Thanks Joan for putting together a summary of our May 21 meeting on K-12 Education. About 30 people came, Ted Dabrowski and Sherry Street from the Illinois Policy Institute were among our guests. Sherry worked in Milwaukee with Howard Fuller where the first school choice program in the country was implemented. Ted, a Wilmette resident, is Policy Director at the Illinois Policy Institute, and has spent the year helping families in Waukegan have school choice for their kids, find out more on Give Me Choice Waukegan (Givemechoice.org)
We divided into three smaller groups to discuss education reform. After an hour or so, all members reconvened to share their take-away of important key facts for education reform, including:
- Every child deserves a good education (http://www.illinoiskidscampaign.org)
- In neighborhoods where the parents are involved, the school districts are better.
- A staggering 50% of all education spending is currently going to administrative costs, and not to classrooms!
- In the last 50 years, U.S. education spending has soared 350%, yet national achievement has decreased. In IL alone:
41% of IL elementary kids can not do grade-level work in math & reading
47% of IL high school kids can not do grade-level work in math & reading
40% of Chicago Public High School freshman do not graduate
- It was agreed that education reform is necessary, including vouchers where the money follows the student.
- Less government interference in our schools is preferred.
- A “free market” school system, where teachers are paid on merit, instead of tenure, as well as school choice & charter schools, are a start to the conversation on education reform.
Ok. Now what?
We decided to learn more about how to influence our representatives and actually go to a town hall meeting. So Tracy Kearney will post Town Hall Meetings schedule, and there is one June 9th.
- Rep. Robyn Gabel and Rep. Laura Fine are hosting a combined Town Hall meeting on June 9th at 7:00pm at the Evanston Ecology Center 2024 McCormick Boulevard. The topic is “End of Session Update”. Who’s in? RSVP to the circle (this is just our own private invitation)
Why do we live in IL? What could it be? Anita Livaditis and Joan Lasonde will create a summary on what’s good in IL, they will post in on the website.
Ted Dabrowski, Anne Kaup & Joan Lasonde will create a first draft for approval of who the Policy Circle is for. For example, we fight for children, rather than against the unions.
Save the date our next meetings are September 24 (RSVP here) where we will be discussing a Vision for IL – What’s good about living in IL, so start sharing your perspective, review the briefs on Higher Education, Taxes, Fiscal Responsibility to shape your opinion.
