08 Aug 2012

Governor Quinn Signs New Laws to Make Schoolchildren Safer and Healthier

By Leslie Wertheimer
CHICAGO - August 8, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed three new laws designed to make Illinois schoolchildren healthier and safer through immunizations, anti-bullying measures and alternative education programs. Today's action at Pershing West Magnet School is the latest by Governor Quinn to further strengthen education in Illinois.

"We are working every day to strengthen education in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "As millions of students prepare to go back to school later this month, these new laws will put vital public health data in the hands of parents, protect our children from bullying and improve their health."

House Bill 5013, sponsored by Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) and Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) is designed to boost vaccination rates. The new law requires public and registered nonpublic schools to make immunization and health exam statistics publicly available. While such data is now posted on the State Board of Education (ISBE) website, this reform will make it easier for parents to see just how many of their children's classmates are not vaccinated. August is National Immunization Awareness Month.

The State of Illinois requires vaccinations to protect children from a range of diseases. Failure to be properly immunized can lead to high absenteeism, heart problems or even brain damage. According to ISBE, more than 60,000 students (about three percent) were not in compliance with immunization or health exam mandates during the 2010-11 school year. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers and is supported by public health advocates, the Chicago Teachers Union and the March of Dimes. The law is effective Jan. 1.

Governor Quinn also signed House Bill 1473, sponsored by Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) and Sen. William Delgado (D-Chicago), which allows the Chicago Board of Education to implement a program to break down barriers between students of different backgrounds. The law is inspired by the successful "Challenge Day", which employs a carefully-designed, day-long series of trust-building exercises to foster new levels of empathy and respect. The law is effective immediately.

In addition, Governor Quinn signed Senate Bill 3259, sponsored by Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) and Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora), which creates the Commission for High School Graduation Achievement and Success to help boost high school graduation rates. The Commission will examine alternative education programs in Illinois and other states, as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Learning Exchanges, the Illinois Pathways Initiative and other tools for keeping at-risk teens in school. The Commission's report is due to the governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2012 in advance of veto session. The law is effective immediately.

Governor Quinn continued to emphasize the need for public pension reform to ensure adequate resources for education in Illinois. Unless comprehensive pension reform is enacted, a new analysis prepared by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) shows that Illinois is on track to spend more on pensions than education by Fiscal Year 2016. Governor Quinn has proposed a comprehensive plan that will eliminate the unfunded liability over 30 years. The governor recently called a special session dedicated to pension reform on August 17.

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07 Aug 2012

20 More QC Students Awarded Back-to-School Shopping Sprees

By Holly Nomura
07 Aug 2012

Loebsack Encourages Students to Apply for Fall Internships

By Joe Hand
Washington, D.C - Congressman Dave Loebsack today announced that his office is now accepting applications from Iowa college students to participate in a Congressional internship program in his Washington, D.C., Iowa City or Cedar Rapids offices.  The internship program is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates, regardless of major.

"As a former educator, I have seen the benefits that internships can provide by giving students a firsthand look into the government process," said Loebsack.  "I encourage all hardworking, motivated students and recent graduates to apply."

Interns in the Washington, D.C. office will have the opportunity to learn about the legislative process and the federal government by working closely with the legislative, communications and constituent services staff members.  Interns in the Iowa offices will have the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about how a Congressional office provides constituent services and interacts with members of the community.

Interested candidates should email their cover letter, resume, a short writing sample and a letter of recommendation to LoebsackInternship@mail.house.gov.  Please indicate which location you are applying for in the subject line.

 

