By: Mark Glennon*
Most of you probably think kids should be taught that somebody’s death is no time to insult them, even an enemy. Not the Illinois Education Association, evidently.
Yesterday came news that an outspoken critic of teachers’ unions and public education, Jack Roeser, died. The IEA took that as an opportunity to tweet a link to its earlier article about him that says “he’s unencumbered by any feelings for children who attend public schools” and likened him to Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.
The tweet is below:
Anti public education activist Jack Roeser died today. A 2010 blog post on Roeser and IEA: http://www.ieanea.org/2014/06/13/do-you-wish-to-be-defined-by-this-man/ …
Since nobody died recently at the IEA who I know of, let me say this clearly: Nothing does more to disgrace the noble profession of teaching and the institution of public education (that I happen to believe in) more than the IEA and teachers’ unions in Illinois.
*Mark Glennon is founder of WirePoints
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.