Madigan faces ouster as speaker as Illinois House convenes to pick leader by Greg Bishop, The Center Square | January 13, 2021 10:00 AM Print this article
The new term of the Illinois Legislature begins Wednesday afternoon and all eyes are on who will be the next speaker of the House.
Longtime Illinois politics observer and University of Illinois Springfield professor Kent Redfield said whoever becomes speaker, they have to pledge to be independent of Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who’s held the seat for all but two years since 1983.
“Whether [Madigan] finishes out his term or not, I don’t expect him to be the controller behind the curtain, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Redfield said.
Shelia Boozer, the director of teaching and learning for Springfield School District 186, is one of three finalists for the Champaign school district’s superintendent position.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based firm Ray and Associates was hired by the Champaign school board to conduct a national search. Seven semi-finalists were interviewed and the field was eventually pared to three.
The Champaign school district has just over 10,000 students on 19 campuses in Champaign, Bondville and Savoy.
Boozer has served in the cabinet-level position with District 186 since 2014.
Boozer was principal at Lanphier High School and also atBlack Hawk and Fairview elementary schools.
According to the Champaign News-Gazette, a main focus of the board is hiring a candidate who is a fit with the district s strategic plan, which it adopted over the summer, and lays out steps to improve equity. An anti-racism resolution is part of the plan.
By Vickie S. Cook, Ph.D.
UIS Perspectives (print kicker)
The University of Illinois Springfield has worked with students and their families to help them find ways to connect to the internet since the pandemic began disrupting education in March 2020. The issue of inequitable access for our students and their families became significantly apparent as students returned to their homes in urban, suburban and rural areas both in Illinois and beyond our borders.
To promote equity across Illinois, UIS is committed to continue our support of digital inclusion. Digital inclusion is the ability of all individuals to access and use digital information regardless of geographical location or annual income. In 2019 about 63% of rural families reported access to broadband internet services, which was up from only 35% in 2007.
Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump Wednesday.
College leaders on Thursday continued to strongly condemn the violence that the took place at the U.S. Capitol this week, adding to a growing chorus of criticism by presidents and provosts from across the country. The recent statements were much longer and more formal than the initial reactions issued in the hours shortly after angry mobs of supporters of President Trump rioted and forced their way into the building.
Below are excerpts of statements from dozens of college and university presidents and higher education leaders sent via email Wednesday night and throughout the day Thursday to members of their respective campuses.
WBGZ Radio 1/7/2021 |
By Greg Bishop - Illinois Radio Network
A researcher from the University of Illinois Springfield said data shows schools are safe and should be reopened.
Nearly 1.2 million of the state’s 1.9 million students were fully remote as of Dec. 18, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
In Chicago on Monday, the public schools were opened for in-person education, but there were issues with teachers union members worried about their health. Other districts across the state are eying reopening dates with boards considering votes to bring students back for some form of in-person learning.
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