Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

2-12-14 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.:



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The Wolf of Sesame Street. Public TV signs a deal with the devil on pension reporting.
By David Sirota. Read the entire article here. On December 18th, the Public Broadcasting Service’s flagship station WNET issued a press release announcing the launch of a new two-year news series entitled “Pension Peril.” The series, promoting cuts to public employee pensions, is airing on hundreds of PBS outlets all over the nation. It has been presented as objective news on  major PBS programs
The weather is warming up for Tuesday’s Soup Kitchen at Pension Thief Robyn Gabel’s office.
The fight against pension theft is heating up again. Senate President John Cullerton is threatening Chicago teachers with massive layoffs if the CTU doesn’t agree to another Senate Bill 1 deal. CTU VP Jesse Sharkey isn’t impressed. “We’re not stupid,” he responded. Chicago teachers and other Chicago public employees will be heading for Springfield on Wednesday. And Thursday our IEA Retired chapte


Don’t believe the hype. CPS suspensions got younger. 80% of elementary school suspensions were Black students.
  “Suspensions are down,” said Rahm and Byrd-Bennett. Don’t believe the hype. Many were suspicious when CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Mayor Emanuel released some data claiming CPS was suspending less students. But a study by Catalyst’s sharp-eyed Sara Karp showed the claim was as bogus as the value of an ISAT test. Karp found that: While high school suspensions are down by 10,000 students, en


John Dillon. Tax relief? Here’s a “fair” explanation
By John Dillon who posted this on his blog, Pension Vocabulary. Tax Relief for Illinois and a Revenue Fix! Tax Relief?  Here’s a “Fair” Explanation… I just received my latest update from Republican Representative Dwight Kay.  Representative Dwight may look like Wally Cox of days long past, but don’t think for a minute he is the mild Mr. Peepers of film fame or anything quite like it.  I
Cullerton threatens Chicago teachers. “We will lay off thousands and thousands of you.”
Democratic Party House Speaker Michael Madigan and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton are the good cop/bad cops of the Illinois General Assembly. In the pension theft of public employees Speaker Madigan led the charge while Cullerton played a conciliatory role. But pensions got robbed. Now, with Chicago teacher, firefighter and police pensions on the chopping block, it is Cullerton steppi


2-11-14 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.: I received a Christmas card from an NEA director.In December I received a Christmas card from a member of the National Education Association’s Board of Directors. It was nice. I didn’t even know the guy. How did he know my home address? He has access to every member’s home address and contact informat