In this issue:
- Meeting with education advisory group
- 2024 Edgar Fellows class
- Having a great time at the fair
- New high school exams in spring 2025
Meeting with education advisory group
We had a great turnout Wednesday morning for our Education Advisory Committee meeting!
We had great discussions about staffing, testing requirements, legislation, and back to school. Thank you to all of those who were able to make it in person and virtually!
2024 Edgar Fellows class
I am very honored to be selected for the 2024 class of the Edgar Fellows Program. Forty-one public policy leaders from across Illinois have been chosen to participate in this prestigious program, which strives to inspire collaboration and address the state’s major challenges.
The Edgar Fellows Program brings together leaders from various backgrounds, including elected officials, non-profit leaders, and business influencers. This year’s class reflects Illinois’ diverse political, racial, ethnic, and geographic makeup and is set to participate in the Executive Leadership Training Program at the beginning of August.
Congratulations to everyone who was selected!
Having a great time at the fair
I had a fantastic time out at the Iroquois County 4-H and Agriculture Fair last week! It was great to talk with constituents throughout the fairgrounds. We could not have asked for better weather for both the Iroquois & Livingston County Fairs!
A big part of the county fair is 4-H. Illinois 4-H is very important to me. The 4-H kids put in countless hours each year preparing for the fair. 4-H isn’t just for farm kids either. It reaches across communities rural, suburban, and urban – and teaches youth the value of learning by doing and serving your community and world.
Thank you to the many volunteers that keep the clubs and fairs going each year!
New high school exams in 2025
Illinois high school students will be taking a different assessment exam next spring.
The Illinois State Board of Education has announced that it will be switching to the ACT exam instead of the SAT starting next spring. Both are standardized tests which evaluate students’ performance in subjects like math and English, and they are both used by some schools for college admissions and scholarship applications.
In Illinois the tests are also used to measure student progress as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The test results are part of the Illinois Report Card which evaluates how our schools are performing when it comes to meeting academic standards.
Summer reading deadline is next Tuesday
Thank you to all the local students (and their parents) who have participated in my summer reading program this year!
The deadline to turn in your reading slips is next Tuesday, July 30. You can turn them into either of my district offices in Watseka or Dwight, or email them to bunting@ilhousegop.org. Each student who reads eight books over the course of the summer will receive an official House of Representatives certificate of recognition and an invitation to an ice cream party.
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $868,373,111. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.2 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
1 from Illinois dies in multi-state Listeria outbreak possibly linked to deli meat: CDC
State’s largest privately-owned water utilities seek rate increase amid lawmaker scrutiny
Are construction zone speed limits enforced in Illinois when workers aren’t there?
Who are Illinois’ highest paid state workers? Here’s the top 10
Illinois studies explore converting wastewater to fertilizer with fungal treatment
U of I Archives detail story of Illini Olympian 100 years after gold medal wins