Lightford: Illinois needs to make the teaching profession more attractive

• Education
• Teachers

Concerns over difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers in Illinois compelled Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) and other members of the Senate Education Committee to hold a hearing to learn about the problem and explore possible solutions.

“Attracting quality educators to our state is vital to our education system and providing our children with the best possible education. We need to offer teachers support for things they were not taught to deal with in school, provide mentoring opportunities, identify districts with higher needs that have a harder time attracting teachers and work to strengthen the high school-to-classroom pipeline,” Lightford said.

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Lightford on the importance of establishing a Women's Caucus (VIDEO)

• Video
• Women's Caucus

SPRINGFIELD – A bipartisan group of female state senators announced the creation of the Women’s Caucus at a press conference in Springfield.

“We’ve seen throughout history that when women mobilize and claim their seat at the table, they break barriers and find solutions to the most stubborn of problems,” said Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago). “I expect this caucus will do the same for the women of Illinois.”

The caucus is being formed to promote and advance women’s issues within the legislature and to support female senators from both political parties.

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Lightford: Vetoed cursive writing proposal now law

• Education
• Cursive

SPRINGFIELD- Cursive handwriting will remain a subject in Illinois public schools thanks to the Senate’s action in overriding a veto of a measure that requires public elementary schools to offer at least one unit of instruction in the subject.

Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) led the initiative, noting it promotes the practical and fundamental values cursive writing has in education.

“Cursive writing is a skill children will need throughout their lives,” Lightford said. “You cannot write a check, sign legal documents or even read our Constitution without an understanding of cursive writing.”

Districts would determine by local policy at what grade levels this would be implemented as long as students receive the instruction by grade 5.

Under House Bill 2977, schools will be required to offer cursive writing beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

Lightford: We have taken the first steps to a cultural change

SPRINGFIELD- Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement after the Senate approved measures to address some of the issues in dealing with sexual harassment complaints throughout the Capitol:

“We have only begun to address the issue of sexual harassment. Legislative measures are not going to be the solution to this problem, and they will certainly never make up for the hurt and fear women have endured for many years. It is going to take a cultural change to truly see a difference. The important thing is that more and more people are becoming aware and are determined to find solutions.”