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Illinois Is Messin With Homeschoolers, Again

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HSLDA has issued another alert for Illinois homeschoolers. It seems the Illinois legislature just can’t let go of the autonomous, free and independent homeschooling citizens and is trying, yet again, another tactic to bring home education under state mandates and control. Legislation to raise compulsory school age is being considered and will likely see action in the coming days. The following alert has been issued by HSLDA.

From the HSLDA E-lert Service…

Illinois–Please Call Now to Oppose Compulsory School Age Increase

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,
A bill that would place young people under compulsory education for an additional year is being heard in committee today in Springfield.
Compulsory age in Illinois ends at age 17 right now.  Rep. Jehan
Gordon’s HB 2985 would raise it to age 18.
The committee will probably vote on the bill within a few days.  They need to hear from you that making an additional year of a young person’s life subject to state mandate is not acceptable.
REQUESTED ACTION:
1. Please call your representative if he or she is a committee member
(see list below). Use our Legislative Toolbox at 
http://www.hslda.org/toolbox to find out who your representative is.
Even representatives whom you think already oppose the bill need to hear from you.
2. If your representative is not on the committee, call the
chairperson, the vice chairperson and the minority spokesman (seebelow).
3. Your message can be as simple as:
“Please vote NO on HB 2985. Parents, not state officials, know whether their 17-year-old young adult should pursue formal education or some other preparation for life responsibilities. The additional cost of forcing unwilling young adults into a formal school setting should not be added to the current taxpayer burden.”
This bill would undermine the freedom of all parents.  It is not
necessary for you to identify yourself as a homeschooler.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Elementary & Secondary Education Committee Members:
Chairperson : Linda Chapa LaVia
(217) 558-1002
Vice-Chairperson : Fred Crespo
(217) 782-0347
Minority Spokesperson : Jerry L. Mitchell
(217) 782-0535
Member: John D. Cavaletto
(217) 782-0066
Member: Marlow H. Colvin
(217) 782-8272
Member: Monique D. Davis
(217) 782-0010
Member: Lisa M. Dugan
(217) 782-5981
Member: Kenneth Dunkin
(217) 782-4535
Member: Roger L. Eddy
(217) 558-1040
Member: Keith Farnham
(217) 782-8020
Member: Esther Golar
(217) 782-5971
Member: Jehan A. Gordon
(217) 782-3186
Member: Camille Y Lilly
(217) 782-6400
Member: Rita Mayfield
(217) 558-1012
Member: Bill Mitchell
(217) 782-8163
Member: Donald L. Moffitt
(217) 782-8032
Member: Thomas Morrison
(217) 782-8026
Member: Harry Osterman
(217) 782-8088
Member: Sandra M. Pihos
(217) 782-8037
Member: Robert W. Pritchard
(217) 782-0425
Member: David Reis
(217) 782-2087
Member: Pam Roth
(217) 782-5997
Member: Darlene J. Senger
(217) 782-6507
Member: Karen A. Yarbrough
(217) 782-8120
BACKGROUND
Not all 17-year-olds belong in a formal school setting.  Some would be better off in a work training program, apprenticeship, obtaining valuable work experience, etc.  This decision belongs to parents, not state officials.
Pushing unwilling older students into the classroom will disrupt the other students who truly want to learn. Since many 17-year-olds have the size and strength of adults, classrooms could become even more violent.
Raising the compulsory age does not help young people.  Some of the states with the highest graduation rates have the lowest compulsory attendance cut-off age. Most states have a compulsory attendance cut-off age of 16 or less.
Illinois already has a higher age (17) than most. Taxes would inevitably rise to pay for more classroom space and teachers. When California raised the upper age limit of compulsory attendance, taxpayers were forced to pay for the building of new schools just to handle the older, unwilling students and their behavior problems.
For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our
Thank you for your calls on behalf of freedom in Illinois.
Sincerely,
Scott Woodruff
HSLDA Senior Counsel

Missouri needs to monitor the actions of Illinois very carefully. Compulsory school age bills are a hallmark of Race To The Top, and Missouri has several of these bills up for consideration in this legislative session. While none of these bills are set on the calendar to be heard/debated as of this posting, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen before the end of the legislative session. It is also possible any of these bills could be hidden in an omnibus bill at the end of the legislative session. Please continue to monitor the progress of these pieces of legislation.

