Illinois school consolidation. Quinn power grab? Legislative shenanigans? Is it DOA?

First of all, if you are interested in the details of Illinois school politics in Springfield and don’t subscribe to Jim Broadway’s State School Policy Updates, you should.

In the update I received today, Broadway describes the strange comings and goings around SB2134.

SB2134 is the school consolidation bill. Last week there was a sudden crush of talk about school consolidation.

Where did all this come from?

Once source was Governor Quinn, who was out making a power grab. He’s wanted to get rid of Regional Offices of Education and school consolidation was one way to do it.

The other source was the corporate lobby.

Says Broadway,

Illinois corporate leaders have long believed true school “reform” cannot happen while the intermediate level education leaders are elected and, therefore, more responsive to the school districts and voters in their regions than to state officials.

They want regional officials who can be fired for acting in support of local control. In 1993, a coalition of the Illinois Business Roundtable, State Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Manufacturers Association joined ISBE in a push to eliminate the ROEs.

Broadway doesn’t think the bill will make it through.

Ultimately, the state’s interest in reducing the number of school districts will find expression in policy that increases incentives for consolidation, shared services and cooperative high schools. Illinois citizens will not soon relinquish local control of schools.

Hope he’s right.