12 minute read
Viewpoint
Mascot hunting season in Springfield: Bill would change school consolidation process
By Roger Eddy
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Spring break has come and gone for the 2021 spring session of the Illinois General Assembly. As the march toward adjournment heats up, this is a great time for you to get involved.
Nothing stirs emotion and interest like a proposal to potentially reorganize or in some way consolidate school districts in Illinois. HB7 is just such a bill. It was filed on Jan. 13, 2021, and carries the title of “School District Efficiency Commission.”
This measure passed out of a House Committee prior to the spring break, and recently a couple of amendments were filed to change the original version of the bill.
This is not the first time there has been a push for some type of consideration of consolidation of the 852 school districts in Illinois.
Myriad task forces and commissions have studied the topic for years. The latest wellknown effort was called the Classrooms First Commission. It was “led” by then Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon in 2012, and I served on that commission.
Its final report can be found online with a simple search. Recommendations dealt with removing barriers to consolidation and streamlining the process. There was no effort to force local districts into any type of consolidation or reorganization.
State law provides for several types of school district reorganization. These methods allow for local input and decision making.
Consolidation of school districts requires that a majority of voters approve the merger in each of the districts involved in the proposed consolidation.
The process begins when a committee, called the “committee of 10,” is formed, consisting of 10 individuals from the districts involved. Open meetings are held, and key decisions must be made in order for the group to serve the regional superintendent with a valid ballot proposal. In 2002, I was part of a local committee of 10 that worked to prepare a consolidation proposal between two rural unit districts in southeastern Illinois.
Ultimately, that proposal failed, passing in one district and losing in the other, proving it is difficult to take down a school mascot. Overall, the important thing was that people were provided the opportunity to determine if the merger was a good idea.
HB7 would shift away from the committee of 10 process to another type of committee, the “school efficiency committee.” It would ultimately be able to forward a proposed consolidation petition to the regional superintendent for voter consideration without specific local representation on the efficiency committee.
The planned efficiency committee structure is much larger than the current committee of 10 and includes government officials, elected officials, union appointees, statewide management association appointees and parents from various regions of the state. In all, there are 25 proposed members of this efficiency committee.
The efficiency committee’s responsibility is to identify a certain number of school districts, based on certain criteria, to be the subject of a local consolidation referendum.
There are many more details in the proposal, including a clear focus on establishing unit districts (K-12) by merging existing dual high school districts with K-8 elementary districts.
If this concerns you, this is the time to be heard. Go to www.ilga. gov, and type HB7 into the searchby-number box, then click on “Full Text.”
At that point you can read through the proposal and amendments being offered to get a better idea of what this might mean to your local community
You can even file a witness slip online and make comments about the legislation you are interested in. Simply go back the General Assembly home page (www.ilga.gov) and click on the “GA Dashboard” link. That link is highlighted in red. Click the appropriate House or Senate committee hearing based on what you learned about where the proposal is in the process. Posted bills are listed, along with a link to file a witness slip. Fill the slip out and add your thoughts and your voice.
Of course, you could contact your representative or senator directly by using the Senate or House member directory on the General Assembly home page. Just click on the name of your elected official. Office locations in Springfield and in-district phone numbers are located on this page, and you could call to make an appointment to discuss your concerns or leave a message regarding your support or opposition.
CLUES ACROSS
1. A group of sheep 5. Of she 8. This (Spanish) 12. A type of sorcery 14. A team’s best pitcher 15. Port in southern Japan 16. Makes very happy 18. Trigonometric unit of measurement 19. From a distance 20. Winged nut 21. Consumed 22. “Heat” director 23. In all places 26 Made improvements to 30. St. __ Girl: brand of beer 31. A type of “seat” 32. Wood 33. A brief treatise on a subject of interest 34. Approval 39. Basics 42. Where judges sit 44. W. African religion 46. Commentators 47. Having many different functions 49. Member of a Semitic people 50. Flightless, fast-running bird 51. After the seventh 56. Small N. Zealand tree 57. Health care pro (abbr.) 58. Playground mainstay 59. Expressing relief 60. Records brain activity (abbr.) 61. Fishing net 62. Beer 63. Tooth caregiver 64. Japanese beverage 5. Beloved comic strip character 6. Distinct form of a plant 7. Replenishment 8. Semitransparent glassy substance 9. Expedition to observe animals 10. One who held landed granted by Anglo-Saxon king 11. Obtain in return for labor 13. Inheritable genetically 17. One who rescues 24. Doctor of Education 25. Liberal arts 26. Shock treatment 27. Disfigure 28. When you hope to get there 29. Peacock network 35. Part of (abbr.) 36. The 21st letter of the Greek alphabet 37. Not just “play” 38. Former CIA 40. Reduced to a sloping edge 41. Restricted the development of 42. Sciences degree 43. Sea eagles 44. Saturated 45. Joints 47. Sailing boat 48. Respiratory organs 49. Guitarists use them 52. Disco act: Bee __ 53. First Chinese dynasty 54. Intentionally lose 55. Muslim people of China
Answers on page 18
As far as Derek Chauvin, he should get life, but that won’t happen. But whatever sentence he does get should be without parole. Thank you. * * *
I think justice was served in the George Floyd case. Derek Chauvin belongs behind bars. The demonstrations organized last year supporting George Floyd in cities and communities across the country had my support, as long as they were peaceful. Having said all this, why is it that we never see mass demonstrations organized to protest the shootings and killings that occur every weekend on the south and west sides of Chicago? The vast majority of these victims are Black. Don’t their lives matter, too?