HB179Raises the compulsory school attendance age to 18 in all school districts unless the student has successfully completed 16 credits towards high school graduation

HB752Changes the laws regarding the compulsory school attendance of certain students

HB835Requires children in the St. Louis City School District to attend school at age five

SB20Modifies the compulsory attendance age for the St. Louis City School District so that students must attend school from five years of age to eighteen years of age

SB21Requires kindergarten attendance at the start of the school year for children who turn age five at any time during the calendar year

SB124 Requires children in the St. Louis City School District to attend school at age five

 

Legislation

Tax Credits For Homeschoolers In Missouri?

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Missouri is considering, this year, offering tax credits to homeschoolers. Perhaps it is in reaction to the long list of educational reform bills which include one, HJR 10, that is also flirting with the idea of creating a voucher program. HB618 sponsored by Jason Holsman is a bill that allows for a tax deduction of up to $500 per year for school supplies used for the purpose of homeschooling a child.

The great tax credit/voucher debate is still ongoing. Can you take tax credits or any kind of government assistance and remain sovereign? While the differences are large, between tax credits and vouchers, there will always be the question of how the government determines what criteria constitutes “supplies”. Would you be required to submit documentation of the “supplies” you use to be eligible for the deduction? Would registration be required as well?

This article in Home Education Magazine has a comprehensive compilation of researched articles on both sides of the topic on tax breaks. Take some time to read this and click the links to the different articles. It’s worth the time.

HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) has declared its position against vouchers, but supports tax credits as long as it does not induce additional burdens on the homeschooling family. While some homeschooling families feel they are being doubly taxed, since they do not use the public school system and are also paying for their own children’s education at home, tax credits for education seem to be a viable relief to the solution. They also caution to be aware of the type of tax credit your state offers.

Beware of legislation that may seem like an educational tax credit, but is really a “refundable tax credit”. A regular educational tax credit reduces your total tax burden on a dollar for dollar basis, whereas refundable tax credits apply even if you don’t have a tax bill. Refundable tax credits are vouchers in disguise.

It’s not likely that Missouri will see tax credits this year. The bill has stalled since its second read in the House in February. I was unable to reach Representative Holsman to discuss the status of this bill. I will update you should there be further developments.

Educational, Homeschooling, Legislation

Homeschoolers To Rally At The Capitol In Missouri

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On Tuesday, March 8th, Families For Home Education are holding a rally at the State Capitol in Missouri. There will be FHE reps and Lobbyists to speak about legislation and homeschooling in the Rotunda at noon.

Even if you are not a member of FHE, this may be a good day to take a trip, with your children, to the capitol. Legislators will be expecting to meet and greet the homeschool community on that day and it’s a great opportunity for you to get to know the people behind the push this year’s long list of educational legislation. If you have never been to the capitol, you should take the opportunity to introduce your children to the law making process.

Legislation

Missouri Law Makers Introduce Even More Legislation To Restrict Educational Freedom

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Missouri legislators are certainly earning their pay this year. While they aren’t going for the big power grab with one single piece of legislation, they certainly have peppered the session with lots of small attempts to chip away at your educational freedom. Here are a couple of other bills you should watch and be aware of.

HB 179 This bill raises compulsory school age for everybody, to 18 years of age. If your homeschooled child can show they have completed course work to satisfy 16 credit hours, they are exempt. It also takes away, previously allowed by law, the ability of metropolitan school districts to lower the age to sixteen by resolution of their school boards. This is another veiled bill to advance Educated Citizenry 2020. EC2020 seeks to mandate educational control of all students from pre-K to age 20. Hence, multiple bills in the legislature, this session, to change compulsory school age on both ends.

This bill has been referred to committee.

… strengthening the P-20 pipeline will encourage communication between all levels of the education community and the business sector to ensure that Missouri’s schools and institutions are meeting the demands of the workforce both in quality and area of preparation. …

Provide parents and early childhood educators with the information they need to see that all children enter kindergarten on par with their peers and ready to learn. Formalize DESE’s existing school readiness standards by requiring that standards be distributed to parents, early childhood educators, and school districts. School readiness assessment data and information on prekindergarten experiences for all kindergartners shall be included in core data reporting requirements.

Advance efforts to support voluntary, universal prekindergarten. Explore potential funding sources for prekindergarten education including federal funding. The Committee would like to note that there was not unanimous support for the prekindergarten recommendations.

