Tagged: education

About 300 teachers are at the Missouri Capitol lobbying lawmakers over a measure that includes phasing out the state's teacher tenure system.

The teachers held a brief rally Tuesday the Capitol rotunda Tuesday. Among other things, the bill would not allow the state's tenure law to apply to teachers hired after June 2013.

Ralf Trusty, president of the Missouri State Teachers Association, says that teachers are an important part of a child's development. He says teachers need to know that their jobs are secure so that they can do those jobs well.

Reporting from Rachel Otwell of WUIS used in this report.

Illinois state legislators are pushing to tack on a year of math for high school students. But not everyone thinks that's a good idea.

Backers say requiring four years of math instead of the current three will prepare students going into skilled labor and science and engineering fields.

But, state Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, says tacking on a year of math won't necessarily be beneficial.

Cash-strapped Illinois could save more than $1.3 billion a year if it passed off its portion of public teacher retirement benefits to schools and colleges, but administrators say it could mean ruin for some school districts.

Gov. Pat Quinn has expressed support for shifting the cost to local school districts and colleges to free up money to pay down a huge unfunded liability in the five state pension systems.

Reporting from Illinois Public Radio's Amanda Vinicky was used in this story.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will endorse legislation in his State of the State address next week that would raise Illinois' high school dropout age to 18, according to a statement from the Democrat's office.

The proposal would answer a call from fellow Democrat Barack Obama, who in his State of the Union address on Tuesday urged states to keep students in high school long enough for them to get their diploma.