Politics and Opinion from Champaign-Urbana

Open Thread (11/6/2009)

IlliniPundit — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:24:46 +0000

Friday, November 6, 2009.

Friday Funnies

Joan Dykstra — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:51:54 +0000

Open Thread (11/5/2009)

IlliniPundit — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:56:46 +0000

Thursday, November 5, 2009.

Consent Decree Terminated

IlliniPundit — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:38:58 +0000

The Federal Lord Judge has finally signed off on the negotiated end to the Consent Decree.

The Champaign school district’s consent decree case is officially over.

Federal District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade entered an order Wednesday afternoon approving the proposed settlement agreement reached by the school district and the plaintiffs this summer.

"The Consent Decree is hereby terminated in its entirety." Yea!

State Pinching UI

IlliniPundit — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:03:56 +0000

Ouch:

The University of Illinois has so far seen only $400,000 of $317 million it is owed by the state, leading to a virtual hiring freeze and the possibility of furloughs.

And the state may cut even deeper.

The UI has billed the state for $317 million of its current fiscal year 2010 appropriation as of this week, but has received only $400,000 for all three campuses.

And in case anyone is wondering what Democratic governance has done to the UI:

White and Ikenberry noted that the problem even precedes the recession:

"In fiscal year 2002, the university's state general fund appropriation was $804 million. By fiscal 2009, that amount was down to $700 million after accounting for a $19 million rescission and a redirection of $24 million annually to cover part of our health care costs previously paid by the state. This is a reduction of 13 percent, excluding inflation, or 30 percent in real terms."

(Note: over the same period, total state expenditure rose from roughly $36 billion to $50 billion.)

The UI just hasn't been a priority for the Democrats running Illinois.

Open Thread (11/4/2009)

IlliniPundit — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:30:54 +0000

Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

Same As It Ever Was

IlliniPundit — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:05:59 +0000

There is water at the bottom of the ocean:

A rural Paris woman who has been an assistant to Gov. Pat Quinn for six years has suddenly resigned from her position as Quinn's deputy chief of staff.

Carolyn Brown Hodge, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, resigned from the governor's staff Friday night upon reports that the state's Office of the Executive Inspector General had confiscated her computer to determine whether she was doing political work on state time.

Remember, Brown Hodge isn't some Blagojevich holdover - she has been with Quinn for years, and was handpicked by Gov. Quinn for this job after he became Governor. Remember this, and Gov. Quinn's loyal defense of Rod Blagojevich for six years as running mate and Lt. Governor, when Quinn is portrayed as some sort of anti-corruption reformer whose ethics cannot be questioned.

Filing Roundup

IlliniPundit — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:30:29 +0000

I was going to do a filing roundup, but Tom Kacich already did. Most notable is that no Republican filed to run against Sen. Mike Frerichs in the 52nd District.

Although Danville Republican Al Reynolds said last month that he intended to run for the 52nd District state Senate seat, no Republican filed to oppose state Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign. Reynolds did not return phone calls Monday night.

Also notable are a number of local Primary contests, including for the GOP nomination for County Board in District 1 and for the Democrats in Districts 6 and 9. The Democrats have a number of contested Precinct Committeemen elections as well, but have no countywide candidates.

Open Thread (11/3/2009)

IlliniPundit — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:20:45 +0000

Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

NG on Carle Merger

IlliniPundit — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:37:10 +0000

The NG asked many of the questions that commenters on here were asking last week:

The details – such as how long payments in lieu of taxes would continue – haven't been determined. But Carle has a long track record of doing right by the community, Leonard and Wellman said.

"We recognize this is a BIG issue," Leonard said.

It could be a multimillion dollar issue for local taxing districts.

Carle Clinic, the Carle Foundation and Carle Foundation Hospital together paid $5.3 million in property taxes this year to all the taxing districts of Champaign County – and more than $400,000 to taxing districts in other counties where Carle has medical facilities.

Of $5.3 million paid in Champaign County, the hospital is appealing about $2.9 million paid on five properties it contends should be tax-exempt based on the charity care the hospital provides to needy patients.

Carle hospital's tax exemption will ultimately be decided by the courts – and not until after the Illinois Supreme Court rules on the taxable status of Provena Covenant Medical Center later this year.

"The Carle Foundation is currently paying property taxes on all properties, including property taxes on properties owned by the foundation but leased by Carle Clinic. Until this issue is clarified by either the courts or legislative action, we don't anticipate any material changes," Carle spokeswoman Gretchen Robbins said.

"While we cannot make future long-term commitments until the rules of charity care and community benefit are more clearly defined, the Carle Foundation has always been an excellent community citizen and steward of community resources, and we will continue to be so under an integrated delivery system model. We certainly acknowledge and appreciate the services provided by the taxing bodies and are sensitive to the value of the property taxes we pay to the community. The Carle Foundation fully intends to work out an arrangement with the taxing bodies to continue payment at the current rate for the properties that could otherwise be taken off the tax rolls if the integration occurs, and if there is a definitive ruling in Carle's favor regarding the overall property tax challenge."

Discuss.

Dem in 104th

IlliniPundit — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:28:11 +0000

This will be our area's first contested open House seat since the 2001 redistricting.

Veteran Danville Alderman Michael Puhr on Friday filed petitions to run as a Democrat for state representative in the 104th House District....

Puhr, 54, has been an alderman since 2001. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003. He was born in Wisconsin but has lived in Danville since 1966. For 36 years, he has been operations manager at Danville Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home.

Discuss.

Open Thread (11/2/2009)

IlliniPundit — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:41:02 +0000

Monday, November 2, 2009.

Today is the last day to file nominating petitions for the February 2, 2010 Primary Election.

Open Thread (10/30/2009)

IlliniPundit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:53 +0000

Friday, October 30, 2009.

Friday Funnies

Joan Dykstra — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:39:56 +0000

Illinois Education Reform

IlliniPundit — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:30:46 +0000

From an op-ed by State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago):

You would think that Chicago teachers, Mayor Richard Daley, churches and elected officials would care enough to work together to improve the system. But instead, the Chicago Teachers Union has figured out a way for teachers to not be evaluated on obvious criteria, such as how well they perform in the classroom.

Nobody wants to be held accountable, but the blood of every child is on our hands.

We must also decide whether Mayor Daley should continue to preside over the Chicago schools. Since he assumed control of the district in 1995, the Blackhawks have had nine coaches, the Bulls have had eight coaches, the Cubs have had five managers and the White Sox have had three managers.

For the first time in my personal and political career, I am exploring the idea of vouchers and charter schools to help facilitate choice and enhance academic performance. Why should we continue to make investments in a system that is bankrupt and weighed down with bureaucracy?

We must begin making decisions that are in the best interest of children, such as mandatory teacher evaluations. Since the will to change the system is nonexistent, we should allow students the flexibility to attend schools outside their district. What once worked before, such as the local school councils, may have run its course in today's competitive environment.

They say the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. We can no longer afford to have the blood of every child on our hands.

I would love for charter schools, vouchers, mandatory teacher evaluations, etc. get a serious hearing in Illinois, not because I think they are a panacea for what ails our schools (and Chicago schools more specificially) but as part of a larger discussion of how we can improve our entire educational system - bureacracy, funding, and teaching - to better empower students and families, while recognizing that some kids and some families present enormous educational challenges. Your thoughts?