 

HB 463 This bill focuses on Virtual Schools. Educated Citizenry is very focused on advancing Charter Schools and Virtual Schools.

The Committee also formulated ideas for improving provisionally accredited and unaccredited schools, including the need to continue to investigate alternative school models such as virtual schools and charter schools.

HB 463 mainly addresses funding for virtual schools. It is very important for homeschoolers to understand that virtual schools probably pose the most serious threat to homeschooling freedoms than any other issue in education reform. If you decide to participate in virtual schools, on a full or part time basis, you would certainly be required to register with the state as a participant, and funding, of course would be an issue. With that would absolutely come the mandates and restrictions of government control. It is something all homeschoolers should be aware of and keep in mind as they make decisions in the future whether or not they want to participate in virtual school program. This bill has also been referred to committee.

Homeschooling families in Missouri and across the country should be very aware of the legislative developments in Illinois. Illinois is the testing ground for government takeover of educational freedom. Please continue to watch closely the developments of SB 136. While Arne Duncan was the Chicago Education Secretary, before he joined the Obama administration’s Department of Education, he made it very clear that putting homeschooling under the mandates and control of the government was his goal.

 

Homeschooling, Legislation

Senator Ed Maloney Tables SB136

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Today, 97.1 Talk Radio’s, (and homeschooling mother) Dana Loesch spoke with Illinois Senator, Ed Maloney about the controversial legislation SB136 that requires private, home educators to register with the state.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwwye_dvWbI&feature=player_embedded#at=36]

Dana drove home, very well, points that have been raised before; homeschool students, as a larger demographic, are performing exceedingly well as compared to publicly schooled students. So, why the focus on such a small number that may be falling through the cracks when they have large, identifiable numbers, that are falling through the cracks? As a result of the push back from the community, the senator reported that SB136 will take a different shape in order to assure that all students are being addressed, academically, without intruding on the rights of those who are providing adequate education for their children.

Tabled legislation doesn’t mean dead legislation. Illinois citizens should continue to watch the status of this bill. It could be re-written or resurrected at any time during the legislative session.

 

 

Educational, Legislation

Missouri Education Legislative Updates 2/17/11

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Here are some updates and some additional bills to watch, as of this week.

HB179 Raises the compulsory school attendance age to 18 in all school districts unless the student has successfully completed 16 credits towards high school graduation. This bill also takes authority away from metropolitan school districts to adopt resolutions to the contrary of this legislation as is now allowed by law. Introduced on 1/12/11 with two readings and recommended to the Elementary and Education committee on 2/8/11

(2) Seventeen] eighteen years of age or having successfully completed sixteen credits 73 towards high school graduation [in all other cases. The school board of a metropolitan school district for which the compulsory attendance age is seventeen years may adopt a resolution to lower the compulsory attendance age to sixteen years; provided that such resolution shall take effect no earlier than the school year next following the school year during which the resolution  is adopted].

HB463 This bill is all about funding virtual schools. Homeschoolers need to watch this one if they plan to be part of virtual schools because this bill is heavily focused on federal funding for students of virtual schools and expanding charter schools. It could have the potential for identifying homeschoolers or mandating curriculum.

Such nonresident students shall be defined as virtual resident students.

For now we are just red flagging this one. We don’t want it to grow into issues of registration for homeschooling or mandating curriculum since the push is to have Common Core Standards be the rule throughout Missouri. Introduced on 2/9/11 and has had two readings to then be recommended to the Elementary and Secondary Education committee. It seems to be on the fast track.

SB20 was heard in committee on 2/9/11. To date there is no action listed on the General Assembly website, which means it is not dead, but has not advanced. It is still possible for this bill to advance on its own or be hidden in an omnibus bill before the end of the legislative session.

SB21 While scheduled to be heard in the 2/9/11 hearing it was not debated. Again, we are not out of the woods on these bills. They could end up being resurrected and voted through before the end of the session.

SB124 This bill was heard in the 2/9/11 committee hearing and holds the same status as SB20 and SB21.

Thank you to all who sent in testimonial forms for last week’s hearings. Being informed and engaged is the best way to ensure freedom and influence your representation. We hope the legislators understand that homeschooling must remain free from extraneous mandates and restrictions. It is preferable to see these bills that threaten parental rights and homeschooling freedoms to die as soon as possible, this legislative session.

