Unlike other states, Illinois does not have a single official or cabinet position that oversees preschool through higher education efforts. Governor Quinn has asked Lt. Governor Simon to fill this role as his point person on education reform. In this capacity, Lt. Governor Simon serves as chair of the
Joint Educational Leadership Committee for the P-20 Council, the state’s top educational advisory body, and participates in various commissions and task forces that focus on improving learning opportunities for students. A selection of her roles is highlighted below.
Complete College America: Team Illinois
Lt. Governor Simon is a member of the state’s Complete College America team, which is working to increase the proportion of working-age adults with college degrees or certificates to 60 percent by 2025. This goal is designed to make our state workforce prepared for the highly skilled jobs of the future, and it will only be achieved through serious reform and accountability measures.
Lt. Governor Simon personally met with leaders, faculty and students at each of our state’s 48 community colleges during her Complete College Illinois tour to learn what could be done to ensure community college's meet the her completion goal. Drawing from what she learned on that fact-finding tour, Lt. Govenor Simon has issued a report to Governor Quinn and the General Assembly, which includes recommendations that will transform the state's community college system and move Illinois closer to having the workforce it needs to complete in the global economy.
Below you will find a copy of the report, report fact sheet, press release about the report, and a copy of the speech the Lt. Governor gave at the City Club of Chicago announcing her reform package:
Classrooms First Commission
Lt. Governor Simon serves as chairperson of the
Classrooms First Commission. By law, the bipartisan commission would be comprised of a broad base of education stakeholders, including teachers, administrators and parents, and it would solicit input from the public on ways that districts can reduce duplicative administrative spending and improve educational offerings.
* House Bill 1216 was signed into law on August 23, 2011 as Public Act 97-0503, creating a commission to research issues affecting school districts. The commission is now known as the Classrooms First Commission.
Performance Funding Committee
Lt. Governor Simon serves on a committee tasked with creating a performance funding system for community colleges and public universities. The commission will create institutionally appropriate metrics that would tie some state funding to the achievement of student success milestones and certificate and degree completion goals.