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Hi, I just read the Speak Out call about a woman wearing her mask while walking outside and this person was mocking her and making fun of her. I also saw another one elsewhere, someone commenting on a person wearing a mask in their car and making fun of that as well. I’m not sure why anyone would make fun of another person’s caution or why we even need to comment on it. Everyone has a different thought on how cautious to be and I don’t think we need to add to the dialogue by laughing at other people. Thank you, bye-bye. * * *
I am so sad to say there is a restaurant in Villa Park which has a menu on their website, but when you go to check out, every item is $3-$4 more than when you “add to cart.” I hope that everyone is cautious when you order online. The restaurant says “we are trying to get it changed.” * * *
Anyone else getting frustrated with so-called “experts” on what to do with and without the COVID-19 vaccines? A year and a half ago nobody ever heard of COVID-19; how did all these people become experts on something nobody in the past 100 years has had to deal with? These “experts” know not what they talk about. They are sending mixed messages and involving politics in their decision. Enough of this. Open everything up and let’s get our lives back. And shame on the teacher unions for holding our children hostage all the while they are getting full pay and keep making demands and moving the goal posts.
* * * I can think of several U.S. Representatives and Senators from both political parties that have held public office for too long, and Maxine Waters is one of them. Read up sometime on the vile and divisive rhetoric she’s spewed during her 16 terms (32 years) in Congress, going back to the Rodney King verdict and the Los Angeles riots in 1992, all the way through to the Derek Chauvin verdict. That’s her claim to * * *
For those who object to Democrats in office, people vote them in because the GOP has repeatedly failed to not only work in a bipartisan manner but obstructs any effort made to address problems that affect all Americans. Gun violence, immigration reform, healthcare, infrastructure improvements; nothing was addressed in the last four years and no effort will be made until they start putting country over party.
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I hope everyone enjoyed Earth Day 2021. I’d like to remind everyone how wrong the climate fanatics have been over the years. According to some of these so-called experts, our planet was supposed to run out of food and oil more than 40 years ago. Just remember how wrong some of the experts have been when they tell you we’ve only got a few years left to “save the planet” and bow to their radical demands.
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This is in response to the person, believing himself or herself to be witty and humorous, who made the comment about the woman in a mask walking her dog. You are not witty and humorous. Maybe that woman was my daughter, fortunate to have received a kidney transplant. Transplant patients are told to wear a mask unless home. Perhaps it was my neighbor going through chemo, also told to wear masks. Has Trumpism removed all vestiges of humanity, understanding and empathy? It saddens me to know people as uncompassionate and hateful as you live in this community. The Review needs to stop printing these senseless and hurtful comments. * * *
The Democrats have bankrupted Illinois, Chicago and Cook County. I think they are pushing anti-Americanism in the schools, they are handcuffing the police as violent crime soars and they are encouraging illegal immigrants to come here. So, I ask my fellow DuPagers, is this what you want
Taking a stand for those encountering substance use disorders, state Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, is supporting legislation in the House Mental Health Committee which expands coverage to critical access to care.
“We cannot afford to stand idly by while the victims of substance use disorders continue to struggle simply because coverage to resources they desperately need is inadequate,” said Conroy, chair of the House Mental Health Committee. “As an advocate for mental health and those confronting substance use, I’m acutely aware of inequities that exist in our system that do not go far enough to help the most vulnerable. That is why I’m sponsoring a bill which demands more from insurances providers, establishes access to grant dollars, and expands access to prescription drugs.”
Conroy’s House Bill 2589 amends the Substance Use Disorder Act by expanding commercial insurance coverage to addiction treatment medication while also opening the door to grant funds that will enable victims to receive better access to treatment. Conroy’s legislation would help increase distribution of opioid antagonists, expand access to peer recovery specialists, provide housing public health fairs, promote harm reduction activities and provide connections to community partners.
“There are countless victims whose livelihoods would drastically improve if this bill is signed into law,” said Conroy. “It is critically important that we meet this moment in order to continue forging a path forward for those most in need.”
CHRIS FOX PHOTO Rock Valley Publishing
Taking flight
Rock Valley Publishing - Thursday,April 29, 2021 • 7VP for DuPage County? Please do your homework before voting as the Democrats are intent on controlling this county and every school in it. * * *
Can somebody please tell me why nobody seems to believe they have to stop at stop signs? And I’d say 70 percent of the ones I see are the new woke generation. They don’t care what * * * I heard the Oscars were on Sunday night. I didn’t watch a second of it. Why? For the same reason I don’t watch late night talk shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. It’s become a forum for leftists to rant.
Conroy supports mental health legislation
Editor’s note: This was submitted by the office of State Rep. Deb Conroy.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Rock Valley Publishing Advocating for support
