Newsroom

March 6, 2020

Illinois Education Association honors educators from around the state

ROSEMONT – The state’s largest educator organization, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), today honored those with an outstanding commitment to their schools, their students, their communities and to public education. The awards were presented during the IEA Representative Assembly (RA) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont. The RA is the legislative…

March 6, 2020

MEDIA ADVISORY: Dr. Jill Biden to speak at largest gathering of educators in the state ahead of Illinois primary on March 17

Dr. Jill Biden will speak to more than 1,200 Illinois Education Association (IEA) members at the annual IEA Representative Assembly (RA), the largest gathering of educators in the state.

March 3, 2020

Legislative Update for Feb. 28, 2020

The 101st Illinois General Assembly is in full swing and legislation is starting to move out of their respective committees. Pensions SB 3027 (McClure, R-Springfield) allows for active members in TRS to purchase up to two years of private or parochial school service credit if that service was rendered prior…

February 19, 2020

Statement from IEA President Kathi Griffin on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s annual State of Illinois Budget address

SPRINGFIELD – “Obviously, we are very pleased with the state’s vision for education in Illinois. Governor Pritzker talked today about the importance of investing in our state’s future by investing in its youth. To see, for the third year straight, another $350 million new dollars for evidence-based funding, an increase…

February 18, 2020

Illinois State Board of Education new rules on isolated time outs provide needed clarity, but lack adequate training requirements, may endanger students, adults

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released on Friday its newly-written rules regarding isolated time outs and physical restraint and while the rules provided much-needed clarity, the policy does not require districts to provide enough training to staff in either de-escalation techniques or in physical restraint. The…

February 13, 2020

High school student detained by ICE released on bond, will live with her high school counselor

Community plans party to celebrate her release CRYSTAL LAKE – Meydi Guzman Rivas was released from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this morning and will move in with her high school counselor, Sara Huser. Huser is an Illinois Education Association (IEA) member and met Meydi through her work as…

February 11, 2020

IEA releases bipartisan State of Education Report

Poll shows Illinoisans believe public schools are not performing well, teachers are the solution, educators are paid too little SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) today released its second annual State of Education report, the only bipartisan poll asking Illinoisans about all aspects of public schools. The results show…

January 28, 2020

Decatur Education Association says assistant superintendent’s contract shouldn’t be extended, give him failing grade

DECATUR – Leaders of the Decatur Education Association (DEA) said Monday they do not want the Decatur School Board to extend the contract of Assistant Superintendent Jeff Dase for five years, based on the parameters of the board’s own contract with him, and said they would give Dase a failing…

January 22, 2020

IEA to represent Wood Dale teacher denied birth leave before Illinois Supreme Court

SPRINGFIELD – On Wed., Jan. 22, the Illinois Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Margaret Dynak vs. Board of Education Wood Dale School District 7. In June 2016, Westview Elementary School teacher and Illinois Education Association (IEA) member Dynak was told she could not use her birth leave to…

January 16, 2020

Statement from District 228 teachers on tentative agreement

MIDLOTHIAN – The following is a statement from the Bremen High School District 228 Joint Faculty Association (BHSD228-JFA) President Greg Fitch on the tentative agreement reached with the Bremen High School District 228 Board of Education (D228 BOE): “We are pleased that we were able to find common ground with the district. We now have a tentative agreement that…

January 14, 2020

District 228 teachers set strike date, plan community meetings

MIDLOTHIAN– The Bremen High School District 228 Joint Faculty Association (BHSD228-JFA) set a strike date for Mon., Jan. 27. At this time, there are no scheduled bargaining dates. The last time BHSD228-JFA and the District 228 Board of Education (BOE) met to negotiate was Dec. 4. “We cannot reach a…

December 19, 2019

Ball-Chatham education support professionals will rally, pack the school board meeting after contract negotiations stall

CHATHAM – Members of the Ball-Chatham Education Support Professional Association (BCESPA) and supporters plan to speak ahead of tonight’s Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education (BOE) meeting. A BCESPA spokesperson plans to read a statement calling for the BOE to put students first during the public comment…

December 11, 2019

Op-Ed: Illinois Education Association President responds to ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune report on isolated timeout rooms

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) today released the following op-ed from IEA President Kathi Griffin: “A Nov. 19 article published by ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune, outlined the practice of using isolated timeout rooms in Illinois – and in some instances – wrongly using those spaces for…

December 5, 2019

High school student detained by ICE, local educator starts fundraiser

CRYSTAL LAKE – Illinois Education Association member Sara Huser started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the fight to free her student from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Huser met Meydi Guzman Rivas at Crystal Lake Central High School where Huser works as a school counselor. “We can…

November 20, 2019

IEA calls for end to seclusion rooms, workgroup to study solutions that value safety, restorative practices

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) said Wednesday the practice of using seclusion rooms – where students are placed alone in a room and observed from the outside by an adult – should no longer be used. Instead, a workgroup should be formed to look at alternative, long-term solutions…

November 19, 2019

District 228 teachers publicly post offer after contract negotiations stall, take initial step toward strike

MIDLOTHIAN – The members of Bremen High School District 228 Joint Faculty Association (BHSD228-JFA) submitted the organization’s last contractual offer to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) for public posting. By law, once the IELRB posts the last best offers from D228-JFA and the Bremen High School District 228…

November 25, 2019

Illinois Education Association wins Emmy for IEA Teacher Stories

CHICAGO – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) last weekend won an Emmy at the 61st Annual Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy Awards. The IEA won for Outstanding Achievement for Public/Current/Community Affairs Programming – Series for IEA Teachers Stories. The composite entry featured three IEA members: Susan Hudson from Thornwood High School in…

November 18, 2019

Education Support Staff will pack board meeting, encourage school board to come back to the bargaining table

ONEIDA – Members of the ROWVA Support Education Association (RSEA) will pack tonight’s Community Unit School District 208 Board of Education (BOE) meeting. An RSEA spokesperson also plans to read a statement to help educate the public about the negotiation process during the public comment portion of the BOE meeting.…

November 15, 2019

Legislative Update for Nov. 14, 2019

The 2019 veto session wrapped up this week and the IEA had several big victories for public education and public unions, including around the issues of collective bargaining rights, paraprofessional certification and individualized education programs (IEPs) reporting requirements. SB 1784 protects the privacy of public employees, affirms collective bargaining rights…

November 14, 2019

IEA passes legislation to combat paraprofessional shortage in Illinois schools

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) worked to pass legislation that will give people additional avenues to become licensed paraprofessionals in Illinois. Both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate have voted to pass Senate Bill 10 (SB10), and the legislation immediately became law. “We knew we…

HCR Activist Weekend