Illinois students of for-profit schools to get $3M in debt relief under settlement - Chicago Tribune

 

About 2,700 Illinois students of for-profit schools will receive about $3 million in debt relief under a national settlement with a Pittsburgh company running trade schools and colleges.

The Justice Department on Monday announced the settlement, which resolves a consumer fraud investigation by several attorneys general and separate whistleblower lawsuits.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says Education Management Corporation (EDMC) used "deceptive" recruitment and enrollment practices.

The agreement says loans offered through school programs won't be collected. It applies to certain students attending between 2006 and 2014. Students will be contacted. Madigan's office says there also will be a phone number.

The corporation operates five Illinois colleges with Argosy University and Illinois Institute of Art campuses in the Chicago area.

Under the agreement, EDMC must also make reforms that'll be independently monitored.

Education Management Corp., the second-largest for-profit college chain, agreed to pay $95.5 million to resolve allegations that it paid employees based on student enrollment in violation of federal law.

For-profit colleges are reeling from mounting government probes, tanking stock prices, regulatory scrutiny and depressed student enrollment. ITT Tech is being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud; University of Phoenix has been suspended from receiving military tuition assistance; and Career Education Corp. closed all 14 of its Sanford-Brown schools. As marquee names falter, the industry itself appears to be in trouble.

In the case of Education Management, the Department of Justice claims the company violated a federal ban on incentive compensation at schools participating in federal financial aid programs. The rule is meant to prevent schools from steering students into loans to boost revenue.

Prosecutors say the company flouted the ban by paying recruiters based on the number of students enrolled, leading employees to use aggressive and deceptive tactics to get students in the doors. Top recruiters received Pittsburgh Pirates tickets, free lunches and all-expense-paid vacations to Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta, according to the complaint.

All the while, Education Management swore to the Department of Education that it was complying with the rules. Between July 2003 and June 2011 about 90 percent of the tuition the company received, or $11 billion, came from federal grants and loans, according to the complaint.

"EDMC's actions were not only a betrayal of their students' trust; they were a violation of federal law," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Monday during a press conference. She called the settlement "a historic step forward in our collective and ongoing fight against fraudulent and abusive practices in the for-profit education industry."

 

 

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed five lawsuits Monday against debt-relief companies she claims preyed on consumers struggling to repay student loans.

The companies charged upfront fees as high as $1,250 for bogus services or for help that the borrowers could have gotten themselves for...

Problems at the company came to light in 2007 when Lynntoya Washington, a former assistant director of admission at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division, sued the company under the so-called False Claims Act. The law encourages witnesses to come forward in cases where the government has been defrauded by providing them up to a third of the proceeds recovered by authorities.

State and federal authorities joined Washington's case in 2011, shortly after another whistleblower, Michael Mahoney, the director of the company's online higher education division, came forward with more evidence of misconduct.

The civil settlement is the largest involving false claims made to the Department of Education. It calls on Education Management to provide students with a single-page disclosure detailing job placement rates, free orientation and the ability to withdraw at no cost up to seven days after their first class on campus or 21 days online.

The company will also forgive the debts owed by former students who left within 45 days of their first term and whose final day of attendance was between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2014.

"We are also pleased to have resolved the civil claims raised by the Department of Justice and state attorneys general," said Education Management president and chief executive Mark McEachen said in a statement. "Though we continue to believe the allegations in the cases were without merit, putting these matters behind us returns our focus to educating students."

Education Management, which enrolls more than 100,000 students, did not admit to any wrongdoing.

"This settlement should be a warning to other career colleges out there: We will not stand by while you profit illegally off of students and taxpayers," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said during the press conference. "The federal government will continue to work tirelessly with state attorneys general to ensure that all colleges follow the law."

The case against Education Management is the government's latest effort to crack down on for-profit colleges accused of defrauding taxpayers and students. The Department of Education's decision last year to cut off Corinthian Colleges' access to federal student loans and grants for falsifying job placement and graduation rates ultimately led the company to file bankruptcy. The department fined the company $30 million in April, a month before Corinthian shut its doors.

