Legislative update for June 1, 2026
Legistlative update for June 1, 2026.
Notice to Remedy bill passes both chambers, heads to governor’s desk
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association’s legislation on Notice to Remedy, Senate Bill 2914, today passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives. It passed the Illinois Senate in April, and both chambers passed the bill with veto-proof majorities. It now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature to become law. The following statement is attributable to IEA President Karl…
IEA calls out school management groups’ disinformation campaign, attempt to keep false accusations in educators’ permanent records
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) is working to pass Senate Bill 2914 this session, a bill that would put an end to a long-time practice of school administrators keeping accusations that have been proven false in an educator’s employment record. IEA seeks safe public schools for every student and every school employee and supports accountability…
Evanston educators opposed to cuts to childcare program
Evanston educators and staff to attend Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65 Board of Education meeting and deliver letter detailing staunch opposition to District 65 administrators’ plan to eliminate the School Aged Child Care (SACC) program for students.
Rockford School District violates law by not adequately staffing Hispanic students’ classrooms
ROCKFORD – This week, the Rockford Education Association (REA) will file an unfair labor practice (ULP) against the Rockford Public School (RPS) District 205. RPS is knowingly ignoring an Illinois law when it comes to class sizes for mostly Hispanic, bilingual students. In addition to overcrowding Hispanic student classrooms, the district is also failing to fairly compensate educators for additional students. The REA has two pending grievances against the district. The…
Unemployment Equity Act Passes House Labor and Commerce Committee
SPRINGFIELD – HB 4416, the Unemployment Equity Act sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D-33), passed the House Labor Committee. This is a critical step forward in ensuring frontline, public education workers are eligible to receive unemployment when school is not in session. “The Unemployment Equity Act…
Former IEA President Reginald “Reg” Weaver, trailblazer for collective bargaining rights in Illinois, passes away at 86
SPRINGFIELD – Reginald “Reg” Weaver died Tuesday at age 86. Weaver was a lifelong educator and organizer who served as president of the Illinois Education Association from 1981 to 1987 and led the battle to ensure collective bargaining rights for Illinois educators. Weaver, who also spent 30 years as a…
IEA president and IFT executive vice president denounce Governor Pritzker’s inaction and Comptroller Mendoza’s support for federal voucher scheme
SPRINGFIELD – A joint statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers Executive Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm and Illinois Education Association President Karl Goeke on Governor JB Pritzker’s inaction and Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s support for a federal private school tax credit scheme: “At a moment when public education is under coordinated attack across…
IEA members elect president, vice president and secretary-treasurer
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Education Association (IEA) members elected Karl Goeke president of the state’s largest union, Gina Harris vice president and Gladys Márquez the secretary treasurer on Sat., March 14, at the IEA’s 172nd Representative Assembly in Rosemont.
Illinois Education Association honors NEA Vice President Princess R. Moss, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez and Glen Ellyn District 41 school board president Bob Bruno
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) honored three individuals for their unwavering support for public education, students and educators. Both the IEA President’s Award and the IEA Friend of Education Award are among the association’s highest honors. The awards were presented during the IEA Representative Assembly (RA). The RA is the legislative body of the IEA and setsthe agenda…
Illinois Education Association honors educators from around the state
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. This year’s Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award was posthumously awarded to the late IEA President Al Llorens, who passed away Sept. 25, 2025. The awards were presented during the…
Mercer County educators to attend school board meeting after Mercer County School District 404 recommends laying off 24 employees
ALEDO – The unions that represent more than 140 employees is urging the community’s attendance at a special board of education meeting tomorrow night, March 3, in Aledo at 6:30 p.m. Mercer County School District 404 is recommending approximately 24 employees be laid off for the 2026-27 school year. The following…
Rockford teachers’ new contract values teachers, students and community
ROCKFORD – The Rockford Education Association (REA) and the Rockford Public School District 205 Board of Education (BOE) have officially reached a deal on a new contract. Both the REA and BOE voted to ratify the new contract for teachers in the district. “We believe this is absolutely a big step in the right direction. This contract does what we…
Illinoisans strongly support public education, are against ICE near schools and federal funding cuts
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) released its eighth annual IEA State of Education report today, Mon., Feb. 23. It’s the only bipartisan poll monitoring Illinoisans’ views on all aspects of public schools. The findings were shared during a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today on Zoom. The poll…
Illinoisans overwhelmingly support a paid student teaching program in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – A bipartisan poll conducted in January shows that 72% of Illinoisans strongly support the idea of paying college students as they complete the mandatory student teaching portion of their education. A poll of 1,000 Illinoisans conducted by Normington Petts and Associates and Next Generation Strategies in late January asked: “As you…
Several Illinois counties have advisory referendum on the primary ballot that endangers public school funding
SPRINGFIELD – About 10 percent of Illinois voters will see an advisory referendum on their primary election ballots asking them to weigh in on whether they think the state should join a federal school voucher scheme. The Illinois Education Association (IEA) urges Illinoisans to vote “NO” on the question, which is misleadingly worded to make voters think no public money will be used. As it stands now, 80…
City College of Chicago adjunct faculty plan to pack the board of trustees meeting to demand to bargain
CHICAGO – City Colleges of Chicago adjunct faculty plan to pack the City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting Thursday afternoon to call for a fair contract. City Colleges of Chicago Labor Organizing Committee (CCCLOC) represents a bargaining unit of more than 700 adjunct professors, part-time librarians and vocational lecturers at…
Genoa-Kingston teachers and staff call for safety and transparency during U.S. Department of Education and Turning Point USA visit
GENOA – The Genoa-Kingston Education Association (GKEA) is calling on the Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424 (CUSD 424) Board of Education (BOE) and Administration to put more safety measures in place and to be transparent about an upcoming assembly. This event is part of the nationwide History Rocks! tour…
Rockford teachers launch community hotline so parents can voice their concerns about ongoing contract negotiations
ROCKFORD – Today the Rockford Education Association (REA) launched a community hotline so parent and community members can quickly and easily contact Rockford Public Schools (RPS) District 205 Superintendent Ehren Jarrett and voice their concerns about the ongoing contract negotiations. The hotline number is 1.866.806.7794. This comes after REA launched an email campaign that generated more than 8,500 emails to board members…
Rockford teachers vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike
ROCKFORD – The Rockford Education Association (REA) voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. On Saturday, REA held an all-member meeting and conducted the vote. The vote gives the REA bargaining team the authority to call a strike. “We have done everything we can to try to avoid this vote, but…