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Quinn set to sign education reform bill

By Jim Eftink

Maywood, IL (KFVS & AP) - Governor Pat Quinn is scheduled to sign a landmark education reform measure that will make it harder for teachers to go on strike and easier for educators to be fired.

Lawmakers approved the overhaul and sent it to the governor's desk last month. Quinn scheduled a bill signing at an elementary school in the Chicago suburb of Maywood later today.

Under the legislation, teachers would face new restrictions on job-protecting tenure. Layoffs would be based on ability and credentials instead of seniority. And tenured teachers could be fired more easily.

The bill also includes tougher standards for teacher strikes over contract disputes. It would require several additional steps, including earlier intervention by mediators and publicizing each side's last, best offer in contract negotiations, before a strike.