Associated Press, The Washington Post contributed

Illinois students of for-profit schools to get $3M in debt relief under settlement - Chicago Tribune

School Board Recall Vote in Colorado Tests Conservative Policies - The New York Times

 

LITTLETON, Colo. — In this suburban election, lawn signs are being stolen and minivans vandalized. One candidate says she received an email telling her to get cancer and die. Money from the billionaire Koch brothers is funding one side’s commercials and fliers, and upset parents, teachers and labor unions are pouring in cash for the other.

 

The question facing voters is whether to oust a polarizing school board that has championed charter schools, performance-based teacher pay and other education measures supported by conservatives.

But the vote here in Jefferson County, just west of Denver, has become a money-soaked proxy war between union supporters and conservative groups like the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, testing whether parents in an election-year battleground believe a rightward turn in their schools has gone too far.

Supporters of the recall have raised more than $250,000, about $15,000 of that from the local teachers’ union. Conservative and libertarian groups have spent about $500,000 on television ads, and Michael Fields, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, estimated his group would spend “in the low six figures” on mailers and ads that put a positive gloss on the conservative board’s actions.

“It’s the future of what education looks like,” Mr. Fields said as he and a handful of staff members and parents drove through suburban neighborhoods, knocking on doors of likely supporters to make sure they had cast their mail ballots.

Americans for Prosperity, which was founded by the conservative industrialists Charles G. and David H. Koch and is based in Arlington County, Va., does not have a formal position on the Nov. 3 recall vote here. But its commercials and messages praise the new conservative board for approving new charter schools, giving charters equal per-student funding as public schools and pushing a pay program to give raises to “highly effective” teachers.

The group is advocating similar measures in other states. In Kentucky, a web ad created by Americans for Prosperity and timed to this fall’s race for governor features African-American parents who praise charter schools as a bridge to “opportunity for all.” In Mississippi, the group has contributed $120,000 to an organization fighting a ballot measure that would require the state to allocate more money to public schools, at a judge’s discretion.

Voters here are almost evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents. In November 2013, voters broke with union-supported candidates to elect a slate of school board hopefuls running as conservative reformers.

But as those members passed new measures giving money to charters and hired a new superintendent, a backlash grew. Critics accused the board of secrecy and of trying to turn the 86,500-student district into a petri dish for conservative educational ideas. Board meetings turned into shouting matches. Upset parents spliced the live-streamed meeting video — an innovation of the new board — into outrage highlight reels.

 

“I can take it,” said Julie Williams, one of the three conservatives, who said she had received harassing emails. “For my kids, it’s been pretty hard. I come from a strong family. We believe in standing on principle, even with malicious attacks on me personally.”

 

School Board Recall Vote in Colorado Tests Conservative Policies - The New York Times

Arne Duncan, Education Secretary, to Step Down in December - The New York Times

 

WASHINGTON — Arne Duncan, the secretary of education and a member of President Obama’s original cabinet, will step down in December after a long tenure in which he repeatedly challenged the nation’s schools to break out of their hidebound ways.

A White House official confirmed Mr. Duncan’s decision to step down and said the president has decided to name John B. King Jr., the deputy secretary of education, to replace Mr. Duncan to lead the Department of Education.

Mr. Obama is expected to formally announce the personnel changes and take questions from reporters Friday afternoon.

In an email to his staff sent Friday morning, Mr. Duncan praised the work of his department, saying that “as a comparatively small team, often under challenging conditions and timelines, our staff has continued to offer example after example of dedication beyond the call of duty.”

He said the department would be in good hands under Mr. King, a former commissioner of education in New York State and a former president of the University of the State of New York.

As secretary, Mr. Duncan started the “Race to the Top” program, in which billions of dollars was offered in a competition to school districts to innovate in the ways they teach children. Mr. Duncan accompanied the president from Chicago, where the two had forged a friendship.

Arne Duncan, Education Secretary, to Step Down in December - The New York Times

Do you want input into the selection of a new District 100 Superintendent?

