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59-0 vote in Senate for school reforms, but changes possible in House

SPRINGFIELD -- Legislation that would make major changes in how Illinois schools are run breezed through the Senate on a 59-0 vote Thursday, although two House lawmakers indicated that chamber might tweak the plan further.

"I urge the House not to change any item in this legislation whatsoever," said state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who is given credit for shepherding the contentious issue through negotiations with education reform groups, teachers' unions, administrators, school boards and other lawmakers.

"All of these individuals have worked for the past six months making sure that they gave as much as they could, they received as much as they could," Lightford said.

State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, the House GOP's point person on education, and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, both praised the Senate bill, but they also said it is unlikely that the House will rubber-stamp the Senate's version.

"There are two chambers for a reason," Currie said. "We, of course, will have our own ideas, but I think a lot of what I've read about what they plan to do sounds very much in keeping with our own agenda."

"To expect everyone to summarily agree with something they haven't read yet, that's not how this process works," Eddy said.

However, he added, "this bill, in many ways, achieves the goals that we all had when we started this process in the House (last year)."

Currie said Democrats have resisted some provisions in the bill before. But she also said she hopes changes made in the House "would not so upset the apple cart that we end up with nothing."

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn released a statement indicating he supports the bill. Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, who represented the administration at times during the talks Lightfoot oversaw, testified in favor of the bill in the Senate Education Committee.

"This bill helps us make sure that we have the best teachers in our classrooms and assures effective teacher performance," Quinn said. "This continues the comprehensive education reform effort in our state, and I urge legislators to support our students by supporting this plan."

Before senators voted to send the bill to the House, lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum congratulated themselves for avoiding the national notoriety that came with legislative battles over union rights in Republican-controlled Ohio and Wisconsin. Illinois' state government is controlled by Democrats.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say, you had me at (the words), 'agreed education reform bill,'" said state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine.

"We are so not Wisconsin," said Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, whose sister, Robin Steans, the executive director of education reform group Advance Illinois, played a key role in negotiations.

Chris Wetterich can be reached at (217) 788-1523.

Major components of Senate Bill 630

--If a school board has to lay off teachers, it would no longer do so solely on the basis of teacher seniority. The legislation would require performance and qualifications to be factors in such decisions, with seniority being a tie-breaker.

--School districts can hire and assign teachers based on who would best serve the district, not seniority.

-- Before teachers go on strike, a mediator must release the last contract offers proposed by both the teachers' union and the school district.

--Three-fourths of the members of the Chicago Teachers Union would have to vote to strike before a strike could be called. Downstate teachers' unions would continue to need only a majority to strike.

--Teachers could be dismissed more quickly for bad conduct or performance.

-- Today, a teacher gets tenure after four years or is dismissed. Under the legislation, a teacher would have to receive two "proficient or excellent" evaluations during the last three years of a four-year probationary period to be granted tenure. New teachers who receive three excellent performance reviews in their first three years would be granted tenure early.

-- Tenured teachers who receive two unsatisfactory ratings within a seven-year period can have their certificates reviewed by the state superintendent of schools. A certificate then could be revoked or the teacher could be referred for "professional development opportunities" to help him or her improve.

Rules not the same for Chicago, downstate

SPRINGFIELD -- Under an education reform package moving through the Illinois General Assembly, Chicago teachers would face a higher bar to clear before they can call a strike - 75 percent of all members have to agree - but the same requirement won't apply to downstate teachers.

The chief sponsor of Senate Bill 630, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, said that's because the consequences of Chicago teachers striking are more severe. And a key legislative Republican said the bill does the right thing.

"When we began our discussions around strike provisions, it was surely noted that there is a difference in demographics (between Chicago and downstate and suburban districts) as it relates to the size of the district, the impact that it would have on more families, the social ills that would take place as it relates even to free and reduced meals -- some kids rely on having that meal at school," Lightford said.

State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, who is also superintendent of Hutsonville Community Unit School District No. 1, said the rules can't always be the same for Chicago and the rest of Illinois.

"I think it was a reasonable approach. I hope they look at this as a recognition of very, very evident differences in a huge, urban public school system and the effect when hundreds of thousands of kids all at one time might be home," Eddy said. "That's a dangerous situation."

When talks about overhauling the state's education system began last year, there was talk about barring teacher strikes altogether. Some supporters of that idea feel that school boards cave too easily at the threat of a strike. Eddy thinks a provision in the bill requiring the release of the last offer by districts and teachers' unions is a boon to downstate parents and taxpayers. There is no such provision today.

"Once the public gets to see whatever the last best offer is for management and for the teachers, that's where the pressure comes from," Eddy said. "Usually they don't know until after the strike starts, and it's too late for that dynamic to take place."

Illinois Education Association President Ken Swanson noted that there hasn't been a strike in Chicago in over 20 years and said the unions made the case that downstate strikes are rare and often short. He said strikes were more frequent before the state allowed teachers to collectively bargain.

"There were more strikes before the (collective bargaining) law was passed," Swanson said. "The strike is a much rarer event."

-- Chris Wetterich