‘We’re not serving our kids, and we don’t really have a choice.’ 96% of Illinois school districts don’t have enough substitute teachers.
Thousands of teachers were forced into quarantine over the past month when an Omicron wave descended on Illinois schools. But in many districts, there were no substitute teachers to triage the situation until they get back. Mark Klaisner is a school administrator and president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools or IARSS. […]
For his election-year budget, Pritzker wants to give Illinois residents $1 billion in tax relief
CHICAGO — The election-year budget plan Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker unveils Wednesday will offer tax relief to homeowners, motorists and just about every Illinoisan who ventures inside a grocery store, a top aide is confirming. Under the plan the governor is proposing, a 1% sales tax on food would be suspended for a year starting […]
217 Today: Illinois schools remain short on substitutes during the national teacher shortage
Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker intends to offer potential savings for voters in a new election-year budget. Illinois joined a growing number of states when it enacted a 2019 law to help military members and their spouses get professional licenses more quickly. The air in rural areas may be as […]
The air in rural areas may be just as toxic as the pollution in cities
URBANA — A new study suggests the notion of clean, country air might be misleading. Traditionally, air quality has been measured by the size of pollution particles or, more scientifically, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. Considered that way, urban air tends to be more polluted than rural air because the […]