There is an on-line survey which asks for your opinion on the decision.  GO TO:  http://www.district100.com/Newsroom/Pages/Community-asked-to-complete-survey-for-superintendent-search.aspx  and complete the survey.  A survey is available in both English and Spanish.

 

 

Facebook Hoax Claims Children Of Congress Members Don't Pay Back College Loans

 

Myths and untruths are passed around on Facebook every now and then, but it's still a surprise when thousands of people at a time fall for unverified statements posted by random users.

One of the latest cases of a questionable Facebook post going viral is a photo with a with a lengthy caption that claims Congress members' children do not have to pay back their college student loans.

Uploaded on Jan. 2 by a user who goes by the moniker "Actof Courage" (sic), the photo has more than 75,000 Likes and more than 280,000 shares on the social network.

Below the photo, Actof Courage claims that "the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if other news networks will broadcast it."

The post goes on to propose a 28th Amendment to the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States

A similar claim was posted -- and debunked -- on Facebook in 2011.

Politifact gave the claim a "Pants on Fire" rating on Jan. 7, 2011, after receiving a chain email about the alleged loan forgiveness. The fact-checking group contacted the U.S. Department of Education, which responded thus: "There are no provisions under Title IV (federal student aid programs) that provide loan forgiveness for Members of Congress or their families or staff (beyond what any other borrower would be eligible for)."

The Annenenbreg Public Policy Center also did a similar analysis of the claim in 2011 and rated it "Not true."

"Some congressional employees are eligible to have up to $60,000 of student loans repaid after several years — just like other federal workers. But that’s not the case for members of Congress or their families," the Center wrote.

Will Facebook users ever tire of sharing posts with friends before independently researching theories or outrageous claims? Not this month.

Facebook Hoax Claims Children Of Congress Members Don't Pay Back College Loans

Illinois Governor Signs Bill Making School Discipline Policies More Effective, Less Exclusionary : News : ISchoolGuide

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has approved a new law changing the state’s school discipline policies. The new state law removes zero tolerance explusions and suspensions, and requires schools to exhaust all other means of intervention before suspending or expelling students.

>>

(Photo : Scott Olson| Getty Images News) Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Bruce Rauner

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner (R) signed on Monday a new law that reforms the state's school discipline policies, making it more effective and less exclusionary. The new state law, which takes effect in September of 2016, suspended students who have returned would be allowed to catch up on school work. Students suspended for more than four days would be offered support services, such as mental health consultation and academic counseling.

The Senate Bill 100, sponsored by state Representative Will Davis and Senator Kimberly Lightford, removes the "zero tolerance" expulsions and suspensions. It also requires schools to use all other means of intervention before they suspend or expel students. In addition, the bill bans fees and fines for misbehavior, and mandates schools to inform parents about the disciplinary measures being used, Christina Wilkie of The Huffington Post wrote.

"The students who are being tossed out of the school environment are the very students who should be kept within school boundaries at all costs," Lightford said in April. "We need to keep young people in school learning how to succeed and off of the street corner learning how to fail."

The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights reported that the state has among the widest disparities across the country between suspended white students and black students. The Huffington Post said Chicago Public Schools suspended 32 of every 100 black students during school year 2012-13, compared to the five of every 100 white students.

Beginning next school year, Illinois schools would have to come up with ways to implement the new state law, which applies to all public schools and charter schools.

"For too long, harsh school discipline practices have contributed to the under-education and over-criminalization of young people, and especially youth of color," said Dalia Mena, member of Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, the organization that supported the bill. "Illinois now provides more tools for schools to create environments where all students are valued and supported in their learning."

Illinois Governor Signs Bill Making School Discipline Policies More Effective, Less Exclusionary : News : ISchoolGuide

ILLINOIS -- Gov. Rauner releases emails official sent on private account - Beloit Daily News: Home

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has released 44 pages of documents from education secretary Beth Purvis' private email account, despite arguing for months it shouldn't have to do so.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the emails were released Monday after Rauner said using personal email for government business isn't allowed. He was commenting about outgoing University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise, who used private emails extensively to keep discussions from the public.