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07 Aug 2012

School board member under fire for speaking her mind to taxpayers

By Ben Velderman
By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org
WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Do individuals forfeit their First Amendment right to free speech when they become school board members?
The president of the West Hempstead Union Free (New York) school board seems to think so, but the district's official policy on free speech won't be known until board members re-examine their code of ethics in October.
This philosophical debate was sparked by a postcard board member Cynthia DiMiceli sent to the community last spring - at her own expense - explaining why she had voted against the district's $55.2 million proposed budget for the 2012-13 school year.
The postcard had no discernible effect on the budget's fate, which breezed through the board and was later ratified by the voters, but it so angered board President Walter Ejnes that he denounced DiMiceli as an "insecure megalomaniac" who generates "unnecessary controversy."
A tiny handful of community activists are calling on DiMiceli to resign her post. They claim her actions violated the board's code of ethics, which require members to "abide by all board decisions once they are made and assist in carrying them out effectively," according to the West Hempstead Herald.
DiMiceli says the Education Establishment is "bullying" her because she dared use her rights as a private citizen to question the direction of the school district.
"Just because I'm a board member, it doesn't mean I don't have a right to speak my piece," she tells EAGnews.org, adding that her comments represent her views only.
Despite the overheated rhetoric from her critics, DiMiceli is faithfully executing the official duties of her office by working with her fellow board members to lead the district and implement its policies.
This controversy is really about DiMiceli's decision to ignore the establishment's sacred teaching that all board members must march in lockstep, so as to present a "unified front" to the community.
The "united front" is believed to be an essential ingredient to a healthy school district. In reality, it's a ploy used by defenders of the status quo to supress criticism and alternative points of view. DiMiceli is standing up to those tired ideas, and is catching plenty of flak for doing so.
'We must change this way of thinking'
DiMiceli decided to run for the school board in 2010, over concerns about the deterioration of the district's facilities and the overall quality of education being provided to students. She has two children in the district, and witnessed the decline first-hand.
"Everybody can complain, but that's not my style," she says. "I wanted to find solutions to fix the problems."
And the problems are significant.
West Hempstead is located in New York's Nassau County, which has the highest median property taxes in the nation, according to CBS 880. DiMiceli says her personal property taxes have doubled over the last 15 years.
Despite all the spending, the district's test scores have mostly stagnated and student enrollment has declined. Taxpayers are paying more and more, but results aren't improving.
"That's not logical to me," she says.
So when school administrators presented the West Hempstead school board with a $55.2 million budget proposal this spring, DiMiceli grew concerned the district wasn't addressing the structural deficit that's expected to begin in 2014.
After the board passed the budget 5-2, DiMiceli shared her concerns in a postcard-letter to West Hempstead residents, explaining why she voted 'no.'
Economic conditions -- decreasing tax revenue, increasing health insurance and retirement costs for employees -- are creating "tremendous challenges for future budgets," DiMiceli wrote.
"Therefore, if we do not spend wisely and make provisions for the future now, our standard of education will drop even further along with the value of our homes."
She also noted that opposing a school budget is a sure-fire way of getting labeled as anti-public education.
"In my opinion, we must change this way of thinking," DiMiceli wrote. "I feel that in order to improve the quality of education in West Hempstead, we must have the courage to face and admit our deficiencies and work together to find new ways to raise district wide academic achievement."
The letter - which is clearly identified as representing only DiMiceli's views - did not urge taxpayers to vote a certain way on the May 15 budget vote. It only raised questions that she believes the community must begin addressing, sooner or later.
'Good board members learn to compromise'
DiMiceli's letter drew a stinging rebuke from the board president.
In a letter to the West Hempstead Herald, Ejnes wrote that "good board members learn to compromise, and if a decision does not go your way, it is unheard of to go out publicly and undermine the board's final decision."
At Ejnes' urging, the board will revisit its code of ethics in October to determine the course of action if a member violates the policies.
The school board's attorney has already reviewed the legality of DiMiceli's actions, but the board has refused to make his findings public.
"If my critics feel that they are right, they should ask the Board of Education why aren't they releasing the legal opinion of their own attorney?" DiMiCeli wrote in a recent letter to a local news site. "I will leave that up to you to assume the response."
Despite the controversy her letter has generated, DiMiceli plans to keep pushing the board to share as much information as possible with the public.
"Certain things can't be discussed publicly, such as contract negotiations or information about a certain student. But everything else should be public."
Information leads to more transparency and more accoutability, key components to ensuring that a school district is being run properly.
"This is a $55 million a year business," DiMiceli says. "I do what I think is the right thing to do."
Contact Ben Velderman at ben@eagnews.org, or at (231) 733-4202.
06 Aug 2012

Branstad, Reynolds announce upcoming Governor's Bullying Prevention Summit

By Rick Martin

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds at their weekly news conference today announced that they will host the Governor's Bullying Prevention Summit this fall, and encouraged all Iowans to engage on the important issue of bullying prevention.

The summit will be held on Nov. 27, at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, and will feature a number of speakers from Iowa communities who will present their strategies at the summit. Also featured will be state and national experts about how to combat bullying, both offline and online.

Dr. Paul Gausman, superintendent of Sioux City Schools, joined Branstad and Reynolds at the news conference. He will talk about community involvement and efforts his community has taken to combat bullying.

The luncheon speaker will be Rosalind Wiseman, whose book became the basis of the movie, "Mean Girls."

Registration will begin in September, and further details will be announced as that date gets closer.

"We believe we can, and we must, do more to stand up against bullying in Iowa," said Branstad. "Iowans have a well-deserved reputation for neighborliness. Let's leverage that tradition to put an end to bullying because all children deserve to feel safe at school."

In the most recent Iowa Youth Survey of students in grades six, eight and 11, half of those surveyed reported being bullied in some way, and most youngsters witness the bullying of their peers sooner or later.

"Some people may ask, 'Why is so much attention being paid to the issue of bullying now?'" said Reynolds. "Awareness is growing that what used to be excused as 'kids being kids' is more harmful than previously realized. Additionally, with the added threats from cyber-bullying, we can no longer discount bullying as a normal phase of childhood, or hope someone else will deal with the problem."

The summit will be paid for with funding from the Iowa Department of Education, registration fees ($30 for adults older than age 22 and $20 for students) and generous support from the private sector.

For more information go to: https://preventbullying.iowa.gov.

