SPRINGFIELD - April 2, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon issued the following statement supporting school funding reform legislation announced by state Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) on Wednesday.

"The School Funding Reform Act of 2014 is an important step toward a more equitable education system.  By creating a single funding formula, we can help direct state dollars to the students who need it most.

"Our current system is outdated and unfair. Education in Illinois should not have winners and losers. The education you receive shouldn't depend on where you live. From big cities to small rural towns, all students should have the opportunity to receive a first-rate education in Illinois. 

"I commend Sen. Manar and members of the bipartisan Education Funding Advisory Committee (EFAC) for their dedication, patience and drive to create a fair funding system through Senate Bill 16. I am excited to work with legislators and the governor to pass this landmark legislation."  

Simon urged state leaders to overhaul the way schools are funded in Illinois during the final hearing of the Education Funding Advisory Committee in January. Simon testified that the current formula was hurting rural and high-poverty districts and should be changed. Simon serves as the state's point person on education reform. In this capacity, Simon is working to increase the proportion of working-age adults with college degrees or certificates to 60 percent by 2025. As chair of the 25-member Governor's Rural Affairs Council, Simon is also working to improve the delivery of state services and education opportunities to rural Illinois.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today appointed Hannah Rens, a sophomore student at Sioux City East High School, to the Iowa State Board of Education. Rens will serve as the non-voting student member on the board for a two-year term.

"I'm pleased today to announce Hannah's appointment to the Board of Education," said Branstad. "Hannah's community involvement, including civic and extra-curricular activities, demonstrates that she possesses the leadership needed to excel on the board."

The Iowa State Board of Education works with the Iowa Department of Education to provide oversight, supervision, and support for the state education system that includes all public elementary and secondary schools, nonpublic schools that receive state accreditation, area education agencies, community colleges, and teacher preparation programs. 

"I had the opportunity to meet Hannah, a member of the Mayor's Youth Commission, at the Siouxland Chamber's Day on the Hill, where we discussed her work on computer coding. Her dedication and drive is impressive, especially given her age," said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. "I'm confident Hanna will be a valuable member on the State Board of Education."

The governor's appointment is not subject to Senate confirmation. Rens' term will run from May 1, 2014 - April 30, 2016. She replaces Edgar Thornton of Iowa City, Iowa, who is graduating from Iowa City High School.

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Entrepreneur Specializing in Internships Shares 5 Benefits

These days, it seems as though Americans are spending more for college while getting less value in return - a trend research validates, says entrepreneur Matt Stewart.

"The average cost for an in-state public college is $22,261, and a moderate budget for a private college averaged $43,289 for the 2012-2013 academic year; for elite schools, we're talking about three times the cost of your local state school," says Stewart, a spokesperson for College Works Painting, (www.collegeworks.com), which provides practical and life-changing business experience for college students who have shown potential for success. Interns operate their own house-painting business with hands-on guidance from mentors.

Making matters worse, adults in their 30s have 21 percent less net worth than 30-somethings 30 years ago, according to a new Urban Institute report.

"More students are being saddled with long-term debt while getting less value for their education," Stewart says. "Because of the difficulty recent college grads are having finding jobs in today's tough economy; today's students may have even less worth in their 30s than 30-somethings today."

To add value to their professional career, Stewart encourages students to seek outside-the-box avenues for increasing their career stock while in college. Running a business is a great way to do that; he explains why.

• Employers love ambition. A college degree is the minimum qualification employers are seeking. What hiring managers are looking for is that something extra when reviewing a stack of qualified resumes. At the heart of the economy is innovation; it's the difference between simply existing in a market, and thriving in one. Employers know they need people with creativity and gumption for innovation.

• Real-world management of time and money. College is a time when young adults learn to live autonomously. It's the rare student, however, who learns to manage his or her own affairs and the most precious resources in the business world - time and money. Managing employees, driving sales, developing specific skills for a real market and building strong customer relationships are best learned with hands-on experience.

• Learn where they need help. What do you do well and where do you need help? The best way to know with any certainty is through experience. Running a business while attending college allows students to circle back to their education and focus on their trouble areas by adjusting their curriculum in future semester.  

• Develop meaningful bonds. One of the most meaningful aspects of the college experience is the relationships students develop with each other, which often have professional consequences after college. Enlisting the help of fellow students for a common business purpose tends to have a powerful bonding effect. 

• Immediate ROI - finding phenomenal success. Most students who run a business during college will not prove to be the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg or David Geffen, which is precisely why students should notdrop out of college like those pioneers did. However, a student doesn't have to be the next Zuckerburg to experience amazing success as an entrepreneur. College Hunks Moving Junk is just one recent example that began in an entrepreneurial student mind.

About Matt Stewart

Matt Stewart co-founded National Services Group, which operates College Works Painting, SMJJ Investments and Empire Community Construction. Under the executive team's leadership, NSG has grown from a small Southern California business into a national leader in two industries and has been recognized as an entrepreneurial leader by Ernst & Young, the Orange County Business Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur and hundreds of other periodicals. Stewart has received a several awards, including the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from the Orange County Business Journal; was named "40 under 40;" and he has twice been a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award.

IOWA CITY, IA (03/26/2014)(readMedia)-- The University of Iowa, along with other Iowa regents institutions, will showcase undergraduate student research projects, from archaeology to public health, at the annual Research in the Capitol event. There are 20 UI student research projects on display, with the students on hand to discuss them.

The following students from your area will be participating in the event:

Lauren Suhl of Bettendorf

Molly Hammer of Muscatine

Jeffrey Moore of Muscatine