 

The governor's office previously rejected the newspaper's Freedom of Information Act request for Purvis' private emails, arguing they weren't public.

The emails were comprised of about a half dozen messages between Purvis and several outside consultants. They included a lengthy education strategy document marked confidential.

The newspaper said the emails were ones Purvis had volunteered to turn over.

ILLINOIS -- Gov. Rauner releases emails official sent on private account - Beloit Daily News: Home

These 20 schools are responsible for a fifth of all graduate school debt - The Washington Post

 

These 20 schools are responsible for a fifth of all graduate school debt

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel July 9

In this Oct. 6, 2011 photo, Gan Golan of Los Angeles, dressed as the “Master of Degrees,” holds a ball and chain representing his college loan debt during Occupy DC activities in (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Getting an advanced degree doesn’t come cheap, which is why graduate students carry nearly half of all student debt. But it turns out that a handful of schools are responsible for a large share of that money.

A new study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that 20 universities received one-fifth, or $6.5 billion, of the total amount of loans the government gave graduate students in the 2013-2014 academic year. Those schools, however, only educate 12 percent of all graduate students.

What’s striking about the Center’s findings is that a majority of the debt taken to attend the 20 schools on its list is not for law or medical degrees that promise hefty paydays. Most graduate students at those schools are seeking master’s degrees in journalism, fine arts or government, according to CAP.

[It’s about to get cheaper to borrow for college]

Still, at two foreign medical schools, St. George’s University in Grenada and Ross University in Dominica, students borrowed more than $200 million in a single school year. Medical schools in the Caribbean are often a refuge for students rejected from top American schools, but their tuition easily rival schools in the United States. Tuition for one semester at Ross, for instance, costs up to $21,710.

It’s not exactly shocking that pricey private schools like New York University, Georgetown University and George Washington University made the list–tuition alone at all three schools is well over $40,000 a year. But the eight for-profit colleges, including University of Phoenix and Capella University, may raise some eyebrows.

Indeed, students borrowed the most amount of money, $756 million, to attend Walden University, a for-profit school that specializes in offering graduate degrees in education, healthcare and business. The second highest loan balance on the list is attributed to Nova Southeastern University, a private college in Florida where 59 percent of students are working toward graduate degrees online.

Although online programs are billed as time and cost effective, schools like Nova and Liberty University prove otherwise. About 98 percent of graduate students at Liberty, founded by evangelical leader Jerry Falwell, are enrolled in online programs that led them to borrow $351 million in a single year.

These 20 schools are responsible for a fifth of all graduate school debt - The Washington Post

22 States Where You Could Lose Your License for Not Paying Your Student Loans - Yahoo Finance

 

Failing to repay student loans has all sorts of terrible consequences, but in some states, more than just your financial well-being is at risk — student loan default could cost you your professional certification or even your driver's license.

Two state legislatures (Iowa and Montana) are considering bills that would repeal laws that allow states to suspend the driver's licenses of student loan defaulters, Bloomberg reported in a March 25 piece on the topic. Even if those repeals succeed, several other states have such laws in place. Some states suspend licenses needed to practice in certain fields, from health care to cosmetology, though license suspension can extend to driving, too.

Repeal advocates argue that license suspension is a counterintuitive punishment for student loan defaulters, because it may keep them from working, which theoretically enables them to repay their debts. That's the case Montana state Rep. Moffie Funk is making for the bill she introduced to repeal the state's law that allows driver's license suspension, Bloomberg reports.

According to a list from the National Consumer Law Center, 22 states have laws that enable suspension of state licenses issued to student loan defaulters. The professions and licenses affected by suspensions vary by state and cover a wide range of earning potential, but some of them include doctors, social workers, barbers, transportation professionals and lawyers — the lists can be quite extensive. If your state is on the list and you're at risk of defaulting, you might want to research the details:

Alabama
Alaska
California
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington

Student loan default trashes your credit, and the loans continue to incur interest and fees as long as they remain unpaid, so getting out of default can be very challenging. If you have federal student loans, as most people who borrow do, there are many options available to you before you're 270 days past due on your student loan payments (that's the definition of default): You can apply for income-based repayment or pay-as-you-earn programs, in addition to applying for an extended repayment period, which will raise the cost of your loans in the long run but make them more affordable now.