About Iowa Interactive

Iowa Interactive built and manages the official Web site for the state of Iowa (Iowa.gov) and partners with state and local entities to bring new government services online.  Iowa Interactive is a service of IOWAccess and is managed by the Department of Administrative Services and the eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV - News).

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06 Aug 2012

UNI President Allen's retirement announcement

By Randy Stalsberg
Friday, August 3, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley issued the following comment regarding UNI President Benjamin Allen's announcement that he will retire by July 2013.

"I was sorry to hear of President Allen's retirement but I'm glad to celebrate his accomplishments.  He's an intelligent, upstanding person who's been dedicated to Iowa, higher education, and science.  The University of Northern Iowa is the smallest of the three state schools, but its reputation has grown and continues to grow, thanks to the leadership of President Allen."

06 Aug 2012

Braley Statement on Ben Allen's Retirement

By Jeff Giertz

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today released the following statement after reports that UNI President Ben Allen has announced his retirement:

"I want to congratulate Ben Allen on his retirement.  I have a great deal of respect for the work Ben did at UNI and the sacrifices he's made.  Throughout all the difficult challenges he faced, I always respected Ben's love for the University and his contributions to higher education at both UNI and Iowa State."

 

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06 Aug 2012

Ali Sareini Graduates from Lawrence Technological University

By Debbie Faes

SOUTHFIELD, MI (08/02/2012)(readMedia)-- Ali Sareini from Davenport, IA graduated Saturday, May 12th at Lawrence Technological University's 80th Commencement Exercises. Ceremonies were held at Ultimate Soccer Arenas at 1 p.m. Lawrence Tech's class of 2012 included some 900 graduates. About 5,000 students, their families and guests attended the event.

Sareini was awarded a Master of Engineering Management.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, was founded in 1932. Bloomberg BusinessWeek lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's upper third of universities for return on undergraduate tuition investment, and highest in the Detroit metropolitan area. Lawrence Tech is also listed in the top tier of Midwestern universities by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Students benefit from small class sizes and experienced faculty who provide a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 102-acre campus include over 60 student clubs and organizations and a growing roster of NAIA varsity sports.

06 Aug 2012

Details of Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium are announced

By Office of Governor Terry Branstad

(DES MOINES) - The governor's office today announced more details of Friday's Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium.

The sold-out Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium will be live streamed by JDL Horizons. JDL Horizons, using its flagship Internet streaming solution EduVision, will produce and stream the Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium events in cooperation with the governor's office and the Iowa Department of Education. eSchool Media will accept the stream and deliver the roundtable events to a national audience of nearly 1 million K-12 educators throughout North America and around the world. Individuals interested in watching coverage of the Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium should visit https://educateiowa.eduvision.tv/.

The Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium will launch a statewide conversation about why stronger shared school leadership matters, and what is the right approach to adopt in Iowa. Given higher academic expectations for students in today's knowledge-based economy, it's not reasonable to expect principals to provide all the instructional leadership required to significantly raise achievement. Tapping the talents of outstanding teachers who are interested in new leadership roles makes sense.

A preliminary schedule is as follows:

Friday, Aug. 3, 2012

9 a.m. Welcome - David Maxwell, President of Drake University

9:05 a.m. Opening Remarks - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds

9:15 a.m. "Better Than We Used to Do Is Not Good Enough" - Mark Tucker, President of the National Center on Education and the Economy

10:30 a.m. "Leadership Lessons From Around the Globe" - Vivien Stewart, Senior Advisor for Education at Asia Society

11:30 a.m.   TAP Panel

Noon Break for lunch

1 p.m. Des Moines Panel

1:30 p.m. Cedar Rapids Panel

2 p.m. The Toledo Plan Panel

2:45 p.m. "The Future of Teacher and Principal Leadership"

3:30 p.m. "Looking Forward" - Brad Jupp, Senior Program Advisor in the Office of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

4:30 p.m. Final Remarks - Jason Glass, Director of the Iowa Department of Education

Click here for a detailed schedule of events.

In May, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds joined Education Director Jason Glass to announce they would host the Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium on Friday, Aug. 3, at Drake University in Des Moines.

To learn more about the symposium, go to: https://educationleadership.iowa.gov/

About Iowa Interactive

Iowa Interactive built and manages the official Web site for the state of Iowa (Iowa.gov) and partners with state and local entities to bring new government services online.  Iowa Interactive is a service of IOWAccess and is managed by the Department of Administrative Services and the eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV - News).

About NIC

NIC Inc. is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. Our popular self-funded solution allows government to put in-demand services online without using taxpayer funds. The NIC family of companies currently provides cost-effective eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.

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06 Aug 2012

Erin Steckel Graduates from the University of Houston

By Kristina Michel

HOUSTON, TX (08/01/2012)(readMedia)-- Erin Steckel, a English, BA major and a resident of Davenport, IA, was among more than 4,200 students who graduated from the University of Houston (UH).

The UH Spring 2012 Commencement was held in May at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

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