Author: jan shaw

Test Scores Down – 1st all Common Core H.S.

I sent the following to (Wheaton-Warrenville, CUSD 200 board members today 11/1/2019)

To:board@cusd200.org

All of these “experts” were wrong.

[T]he class of 2019, the first to experience all four high school years under Common Core, is the worst-prepared for college in 15 years, according to a new report.

Common Core is a set of national instruction and testing mandates implemented starting in 2010 without approval from nearly any legislative body and over waves of bipartisan citizen protests. Continue reading “Test Scores Down – 1st all Common Core H.S.” →

School cost per-pupil

On 10/30/2019 The Daily Herald published an article about the per-pupil cost of schools, the following is a summary of some key facts from it:

“While the average per-pupil cost at a typical suburban preschool is $15,250 and median cost is $13,814, the top five suburban early childhood schools are spending roughly $30,000 or more.”

Type (suburban) Average per-pupil expense Median per-pupil cost
Pre-schools $15,250 $13,814
Elementary Schools 14,545 $13,986
Middle schools $14,377 $13,991
High Schools $14,612 $13,905

Top per-pupil pre-K

  1. Ann Reid in Naperville D203, $36,633
  2. Jefferson in Wheaton D200, $34,969
  3. Prairie Children Preschool in Aurora, $34,274
  4. Queen Bee in Glendale Heights, $33,751
  5. Rondout Elementary in Lake Forest, $31,491
  6. Geneva 304 Early Learning Program, $30,875.

Continue reading “School cost per-pupil” →

D200 PR spending – authorized?

This is a follow up to a previous post on PR spending:

That was not the first time this type of spending has been brought to the board’s attention.  See:

Is it legal for D200 to spend taxpayer money on gifts and Donations?  We believe the answer is NO!

Continue reading “D200 PR spending – authorized?” →

Are parents paying attention?

New Law in Illinois – LGBT History

HB0246 101st General Assembly signed into law on 8/9/2019.

Effective July 1, 2020.

Synopsis “With regard to the textbook block grant program, provides that the textbooks authorized to be purchased must include the roles and contributions of all people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act and must be non-discriminatory as to any of the characteristics under the Act. Provides that textbooks purchased with grant funds must be non-discriminatory. Provides that in public schools only, the teaching of history of the United States shall include a study of the roles and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State.”  [highlighting added]

Continue reading “Are parents paying attention?” →

Hope for Illinois Pension Reform

“The U.S. Supreme Court and virtually all state courts have recognized that the police powers of a government to impair contractual obligations for a higher public good, the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and its continued financial survival, cannot be waived, divested, surrendered, or bargained away.”

…

“Illinois was the last of the four states not permitting public pension reforms. In a series of Illinois Supreme Court decisions in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Illinois stood singularly against any modification of public pension benefits that would diminish or impair benefits of current employees and retirees. == we need to change that! Illinois must reform to remain a functioning state.”

ttps://muninetguide.com/what-illinois-can-learn-from-the-supreme-court-of-rhode-island-and-even-puerto-rico-about-public-pension-reform/

 

Universal Pre-K for all. Why now?

Back in 2006, when running for governor, Rod Blagojevich unveiled his plan for Universal pre-K.  While he won the governors race that year, his goal has yet to be realized. Other politicians and the teachers union are still pushing for it.  Recently they did a “study”.  We are now being told that too many of today’s pre-schoolers are not ready to start kindergarten when they should be.

What changed?  Continue reading “Universal Pre-K for all. Why now?” →

Rhode Island Supreme Court Shows Illinois The Way On Pension Reform

From Wirepoints, June 12, 2019 “What’s clear is that, contrary to persistent claims by public unions, the Contract Clause and the rest of the United States Constitution do not spell doom for addressing our pension crisis through a constitutional amendment. Rhode Island indicates it would work.”
Read the full article: https://wirepoints.org/rhode-island-supreme-court-shows-illinois-the-way-on-pension-reform/