If you want to see how your student loans are affecting your credit, you can get your free credit scores, updated monthly, on Credit.com. You can check your credit reports for free once a year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies at AnnualCreditReport.com. Because student loans are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy and default can be catastrophic for your credit, it's crucial to prioritize making your loan payments on time.

22 States Where You Could Lose Your License for Not Paying Your Student Loans - Yahoo Finance

Scott Walker Loses Education Control Fight in Court

 

A unanimous state appeals court on Thursday deemed unconstitutional a portion of a 2011 law that gave Gov. Scott Walker the ability to halt administrative rules by Schools Superintendent Tony Evers, who is independently elected.

The ruling by the Madison-based District 4 Court of Appeals upholds a 2012 decision by Dane County Circuit Judge Amy Smith.

Walker signed the law in May 2011, which gave his administration a greater say in writing administrative rules, which are used to implement state laws. Administrative rules include more specifics than state statutes and carry the force of law.

Looks like Scott Walker got caught ignoring the State Constitution:

The state constitution says that "the supervision of public instruction shall be vested in a state superintendent and such other officers as the Legislature shall direct." In a 1996 case that the appeals court repeatedly cited, the state Supreme Court held that lawmakers and the governor cannot give "equal or superior authority" over public education to any other official.

The Supreme Court's ruling found that the state constitution prevented then-Gov. Tommy Thompson from transferring powers from the Department of Public Instruction to a new Department of Education overseen by the governor's administration.

"In sum, the Legislature has the authority to give, to not give, or to take away (the school superintendent's) supervisory powers, including rule-making power. What the Legislature may not do is give the (superintendent) a supervisory power relating to education and then fail to maintain the (superintendent's) supremacy with respect to that power," Appeals Judge Gary Sherman wrote for the court in Thursday's decision.

No, Scott Walker, you can't control state education. You've defunded K-12 education by $2 billion and you're stripping $300 million from our previously wonderful State University system. You've made taxpayers fund the private education of rich kids, too.

You have already done more than enough damage.

Since his 2011 inauguration, he's taken complete control of virtually ALL state agencies and has been hard at work on legislation giving him complete control over everything.
The last 3 remaining agencies or departments he doesn't completely control (the DNR with it's soon to be legislatively abolished Citizen Advisory Board oversight, the Secretary of States' Office - run by a Democrat - soon to be stripped of staff and moved to an inaccessible basement by Walker's new budget, and the Government Accountability Board which oversees elections) have now been joined by a 4th, the Department of Public Instruction.

Walker's 2011 law gave him the final say in administrative rules for public schools despite the fact that the Superintendent is independently elected. Not any more.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Scott Walker Loses Education Control Fight in Court

Obama Relents on Proposal to End ‘529’ College Savings Plans - NYTimes.com

 

WASHINGTON — President Obama, facing angry reprisals from parents and from lawmakers of both parties, will drop his proposal to effectively end the popular college savings accounts known as 529s, but will keep an expanded tuition tax credit at the center of his college access plan, White House officials said Tuesday.

The decision came just hours after Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio demanded that the proposal be withdrawn from the president’s budget, due out Monday, “for the sake of middle-class families.” But the call for the White House to relent also came from top Democrats, including Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking member of the Budget Committee.

Ms. Pelosi pressed the case to senior administration officials on Air Force One as she flew with the president from India to Saudi Arabia, according to Democratic aides familiar with the discussions.

The move was an abrupt turn for the president, who had made the proposal during his State of the Union address only a week ago, a proposal he called part of his pitch for “middle-class economics.”

“Given it has become such a distraction, we’re not going to ask Congress to pass the 529 provision so that they can instead focus on delivering a larger package of education tax relief that has bipartisan support, as well as the president’s broader package of tax relief for child care and working families,” a White House official said.

