“Hey, Mr. K! How’s that pension thing going?”

Speaker Michael Madigan, Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and teacher pension killer.

Two weeks before Labor Day and I’m back at work.

Friday was an in-service Institute Day. Yesterday the kids came in the afternoon, but not to Art, Music or PE. Today was a full schedule.

It’s my last year, but I haven’t lost a step!

Five classes and dozens of, “Hey, Mr. K!”

It’s still music to my ears.

Meanwhile in Springfield they are planning their moves. Republican leader Tom Cross, Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan and Civic Committee President Ty Fahner are planning Pension Reform II, The Return of the Monster.

Beaten badly in the regular General Assembly session, they are trying to bring it back in the veto session.

Doug Finke of Gatehouse News reports:

“The Civic Committee and I are still trying to push 512,” Fahner said. “Putting it bluntly, they are the legislators. They tell me what’s going on, I give them suggestions. (Cross and Madigan) have both been terrific in working it hard. I can’t be sure it will pass in the veto session, but we’re going to bring it in the veto session. Speaker Madigan has told me that we were.”

Some argue that Madigan and Cross are thinking it may be easier to pass a pension bill in the veto session. In the final hours of the last session, Madigan and Cross were pushing on too many issues in their respective caucuses.

Now, the theory goes, they can be more targeted on the pension issue. That may be true.

But there are also reasons to be encouraged. The key is to repeat the outpouring of emails, phone calls and office visits that characterized the teacher response last Spring.

In our favor?

First of all, we are moving into an election season.

Reports Finke:

Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, isn’t so sure the Legislature is ready to tackle pension changes for current employees. At a policy breakfast of the Citizens Club of Springfield Friday, Poe said next year’s elections, in which every lawmaker will run in a district with new boundaries because of census-driven redistricting, could make lawmakers leery of further pension changes.

“I don’t see something happening in the veto session,” Poe said. “I’m not sure we’ll get a lot of movement on any major legislation until after the 2012 election.”

Also working for our side is the split between Governor Quinn, Michael Madigan and Rahm Emanuel. There’s more cooperation among members of the Iraqi government than there is among Illinois Democrats at the moment.

Gov. Pat Quinn said earlier in the week that the pension reform effort last spring “laid an egg.” On Friday, he said the state needs to “make sure we have a fair system that meets our Constitution.”

President Obama has a problem with the Madigan pension deal as well. The past week has seen the President making appeals to unhappy union workers. Labor Day, Obama is heading for Detroit trying to patch things up with Labor. Having the number one Democrat, the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, as the teacher pension killer is not the story David Axelrod wants out there right now.

Obama may not be in danger of losing Illinois (although nothing is a lock these days), but plenty of teachers (me included) spent the Fall of 2008 in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. I know every block of Wakarusa, Indiana.

However, all the divisions among the politicians and election year pressures will be meaningless without a massive grassroots outpouring.

Organization is key.

Every school building must be organized. Emails, calls and group visits must become part of the weekly planner.

Wearing red t-shirts are fine. But Tuesday’s must be turned into action days: calling, emailing and visits to local district offices of state reps and senators.

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