Head Scratcher of the Week – SB222, introduced by Senator Jane Cunningham, basically eliminates restrictions on the child labor laws. Read it for yourself, folks. I can’t even imagine what she was thinking when she introduced this one. It has received two readings and has been referred to General Laws on 2/10/11.

Homeschooling, Legislation

Illinois Homeschoolers, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide From SB136

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Sen. Ed Maloney, D-Chicago, is reconsidering his bill, SB136, after crowds of homeschooling families descended upon the Illinois State capitol, in Springfield, yesterday. Surprised by the reaction from the community, he announced he would not pursue it in the immediate future. Although it is not a certainty that he feels strongly enough to leave the issue alone, he intends to talk with homeschooling advocates to find a way to develop a system to ensure that children aren’t “falling through the cracks” of the educational expectations of the state. In a report from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, he said:

Maloney said later he will continue to talk with home-schooling advocates about whether a system can be set up that would ensure that children aren’t “falling through the cracks” of education in families that don’t send them to school but don’t properly educate them, either.

The questions still remains, “Why is there a more focused concern for homeschoolers, who statistically perform better and are generally better educated, than the masses of publicly schooled children who do not and are not.”

There are conflicting reports in the media as to whether the bill has actually been pulled from consideration or if it will advance and be voted on when the assembly returns from recess in two weeks. As of this posting it has not been withdrawn.

Something of concern, for the homeschool community in Illinois, is that this bill is a slippery slope that will lead to further encroachment, regulation and monitoring, and with good reason. In the following video, Bill Reynolds, a truant officer explains very clearly, that his intent is to pursue monitoring of all registered homeschooling families regardless of reported abuses, or not. And Senator Susan Garrett states education standards should be the same for homeschoolers and public schoolers. There is certainly reason to fear the Illinois general assembly feels homeschooling should be further regulated.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZqBrLZh6RE]

I fear Illinois homeschoolers are not out of the woods. The elected representation and other government employees are clearly in favor of regulation and mandates. The homeschooling community in Illinois, and around the country, needs to monitor this bill and make sure it doesn’t further advance or get lost in an omnibus bill and quietly passed along and voted into law under the radar.

Homeschooling, Research

A Little Something To Remind Us All Of Why We Do What We Do

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I have been wanting to do this for quite a while and just have never made time to pull it together in a blog posting. Now that we, in Missouri, are fighting against some very restrictive and oppressive education reform, I just want to remind you all, or give you a reason, why it is important to keep an eye on the public education realm and its ever vigilant resolve to get its grip around the mustang, homeschooling. Or maybe, sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we are making the right choices for our children. Here is a little validation in the form of tangible research.

In 2009, Dr. Brian Ray released a study on the progress of homeschooled students compared to their publicly schooled counterparts.

Drawing from 15 independent testing services, the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics included 11,739 homeschooled student from all 50 states who took three well-know tests–California Achievement Test, Iowa Basic Skill, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007-08 academic year. The progress Report is the most comprehensive homeschool academic study ever completed.

National Average Percentile Scores
Subtest          Homeschool          Public School
Reading                89                                50
Language             84                                50
Math                     84                                50
Science                 86                                50
Social Studies     84                                50
Core-a                  88                                50
Core-b                  86                                50
Core-a is a combination of Reading, Language, and Math
Core-b is a combination of all subjects that the students took on the test.

There was little difference between the results of homeschooled boys and girls on core scores.

Boys – 87th percentile
Girls – 88th percentile

Household income had little impact on the results of homeschooled students.

$34,000 or less – 85th percentile
$35,000 – $49,999 – 86th percentile
$50,000 – $69,999 – 86 percentile
$70,000 or more – 89 percentile

Educational level of parents:

Neither parent has a college degree – 83rd percentile
One parent has a college degree – 86th percentile
Both parents have a college degree – 90th percentile

Whether either parent was a certified teacher did not matter.

Certified (i.e. either parent ever certified)-87th percentile
Not certified (i.e., neither parent ever certified)-88th percentile

As for the great debate on whether more money makes a difference in educational excellence ….

Parental spending on home education made little difference.

Spent $600 or more on the student – 89th percentile
Spent under $600 on the student – 86th percentile

The extent of government regulation on homeschoolers did not affect the results

Low state regulation – 87th percentile
Medium state regulation – 88th percentile
High state regulation – 87th percentile

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DOXUjOFZZsk]

Final Thought:

Homeschooling is making great strides and hundreds of thousands of parents across America are showing every day what can be achieved when parents exercise their right to homeschool and make tremendous sacrifices to provide their children with the best education available.

