Posts by IEA Communications

20% of IEA members say they’ve been assaulted at work SPRINGFIELD – Senate Bill 1400 (SB 1400) passed through the Illinois General Assembly and is now on its way to being signed into law. This bill will require the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to draft and publish guidance…

CHICAGO – Professional staff at Columbia College Chicago released this video exposing President Kwang-Wu Kim’s missteps which have had a negative impact on students and staff. The video shows Kim’s net fundraising efforts on behalf of the college are less than half the amount raised by vending machines on campus and…

The agreement comes after the administration illegally hired an outside firm to recruit temporary employees CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Association of Support Staff (CLASS) reached an agreement with the Crystal Lake Community Unit School District 47 administration after filing an unfair labor practice (ULP) with the Illinois Educational…

The following statement can be attributed to Al Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association: At a time when Illinois is experiencing a statewide teacher shortage, it is incomprehensible that funding for vital educator support programs are absent from the current budget proposal.  Sadly, two such programs — the teacher…

CHAMPAIGN – In a significant victory for labor rights, a federal arbitrator has ruled in favor of a member of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Association of Academic Professionals, IEA-NEA (AAP), upholding union educators’ rights and ensuring fair treatment in the workplace. The arbitrator found the University of…

Batavia teachers will detail curriculum issues, lack of trust BATAVIA – Teachers, staff and community members will pack tonight’s Batavia Unified School District 101 Board of Education (BOE) meeting in a unified show of support for a recommitment made by district administration and the board to partner with the Batavia…

Teachers, staff and community members to pack tonight’s school board meeting HINSDALE – Teachers, staff and community members will pack tonight’s Hinsdale Township High School District 86 (HTHS) Board of Education (BOE) meeting and call for an immediate reorganization, including appointing a new board president. They’ll also shed light on…

Teachers, staff and community members to pack tonight’s school board meeting ROCK ISLAND – Teachers, staff and community members will call on the Rock Island-Milan School District 41 (RIMSD) Board of Education (BOE) to leave vacant a newly-created deputy superintendent position at tonight’s school board meeting. They’ll also demand the…

Petition calls on administration to stop layoffs, warning students’ education will suffer CHICAGO – Professional staff at Columbia College Chicago submitted a 150-signature petition to President Kwang-Wu Kim, urging the administration to halt the scheduled layoffs of employees and asking it to explore alternative budget management strategies. The Columbia College administration…

SPRINGFIELD – Today the Illinois Education Association (IEA) honored Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and William McNary for their commitment to public education. Welch was honored with the IEA “Friend of Education.” McNary was awarded the IEA “President’s” award. The following statements are attributable to IEA President Al Llorens:…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) awarded seven educators from around the state for their outstanding commitment to their schools, students, communities and public education. The awards were presented during the IEA Representative Assembly (RA). The RA is the legislative body of the IEA and helps the state’s largest…

CHICAGO – City Colleges of Chicago and University of Chicago have partnered to bring a nursing program, known as the Malcom X College Learning Center, to the City Colleges’ Kennedy King campus on the southside of Chicago. The new center is expected to open for the 2026-27 school year and will be…

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) will release its sixth annual IEA State of Education report on Tues., March 12, the only bipartisan poll monitoring Illinoisans’ views on all aspects of public schools. The findings will be shared during a news conference today on Zoom at 10 a.m. The poll…

The gathering is geared toward enhancing the education profession. NORMAL – Today, more than 700 high school students, teachers and school officials will meet in Bloomington to help encourage potential teachers and enhance the careers of current educators. It’s all part of the fourth annual Educators Rising conference. “Everyone is…

SPRINGFIELD – Today Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his annual budget address. The following statement is attributable to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Al Llorens: “We were encouraged to hear the governor hopes to increase the amount of money spent on early childhood education by an additional $150 million. We know…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Political Action Committee for Education (IPACE) voted to recommend Michael Crawford, Ph.D., for the Illinois House of Representatives District 31. The following statement is attributable to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President and IPACE Chairman Al Llorens: “IPACE recommends Michael Crawford for Illinois House District 31 because of…

SPRINGFIELD – The Abe Lincoln Chapter of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) retired teachers is sponsoring the Sharon Miller Memorial Scholarship for graduating seniors or college students who are majoring in education. Recipients will receive a $1000 scholarship. Seniors or graduates from the following districts are eligible to apply: Athens,…

Tuscola paraprofessionals plan to speak at board of education meeting TUSCOLA – The Tuscola Community Unit School District 301 Board of Education (BOE) rescinded the district’s contribution to the Tuscola Education Support Professional Association’s (TESPA) health savings account (HSA) contributions and also abruptly canceled a long-standing, annual holiday bonus. The administration’s…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association is deeply sorry to hear of the passing of Clay Marquardt, who served as executive director of the IEA from 1993 to 2005. His career at the IEA began in 1971. Our hearts go out to Marquardt’s family during this time of sorrow. The…