Obama Relents on Proposal to End ‘529’ College Savings Plans - NYTimes.com

Obama Proposes Free Community College Education for Some Students - NYTimes.com

 

WASHINGTON — President Obama will announce Friday that the federal government will work with states to waive the first two years of community college tuition for some students.

If states go along, the program would cover full-time and half-time students who maintain a 2.5 grade point average and “make steady progress toward completing a program,” the White House said in a fact sheet released Thursday night.

The federal government would cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college for those students, the White House said.

White House officials declined to reveal how much such a program would cost, although they called it “significant.” And they acknowledged in a conference call with reporters that the program was unlikely to quickly win approval in Congress.

States that choose to participate would have to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate tuition for the eligible students. No price tag was included in the fact sheet, and the White House provided no estimate of the number of students who might qualify.

Mr. Obama, in the video, said that if the program was carried out, “it’s something that will train our work force so that we can compete with anybody in the world.”

The president will announce the initiative at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. The trip is part of a tour in which he is previewing issues he will talk about in his State of the Union address.

About 7.7 million Americans attend community college for credit, of whom 3.1 million, or 40 percent, attend full time, according to the American Association of Community Colleges, relying on 2012 data.

Over all, the federal government provides about $9.1 billion to community colleges, or about 16 percent of the total revenue the colleges receive. Tuition from students provides $16.7 billion a year, or nearly 30 percent of revenue.

Obama Proposes Free Community College Education for Some Students - NYTimes.com

NEW GRANT TO HELP TRAIN WORKERS FOR JOBS IN MANUFACTURING

 

NEW GRANT TO HELP TRAIN WORKERS FOR JOBS IN MANUFACTURING

The Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance, in partnership with the City of Rockford, has been awarded a $1.2 million dollar grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide
accelerated training in manufacturing tailored to the specific needs of area employers.
The Accelerated Training for Illinois Manufacturing (ATIM) grant covers four counties in northern Illinois, Winnebago, Boone, Stephenson and DeKalb Counties, integrating classroom/lab-based and work-based training for 133 participants.
“Manufacturing companies in the northern Illinois region need trained workers as soon as possible,” said Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey. “This program will allow participants to build on the skills they already have to get into the workforce more quickly.”
The grant will target several high-demand areas in manufacturing, including:

• Mechanical Engineering Technicians
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic
• Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
• Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• A & P Mechanics
• Assemblers

“Training providers and employers were involved in the application process for this grant,” added Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance Chairman Paul Callighan. “The program will include bridge programs, work experience assignments and internships, as well as on-the-job training contracts.”
According to Illinois DCEO, the three key elements of the program include:

• responding directly to regional demand to fill current manufacturing vacancies and near-term projected job postings through unprecedented levels of employer involvement;
• providing industry-recognized skill training and education along with On-the-Job Training opportunities so employers know trainees are ready for work on day one; and
• better integrating services from multiple programs to get people trained rapidly in the skills employers want and to provide the opportunity to land good paying jobs.

Partners involved in the program include economic development and industry organizations, local community colleges, community-based organizations and numerous employers.
Applications to participate in this program are being accepted on-line. There is a link to the application available at The Workforce Connection website at www.theworkforceconnection.org
Manufacturing employers interested in participating in the program should contact Pamela Fettes at The Workforce Connection. pfettes@theworkforceconnection.org
Media contact: John Strandin, Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance 815-395-6688
jstrandin@theworkforceconnection.org

Study: 15 percent of US youth out of school, work - Yahoo News

The coalition also finds that 49 states have seen an increase in the number of families living in poverty and 45 states have seen household median incomes fall in the last year. The dour report underscores the challenges young adults face now and foretell challenges they are likely to face as they get older.

A young person's community is often closely tied to his or her success. The Opportunity Nation report tracked 16 factors — Internet access, college graduation rates, income inequality and public safety among them — and identified states that were doing well for its young people.

