In Illinois, Republicans refused to pass legislation to fund public schools unless Democrats agreed to addd $75 million for vouchers for religious schools.
Governor Rauner, who loves charter schools and hates public schools, was happy to go along. So was Democratic Speaker Mike Madigan, who fell in love with the scandal-ridden Gulen charters after several free trips to Turkey. (Now that the government of Turkey wants to imprison Imam Fetullah Gulen for sponsoring a coup attempt, there are not likely to be any more Gulen-paid trips to Turkey.)
Chicago Tribune writer Eric Zorn describes the secretive deal to funnel money to religious schools here.
Zorn will wait and see what happens but it is already well known that most of the money will be spent on children already attending private and religious schools.
What a disgrace!
This is a victory for Betsy DeVos and Trump.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Madigan has been Illinois House Speaker for 32 of the last 34 years. He’s a calcified bully who only uses the term Democrat for window dressing; he’s all about maintaining his kingdom. I don’t support term limits, but if there were more like him, I’d jump on that bandwagon. Sadly, Illinois Republicans don’t have much to crow about either. That situation helps explain how Rahm gets away with the stuff he does.
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/08/29/betsy-devos-visit-voucher-school-second-day-tallahassee/612405001/
Everyone please applaud the Superintendent of the Leon County,, Florida Public Schools for standing up against DeVos when she visited Tallahassee. She visited Florida State University’s charter school, a private school, and a private school that primarily runs off of vouchers.
This woman does not understand anything, but choice, and she certainly does not know or care about public schools. I didn’t see children doing anything in the video differently from what anyone could see in any elementary public school. The only difference is the children seemed to be a lot whiter.
“It’s obvious that the secretary and our federal government have very little respect for our traditional public school system,” Hanna said. “And it’s insulting that she’s going to visit the capital of the state of Florida, to visit a charter school, a private school and a voucher school.”
I don’t think it matters. Betsy DeVos is completely irrelevant to public schools at this point, as is Congress.
They fund something like 9% of our district, and it goes down every year. They’re opposed to our schools but honestly, who cares?
Has she added any value to any public school in the country? Is there one public school kid in this country who can point to one positive contribution she has made to their schools in 8 months?
She’s the private school and charter school secretary. Good riddance. They can have her.
This is worse than a disgrace. Several degrees worse.
This discussion doesn’t even touch what is being done to special education in Illinois in this “grand compromise.”
Public schools were an afterthought, a point of leverage. a bargaining chip- the objective of the whole session was vouchers.
3% of students are directing the entire legislative agenda for the other 97%.
You can’t pay these people to focus on public schools, and we should know, we are paying them.
Are the public employees at the US Department of Education forbidden to enter a public school
“U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reportedly will spend a second day in Tallahassee, with her Wednesday stop again bypassing traditional public schools.
DeVos is scheduled to attend a private roundtable event at Bethel Family Life Center, which houses Bethel Christian Academy, a voucher school run by the church.
visit Bethel Christian Academy, a voucher school run by Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, the church confirmed. Her public schedule does not include the stop. DeVos made two school stops Tuesday, at Holy Comforter Episcopal School and Florida State University School, a research school run by Florida State University. ”
Not one of the people we’re paying at the state or federal level can be bothered with the schools 90% of kids attend?
Ludicrous. These people are completely irrelevant to 90% of students and parents in the country. They do NOTHING for public schools. They no longer even pretend to work for public school students and parents.
So what happens next year? The public schools can’t open until they get a voucher expansion? Taking public schools hostage worked this year. Why not double down next year?
Does anyone in that statehouse work for the 97% of students who AREN’T in private schools?
Those poor kids.They happened to come along at a time when public schools were deemed unfashionable.
Cross posted at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Illinois-Republicans-Exto-in-General_News-Funding_Legislation_Money_Public-Assets-To-Private-Wealth-170831-253.html#comment671817
with this comment which has links at the site.
I would recommend that everyone who wants to keep afoot of the daily assault on our PUBLIC EDUCTION INSTITUION, not merely our ‘schools,’ get the daily feed from the DIANE RAVITCH BLOG and read her book The Demolition of American Education.
She follows the devastation, state by state, in the almost SIXTEEN THOUSAND SEPARATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, IN FIFTY STATES!
That is why they can get away with handing over the schools to the legislators, with not an educator on board… see my series
https://www.opednews.com/Series/legislature-and-governorsL-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-150217-816.html?f=legislature-and-governorsL-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-150217-816.html
I am in Houston and was boat evacuated out of my badly flooded home. Public schools are being turned into shelters. Public school buses are bravely driving around picking up freaked out families and taking them to the shelters. Public schools, Churches , Sports Arenas and even a Gallery Furniture store are ground zero for safe havens. We are so completely central in these schools to the rescue of families. Charter Schools are NOT part of this story.
Stay safe, Kathy.
First, we have to get rid of all of the destructive, progressive programs and ‘initiatives’ in public schools and return to a sensible public school system that doesn’t penalize the majority in favor of the few. Once this is accomplished, we can effectively make the case that any public money diverted for private and/or religious schools that is meant for fair, logical, and equitable public schools is wrong and destructive to our country.
We have to quash the destructive forces of the extreme left and right to reclaim a fair school system for all.
Fuller,
There is no extreme left in the schools.
The goal of Illinois’ vouchers is to create yet another money pool to be exploited, diverted, misused and plundered. (See: TIF money) That it will further degrade and devalue public education is simply a bonus for voucher advocates.
The logical end result for vouchers is WalMart public schools. “Good enough” for THEM, staffed with underpaid product-movers. While selective-enrollment schools provide a basis for more elitism.
BTW, the children know what is happening. They’re LEARNING the game and they don’t like it.
Opponents of school choice/vouchers, should be more honest and forthcoming with the politicians and the citizenry. I believe sincerely, that a more focused approach, and better “marketing”, would be more effective.