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1 Front Volume 142 No. 14
Friday, March 11, 2016
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Governor uses a zero to show ag is No. 1 Ag education budget is latest to enter political combine By Dave Cook
news@tonicanews.com
SPRINGFIELD — Agriculture is at the core of the state. The farms dotting our landscape are homes to families and the children raised there are where the majority of future farmers originate. To help them on their way, 321 schools in the state offer ag education programs according to the Illinois FFA. Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed eliminating the budget for these programs despite often speaking of how important agriculture is to Illinois. While talking about job opportunities in agriculture to more than 200
high school students at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur last September, Rauner was quoted by Bloomington’s Pantagraph as saying, “Agriculture is the backbone of the Illinois economy and the No. 1 engine for our prosperity in the future. I’m all in to help farmers any way I can.” The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recommends a budget of $3 million for the proposed budget’s agriculture education line item. It’s currently at $1.8 million, and Rauner proposes lowering it to zero even though agriculture creates up to a quarter of the state’s employment opportunities.
Princeton High School Ag teacher, Dan Foes said, “I think it’s a ridiculous proposal. Illinois has been one of the leading states in agriculture for many years and will be for many more. I truly believe that agriculture is the backbone of our state.” Students and educators from across the state recently addressed this issue while visiting Springfield as part of the annual Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day. Students from the Putnam County FFA were able to spend time with State Sen. Sue Rezin and discuss the importance of agriculture in our
Ag education Page 3
Blue ribbons — a symbol to embrace
FASTT Math
Youth Service Bureau fights to stop child abuse
New online program helping students in Tonica
By Eric Engel
news@tonicanews.com
By Dave Cook
news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Memorization is an important part of education, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. The Tonica Education Foundation recently purchased a new online program called FASTT Math for Tonica Elementary students. FASTT (Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching and Technology) Math gives each student personalized help in gaining fluency in math facts by charting their successes and focusing on the areas with which they need further work. After a brief initial assessment, the program tailors the student’s work to help them efficiently use their time. The program visually tracks the student’s progress and provides an easy to understand display the students and teachers can use to further their progress. The program presents the work through a series of adaptive games and puzzles and gives immediate correction and feedback if a question is answered incorrectly or if too much time is spent on a particular problem. Third-grade teacher Lynn Anderson said, “It’s a huge improvement over our previous program. FASTT Math is very engaging, and the children have been enjoying using it during our computer enrichment time.”
Math Page 2
Vol. 142 No. 14 One Section - 8 Pages
Tonica News photo/Dave Cook
Third-grade teacher Lynn Anderson watches her student, Lauren Rundle, practice her math skills on the new online program FASTT Math which was purchased by the Tonica Education Foundation.
Through efforts of the Youth Service Bureau (YSB) of Illinois Valley out of Ottawa, April will be declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by community leaders throughout the area. The YSB has developed proclamations to be read and signed in prominent cities throughout Northern Illinois to promote child abuse prevention under an even finer lens than normal. These efforts are aimed at giving a voice to children who have lost theirs because of an abusive situation, and to promote a bright future for these youth who oftentimes come to expect to be treated poorly. According to a YSB press release, more than 100,000 cases of child abuse were reported in Illinois in 2014, with it being noted those numbers only reflect reported cases. By bringing this subject further into the forefront of discussion, the YSB is hoping to accomplish better community recognition and engagement on every possible level. The YSB will be distributing baskets of blue ribbon pins — which symbolize child abuse prevention — to area businesses, and they encourage everyone to wear them and share them with their friends in
a collective rise against anyone who would hurt a child. As previously reported in the Bureau County Republican, the YSB stated Child Abuse Prevention Month first began in 1983, but the blue ribbon campaign did not start until 1989. At that time, a woman named Bonnie Finney tied a blue ribbon to her van antenna to honor and support her grandson who had experienced abuse. “I never intend to forget the battered, bruised bodies of my grandchildren,” Finney said. “Bruises are black and then eventually blue. Therefore, blue serves as a constant reminder to me to fight for our children.” Although based in Ottawa, the YSB has additional offices in Rockford, Aurora, Princeton, LaSalle and Glen Ellyn, and has been offering strength and love through counseling and therapeutic means for 40 years. In celebration of the milestone, the YSB will be hosting a fundraiser on May 14 at the Knights of Columbus in Ottawa. All proceeds will be used to help children to never experience the physical and emotional violence of child abuse. For more information on services or to report an individual in need of assistance, call the YSB at 815433-3953.
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© The Tonica News
Photo contributed
Members of the PCHS FFA recently visited Springfield and State Sen. Sue Rezin as part of Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day. A main topic of concern for the more than 1,000 visitors was Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget proposal to eliminate ag education funding. Pictured are Hunter Witzman (from left), Laurie Glenn, Rezin, Melody Kincaid and Michael Schrowang.
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