Topping the list of supportive states are Vermont, Minnesota and North Dakota. At the bottom? Nevada, Mississippi and New Mexico.

"Their destiny is too often determined by their ZIP code," said Charlie Mangiardi, who works with Year Up, a nonprofit that trains young adults for careers and helps them find jobs.

Click on the following to read the entire article;  Study: 15 percent of US youth out of school, work - Yahoo News

Friends of RVC support Lynn Kearney and Bennett Romero

 

Why has Friends of RVC only endorsed two candidates?

After conducting a detailed review of all the information regarding the ten candidates, the
committee (which is made up of a cross-section of RVC employee groups) was able to reach a
consensus on endorsing both Lynn and Romero. Both made clear their commitment to the
education of our community. Both demonstrated a willingness to be good stewards for our
community college for six years. Both were clear in their passion to work with all stakeholders and
not to be too tied to outside interests and agendas. This does not mean we are necessarily running
against any other candidates; this simply means we see that both Lynn and Romero as bringing a
balanced approach to the board and meeting the needs of the staff, students, college and
community.

Click on the following for more information:  Friends of RVC « Political Action Committee

Editorial on rising Belvidere School District 100 debt levy

The following is taken from the October 7, 2011 Boone County Journal.

“Belvidere May have too many schools in five years”

To read the entire article go to:  http://www.rrstar.com/insight/alexgary/x219198780/In-Sundays-paper-Suburbs-absorb-exodus-from-Rockford

Neighboring ZIP codes absorb Rockford exodus

The latest release of 2010 census data proves what anyone driving around the Rock River Valley already knows — the population is moving.
The U.S. Census Bureau released population changes from 2000 to 2010 broken down by ZIP code. In Winnebago County, just two major ZIP codes lost population. Downtown Rockford east of the river, 61104, fell by nearly 6 percent. And 61101, which is Rockford’s northwest side, declined by 8.1 percent. And of those Rockford ZIP codes that did see population growth, not one saw even 10 percent growth.
For much of the decade, the moving vans were heading to such places as Poplar Grove and Belvidere, where populations grew by 35.8 and 17.3 percent, respectively, and Winnebago, up 20.4 percent.
…..
Both the Belvidere and North Boone school districts in Boone County felt the crunch of new families flocking to their areas. Belvidere built a new middle school and a second high school. North Boone expanded an elementary school, built a new high school and put on an addition to the old high school.
Michael Houselog was superintendent of North Boone for much of the decade and now is the superintendent of Belvidere. In the 2000-01 school year, Belvidere had 6,352 students and North Boone 1,283. By 2007, Belvidere’s student population surged to 8,728 and North Boone’s to 1,686.
But in the wake of the Great Recession, the growth rate has slowed. In 2010, Belvidere was up to 9,001 and North Boone to 1,746.
And Houselog said that unless the economy revives and people begin returning to Boone County, Belvidere is going to have too many schools within five years.
“This year, our three smallest grades are kindergarten, first and second grade,” Houselog said. “This will put it in into context. In 2005, we had more than 700 kids in kindergarten. This year we have 485.”
Still, Houselog is confident that Boone County will become a destination of choice again.
“The things that made this a desirable place haven’t changed. We have lower tax rates than what you’ll find in the Chicago area. Having (Interstate 90) coming through our county allows easy access to Rockford, Madison, Chicago,” he said. “When the economy turns, we think it’ll turn here first. The question is when.”
While the once hot growth areas wait for another boom, Krause said the aging areas of Rockford are waiting on something else — reinvestment.
“In Chicago, there are a number of aging neighborhoods that have done well because developers took industrial buildings and turned them into condos,” Krause said. “Part of the reason they took that risk is because prices in Chicago’s suburbs had increased so much that it made sense to reinvest in the older neighborhoods. That could happen here, but so many developers were hurt by the recession that few are ready to take that risk in Rockford.”
Krause said there have been some residential redevelopment success stories in Rockford, such as the Brown building downtown and the Garrison Lofts & Town Homes, but much more is needed to persuade retailers to come back as well.
Assistant Business Editor Alex Gary may be reached at agary@rrstar.com or at 815-987-1339 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 815-987-1339 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Copyright 2011 Rockford Register Star. Some rights reserved

District 100 Education Tax Rate still lowest

The following tax rate comparison was presented at the June 22, 2011 District 100 school board meeting. Belvidere has the lowest rate in Winnebago-Boone Counties.  Is District 100 Board of Education thinking about asking for an increase in the education tax rate?

