 E Lawrence Avenue Springfield, IL (Sponsored by Repre
Chicago Halloween protest. Unbury the TIF surplus.
Amisha Patel of the Grassroots Collaborative. “Unbury the TIF money.” Over 75 students, parents, and community members joined together at City Hall Tuesday to demand that the TIF Surplus Ordinance be released from the Rules Committee and brought to a vote in City Council. Participants held signs with photos of Rules Chair Michelle Harris and Rule Vice-Chairs calling on them to unbury the TIF Su




Bev Johns’ PPO Adventure
CMS has posted a number for UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage PPO: 888-223-1092. Good sign: recorded voice answering said thank you for calling about plan “offered for members of an Illinois State sponsored plan”. Within a minute transferred to a real person in North Carolina: friendly and patient person. But it took 41 minutes to get the answer to “what is the cost for going to an emergen


The in box. Illinois CMS has just posted customer service phone numbers for the Medicare Advantage providers on their web site.
CMS has just posted customer service phone numbers for the Medicare Advantage providers on their web site:   Plan Component Administrator’s Name Customer Service Phone Numbers UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage PPO UnitedHealthcare (888) 223-1092   Coventry Advantra HMO Coventry Advantra (855) 223-4807 Humana Medicare  Employer HMO The Humana Benefit Plan HMO a
Ten minute drawing. The end of Art.



Steps and lanes and Dennis Van Roekel.
  NEA Prez Dennis Van Roekel. I’m writing this morning as a guy who has done more bargaining than a used car salesman. Mine have been union contracts. So, I was interested when NEA President Dennis Van Roekel spoke out against the traditional step-and-lane salary schedule. “Let’s get rid of step-and-lane. I don’t like it. It forces people to work for peanuts when they start, and if you stay there


New York is poised to elect De Blasio. Chicago needs a candidate for the 99%.
  New York City’s next first family. This morning the latest polls show New York Democrat Bill De Blasio ready to win the election on November 5th by historic margins. It is as deep and thorough a rejection of the Bloomberg and Giuliani years as it gets in electoral politics. Their candidate, Republican Joe Lohta, has become a joke. “Knock, knock. Who’s there?” De Blasio has run a campaign of low

10-27-13 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.: A bill that would exclude special education parents and teachers.H/T: Bev Johns. On October 22, 2013, Senate Bill 578 was completely changed by an amendment in the Illinois House of Representatives. House Amendment Number 1 LIMITS who can provide CPDUs to ONLY the following: (1) ISBE (2) ROEs (3) Illi