Friday, September 12, 2014

9-12-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:






Outlaw Rahm must go. He tells retirees to drop dead.
The ruling of the Illinois was unequivocal. The Illinois Constitution’s pension protection provision covers retiree health care benefits. A year ago when Rahm tried to end the promised subsidy to retiree health care. Rahm and the city were taken to court. In a precedent setting ruling in another but similar case, the Illinois ruled in the employees favor with only one judge dissenting. Not surpri


What happens when anti-public school ideology meets low voter turnout. Why you should care about Hinsdale.
Hinsdale District 86 is a suburban Chicago school district with two high schools and a history of high quality teachers and support staff. Last year a group of right-wing  extremists were elected to a majority of the school board due to low voter turnout. This happens way to often in suburban and rural districts. Contract bargaining with a mediator has gone badly due to board obstruction. Teacher


GAO report. Arne Duncan garnishes pensions of 22,000 seniors over 65 years old.
The Huffington Post. The Education Department is demanding so much money from seniors with defaulted student loans that it’s forcing tens of thousands of them into poverty, according to a government audit. At least 22,000 Americans aged 65 and older had a part of their Social Security benefits garnished last year to the point that their monthly benefits were below federal poverty thresholds, acco

Slavery. A new school value.
The Economist declares that efficiency is a new school value. “Higher teacher pay and smaller classes are not the best education policies.” Ha! Says who? Maybe Rahm. And GEMS Educational Solutions, a consulting firm that looked at PISA scores, an international comparison of 15-year-olds in core subjects. GEMS then correlates those scores to class size and teacher salaries and comes up with an eff
The first teacher strike in the history of Highland, Illiinois.
. Members of the downstate Highland Education Association are on strike for the first time in their history. The board has offered little in the way of compensation, freezing teachers at step and lane.    


Lunch with the candidates.
State Representative Nekritz speaks to retirees. Every election season my chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association invites local candidates for state House and Senate races to speak to our group. Yesterday’s luncheon was the first time we’ve had the opportunity to vote for or against them since they voted for pension theft. Every one of the local incumbents voted for pension theft. It
Bev Johns. For the first time in my life I will not be voting for one of the candidates for Governor of Illinois.
- Beverley Holden Johns is a Special Education activist, advocate and frequent contributor to this blog. Supporters of Public Education face a horrible choice for Governor of Illinois: Republican Bruce Rauner versus Democrats Pat Quinn and Paul Vallas. I cannot bring myself to vote for Pat Quinn/Paul Vallas. Our current Governor is completely willing to act unconstitutionally, not only on teacher
9-11-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Chicago Tonight. Pension debate goes AWOL in the governor’s race.Click here for link to WTTW Chicago Tonight. There were Ralph Martire, Dan Montgomery, Bruce Dold and John Tillman to talk about pension reform and the Illinois Governor’s race on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. Host Carol Marin laughingly calle