SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) has passed legislation in the Illinois Senate to improve the process of criminal background checks on student teachers. The legislation comes after years of talks between the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Senator Cunningham.

Senate Bill 706 ensures that student teachers will have to go through the same background checks as regular teachers and other school employees. Currently, student teachers are required to get separate background checks for each school they teach at, possibly creating confusion amongst districts and teachers.

“With the many pressures that our educational system is under, I, along with ISBE and the FBI, believe we have found a way to get student teachers doing the job they have been trained to do, while protecting our students from criminals who would prey upon them,” Senator Cunningham said.

Specifically, the legislation requires student teachers to submit to the same safety standards as regular school district employees, including a fingerprint-based criminal history check, a Statewide Sex Offender Database check along with a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Databases. State Police and the FBI are required to also furnish any conviction records of prospective student teachers.

“The protection of our students from predators is a priority of ours. In order to keep up with the demand for instructors, I feel we have come up with a plan to not only protect our future leaders, but ensure those who will be their instructors are the best and safest people available,” Senator Cunningham said.

The legislation now goes to the Illinois House for consideration.

CHICAGO - State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) is hosting a "Recycle & Shred" event on Saturday, April 18th from 9AM until 11AM. The event will be held at the Worth Township Hall, 11601 South Pulaski Avenue and is co-hosted by State Representative Fran Hurley and AT&T.

Electronics recycling and residential shredding will be available until the trucks reach capacity.

For more information, please view the flyer.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), along with State Representative Frances Hurley (D-Chicago), the Illinois Department of Employment Security and others are holding an Unemployment Insurance Workshop on Tuesday, March 31 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The workshop will be at the Chicago FIX, 3139 W. 111th Street in Chicago.

“Every year, with the many changes to our workforce in the state, the Illinois Department of Employment Security holds workshops all across Illinois to help our businesses navigate the unemployment insurance process. I’m pleased to host this event, along with my colleague in the House of Representatives, to help the employers in our region,” State Senator Cunningham said.

The workshop will help provide employers with instruction in completing BIS Form 32, along with information on Work Opportunity Tax Credits, Illinois Labor Market Information and other agenda items.

Other hosts of the event include the 95th Street Business Association, the Mt. Greenwood Community and Business Association as well as the Morgan Park/Beverly Hills Business Association.

The event is free, but registration is required. For more information, please visit Senator Cunningham’s website or the Illinois Department of Employment Security. To RSVP, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Review prompted by recent abuses

SPRINGFIELD — In the wake of questionable executive severance deals at state universities and community colleges, the Illinois Senate’s Higher Education Committee is creating a fact-finding subcommittee to steer reform efforts and ensure tuition and tax dollars are used responsibly.

“Taxpayers are demanding to know how we compensate administrators, why we are compensating them and what safeguards we can put in place to end the type of abuses we’ve recently seen,” said Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), who heads the new Subcommittee on Executive Compensation.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight after the College of DuPage inked a more than $750,000 severance deal with president Robert Breuder to have him quit early. Nearly a year ago, Illinois State University cut a similar deal worth $480,000 with its president. The lavish deals come at a time when tuition and fees have nearly doubled over the past decade and the average Illinois college student is saddled with more than $28,000 in debt.

"This money could be better spent on providing an affordable, world-class college education for students. It could be used to offer much needed tuition relief for families. Taxpayers cannot afford to pay for six-figure golden parachutes, shooting club memberships and other lavish perks for public servants," said state Senator Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat who will also serve on the subcommittee.

The fact-finding subcommittee is the latest effort by Senate Democrats to bring accountability to campus spending. In recent weeks, suburban lawmakers have pushed to rein in severance deals.

“The priorities for state universities and community colleges should be to educate our children, not betraying our constituents by handing out golden parachutes to administrators,” said state Senator Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat. “There is an obvious need for reforms to the way they use taxpayer dollars to ensure institutions are advancing educational opportunities, not administrators’ pockets.”   

Senator Melinda Bush, a Grayslake Democrat, is also sponsoring accountability legislation.“These institutions should be paying people to teach and lead, not paying them to quit,” said Bush.