Click on the photocopy to enlarge: 

Belvidere’s 4.59702 rate is a substantially higher rate than the prior year’s 4.06682 and is projected to be up to 5.22190 for next tax  year See the document shown below from the May 16, 2011 District 100 board meeting. In percentage terms this year’s tax rate went up 13.04%; next year is projected to increase 13.59%.  An individual home’s tax increase should be somewhat less because assessed values (EAV) are projected to decrease 10% for 2011-2.

Assuming the projected 5.22190 rate to be correct—Belvidere will still have the lowest rate in 2011-2 but the gap maybe narrowing.  Also note the largest increase is in Bond Taxes (17.3% for 2010-11).  Much larger increases in Bond Taxes will occur in upcoming years not yet shown in 2011-2.

Here is proof that other districts are thinking of increases.

Zoning Board approves Kelley Road Farms request - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

A major source of contention is a 60-plus-foot-wide driveway Tortorici and Nelson share with neighbor Steve Sextonson, his wife and other easement holders.

The unincorporated Caledonia Township couple want to use their homegrown vegetables and other ingredients to create sauces and other recipes in their FDA-approved kitchen to sell items online, in small boutique retail outlets and at their private dinners at 722 Kelly Road to be attended by no more than 30 guests.

a result of concerns building in recent weeks, the Belvidere-Boone County Planning staff added restrictions into the special use which would restrict the couple to hosting two parties a week, between the hours of 7 and 11 p.m. and with low lighting, if any, for a guest parking area. There are a total of 15 restrictions, including an operating season for the onsite dinners.

Click on the following for more details:   Zoning Board approves Kelley Road Farms request - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

The following additional information regarding Kelley Farms was taken website of  Angelic Organics  :http://www.learngrowconnect.org/taxonomy/term/50

Kelley Road Farms

• Biodynamic
• Sustainable Practices
• Value Added Products
• Vegetables

Website:

http://www.kelleyroadfarms.com

Contact Name:

Preferred name: Tom Tortorici

Contact Phone:

773-262-0783

Best Time To Call:

773 262-0783

Contact Email:

tom@t2designinc.com

At Kelley Road Farms, we are looking to produce a quality, higher-end, gourmet food product line for distribution in retail outlets and restaurants wanting to carry or use a locally-grown and produced product. The key signature ingredients to our products will be grown ourselves. We also hope to partner with other growers to provide specific ingredients, ie. herbs, root vegetables, etc. We will do this all in a bio-dynamic way without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Every attempt will be made to ensure that our practices are as sustainable as possible.

Training & Employment Opportunities:

1st year trainee opportunity

Address:

722 Kelley Road
Caledonia, Illinois 61011 United States

Informal Day Visits:

Yes

Additional Information Regarding Day Visits:

Will need advanced notification to make sure someone is there & dogs are stowed.

Directions:

722 Kelley Road, Caledonia IL between Beloit and Caledonia Roads

Franks plans to bring back sales tax holiday

_{State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, issued the following news release about a bill he filed in Springfield:}

Motivated by the need to help Illinois families make ends meet during these harsh economic times, State Rep. Jack D. Franks (D-Woodstock) introduced legislation Monday that will implement an annual sales tax holiday on back-to-school items.

House Bill 258 is an extension of Illinois’ 2010 sales tax holiday trial, which Franks helped pass. The measure would implement a 10-day sales tax holiday in Illinois on clothing and school supplies each year. The holiday does not make merchandise tax-free, but does significantly reduce the sales tax rate to just 1.25% throughout the state.

Click on the following for more details:  Northwest Herald | The Bulletin Board