Rockford Paper: Lawmakers Need To Step Away From High School Sports

The Rockford Register Star is out with an editorial that advocates that lawmakers like State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia need to walk away from this IHSA mess they've created.

The Illinois High School Association encourages fair play and sportsmanship. Some members of the Illinois General Assembly do not seem to be particularly inclined to do so. 

The ongoing witch hunt some members of the legislature are intent on consummating even if they don’t find a broom will resume Friday in Chicago.That’s 4 p.m. Friday in the middle of football season — the middle of homecoming season. 

Plenty of IHSA supporters showed up to speak on the agency’s behalf during the first meeting in May. So many, in fact, that the meeting had to be moved to a bigger room. However, those supporters were not allowed to speak. Only IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman testified. 

This time, lawmakers made it difficult for IHSA allies to attend. How else do you explain the time and day? 

State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who chairs the House’s Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, is the inquisitor-in-chief. One of the goals of these meetings is to determine “the feasibility of statutorily transferring the duties and functions of the IHSA to the State Board of Education.”

And the Ed Board of the RR does a nice job of 'zinging' LaVia and her colleagues who have set up this sham effort to takeover the IHSA: 

If LaVia and like-minded lawmakers are worried about people getting paid too much, perhaps they should clean up their own house first. 

Illinois lawmakers are the fifth-highest paid in the nation and they get generous pensions as well. The annual salary is $67,836, but there are stipends for majority leaders, minority leaders, assistant leaders and so forth that drive those salaries up by as much as $27,476.

IHSA Calls Out Chapa LaVia On Her On Sham Hearing

Representative Linda Chapa LaVia has been feeling the heat on this IHSA sham she has in place for this afternoon.  Turns out, a staffer reached out to the IHSA and offered - if time permitted - the IHSA a chance for 'rebuttal'.

Yes...not testimony.  Not an opportunity to speak their piece.  Nope.  A 'rebuttal'.  Thus...confirming that this whole mess - orchestrated by State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia was rigged from the very beginning.

From the IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman on today's hearing:

“After the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced that it would not accept the invitation to attend the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee hearing scheduled for today (October 3), a committee spokesperson followed up on Wednesday and offered the IHSA an opportunity for a “rebuttal” at the conclusion of Friday’s hearing if time permitted. 

We appreciate the committee’s recognition of the flaw in the format of this hearing and the small concession they were willing to make. However, the verbiage “rebuttal” reaffirms our belief that this hearing isn’t about gathering information and that the witnesses have likely been selected based upon what they will say about, and against, the IHSA. 

Our suggestion to cancel Friday’s hearing, just as the July hearing was canceled, and rescheduling it with a more equitable format on a mutually agreeable date, time and location was not heeded. 

The decision to not accept the invitation to attend this hearing was done with careful consideration and the offer for a rebuttal did not change our position on attending. We believe that a hearing of this nature should be about open conversation and honest dialogue with the affected stakeholders. 

We believe that can and will occur, and remain open to it, whether it occurs in a hearing, or some other setting. We plan to review the hearing early next week and will respond if warranted.”

Timing of Representative Chapa LaVia's IHSA Hearing "Curious"

We're not the only one who thinks scheduling a 'hearing' about high school sports on a Friday late afternoon during football season 'stinks' of bad government.  Mike Clark at the Sun-Times points out how this is a ruse that was set up to restrict dissent from interested parties:

Chapa LaVia promised two more hearings, one in Chicago and another downstate. The former was scheduled for July 8 downtown, but then postponed. It is finally going to be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at South Shore International High School on the Southeast Side. 

The timing and location are curious. In politics, this is called a “news dump,” when someone in government schedules a press conference or releases information at the end of the work week in the hope no one pays attention. 

Holding the hearing a few hours before football games kick off around the state — and while some are actually going on in Chicago — guarantees there won’t be as many IHSA-backing principals and athletic directors on hand as last time. The location, at a neighborhood school not close to any expressways, also discourages attendance.

Representative Linda Chapa LaVia Doesn't Always Schedule IHSA Hearings...

But when she does...she makes sure they're on a Friday during high school football season so no parents or coaches or stakeholders can attend.

Don't let this happen.

Join State Representative Barbara Wheeler in asking Representative Linda Chapa-Lavia re-schedule the meeting.

You can email her at: Chapa-laviali@ilga.gov or call her at her district office at (630) 264-6855.

Ask Rep Chapa-LaVia To Reschedule IHSA Hearing TODAY!

When's The Worst Time To Schedule An IHSA Hearing?

We might have found it:  a Friday afternoon during high school football season that likely is *somebody's* Homecoming.

But..that's what is happening.  And...it stinks of 'shenanigans'.   There's a committee in the House that wants to take up discussion about the 'feasiblity of the State Board of Education taking over the functions of the IHSA (Illinois High School Athletics Association).  (Shouldn't it be IHSAA?!?   nevermind...)

And that committee, chaired by Democrat State Representative Linda Chapa-LaVia has called a meeting for 4:00 pm TODAY (Friday) at a Chicago school to gather testimony.

And State Representative Barbara Wheeler thinks the timing 'stinks'.  And she's right:

“This is a blatant example of political shenanigans at its finest,” said Wheeler, a member of the committee. “This is a late Friday afternoon on a football Friday during Homecoming season. All schools are going to be ‘all hands on deck’ with their local sporting events and will be unable to send representation to the hearing.”

“They could not possibly have made this hearing more inconvenient for the major stakeholders who stand to lose the most,” said Wheeler. “Families, coaches, volunteers and players will be busy that night with local sporting events, but I believe it’s by design. I must wonder if they want to shut the major stakeholders out of the discussion.”

Join State Representative Barbara Wheeler in asking Representative Linda Chapa-Lavia re-schedule the meeting.

The only reason to have the meeting today is because the powers-that-be don't really want testimony.  They want to accomplish their goals without getting the important stakeholders that disagree with them to stay silent.

We can't let that happen.

You can email her at: Chapa-laviali@ilga.gov or call her at her district office at (630) 264-6855.

Where We Urge Rep Linda Chapa-LaVia to Save Her Energy On IDOT Jobs...

Over on Twitter, State Representative Linda Chapa-LaVia is doing a nice thing for her constituents:  sharing a job posting at IDOT.

That's exactly the type of secondary role that State Reps can play:  help make connections/surface opportunities for constituents in their district.  Good for her.

But...as everyone knows...she shouldn't waste her time/energy.   We don't want her to get burned out by spinning her wheels and wasting constituents time applying for the gig.

Jobs like that don't go to hard-working regular Illinois residents.  Nope.  You have to be clout'd in by Governor Pat Quinn to get a plum assignment like that these days.