As a reminder, Dr. Brian Ray will be speaking on this topic and others on February 21st, at 7PM at the Family Vision Library.

Legislation

Call To Action For Illinois Homeschoolers

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A bill is advancing (SB136) through the Illinois legislature that would require homeschoolers in that state to register with their department of education. Additionally, this bill would give Illinois DESE unlimited power to request any kind of information as part of the registration process. Most homeschoolers see this as an enormous breach of parental rights and educational choice freedom.

Missouri homeschool networks are watching this legislation very closely and some may join them at a rally on February 15th at the Illinois State capitol. In fact, many states are facing sweeping education reforms initiated by the federal government and President Obama’s Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, formerly the Illinois Education Secretary. It is important, in the opinion of many homeschoolers that this bill be defeated because if restrictive mandates fall upon private and homeschoolers in Illinois, it will also happen in other states across the country.

Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is requesting that Illinois homeschoolers attend hearings on February 15 at the state capitol in Springfield and to contact their legislators.

1. Please attend the hearing on February 15 at 10:45 a.m. in Room 212 in the state Capitol, Springfield, Ill. Feel free to bring well-behaved children. Please consider taking a day of vacation from work to protect your freedom. A big crowd will send a powerful message. Fill out a witness slip as you enter the room if you wish to speak. We are hoping for a very big crowd! Could you car pool and bring more people?

2. Prior to the hearing, call your senator if he or she is a committee member (see list below). Use our Legislative Toolbox to find out who your senator is. Even senators whom you think already oppose the bill need to hear from you!

3. If your senator is not on the committee, call the chairperson, the vice chairperson and the minority spokesman (see below).

4. Your message can be as simple as: “Please vote NO on SB 136.
Studies show that homeschooling prepares students for college better than other types of education. There is no need for government to expand into an area that is already so successful. A new registration mandate will require taxes to go up to pay for it.”

5. Attend the rally before the hearing! ICHE is holding a rally in the auditorium of the Howlett Building, 501 South 2d St., Springfield, Il before the hearing. Details will follow!

6. Pass this message on to others!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Chairperson : James T. Meeks
Springfield Office: (217) 782-8066
District Office: (708) 862-1515

Vice-Chairperson : Kimberly A. Lightford
Springfield Office: (217) 782-8505
District Office: (708) 343-7444

Member: Gary Forby
Springfield Office: (217) 782-5509
District Office: (618) 439-2504

Member: Susan Garrett
Springfield Office: (217) 782-3650
District Office: (847) 433-2002

Member: Iris Y. Martinez
Springfield Office: (217) 782-8191
District Office: (773) 463-0720

Member: John G. Mulroe
Springfield Office: (217) 782-1035
District Office: (773) 763-3810

Minority Spokesperson : David Luechtefeld
Springfield Office: (217) 782-8137
District Office: (618) 243-9014

Member: J. Bradley Burzynski
Springfield Office: (217) 782-1977
District Office: (815) 895-6318

Member: Kyle McCarter
Springfield Office: (217) 782-5755
District Office: (217) 428-4068

Member: Suzi Schmidt
Springfield Office: (217) 782-7353
District Office: (224) 372-7465

 

Homeschooling

Homeschooling And The Sharing Of Information

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Think about what life would be like without freedom of speech. Think about how you would or would not be able to make decisions, as homeschoolers, parents, citizens without the free flow of information. As homeschoolers we enjoy the freedom to make choices in education that have been conditioned out of what is considered to be the norm in our society. Perhaps we can attribute our decisions to so because we have had the freedom to educate ourselves on the issues and alternatives.

Free and healthy societies survive on the free flow of information.

Missouri and other states are facing serious threats to our abilities to make educational choices for our children through sweeping educational reform legislation. Our parental rights are being chipped away, right under our noses by lobbyists and elected representatives who may think they know more about what is best for the citizenry than we do. The only way for citizens to remain free is to stay informed and inform others.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPHLLLaMh5E&feature=player_embedded]

Please take a minute to watch this video, sent by a loyal HU reader and apply the message to your ability to maintain your homeschooling and parental rights. I believe this is a powerful and poignant message.