Summer updates from Catalyst found exclusively online.
This spring's session of the Illinois General Assembly had one primary focus: Money. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who had avoided talk about the state's ongoing financial problems during his campaign, began his term by announcing that the state would have a $5 billion deficit by July 2004.
Despite the massive shortfall—10 percent of the state budget—Chicago Public Schools, as well as elementary and secondary education overall, came out ahead. Chief accomplishments include:
Increasing the minimum per-pupil spending by $250, raising "foundation level" funding to $4,810. The increase...
Families with young children got a boost this summer when Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law several bills that increase funding for early childhood education, create greater oversight and allow more families access to childcare subsidies.
"We've seen the governor and Illinois legislators come together to address this long overdue issue," says Maria Whelan, who heads the Day Care Action Council of Illinois. "This is a much better time to be a child than it has been in previous years."
Following are snapshots of what happened
Early Childhood Block Grant...
When Arne Duncan was named the Chicago Public Schools' chief executive officer in June 2001, aside from naming McCosh Elementary principal Barbara Eason-Watkins as his chief education officer, he left the senior-level staff that made up predecessor Paul Vallas' administration virtually intact.
Now, two years later, many of the names from the Vallas era are gone, replaced by new faces that bear Duncan's own stamp. (See Catalyst, June 2003).
Catalyst has produced an organizational chart that highlights Duncan's administrative lineup. Links to biographical...
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