Illinois ousts school boards in East St. Louis, North Chicago

From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Citing generations of academic failure and a culture of resistance to fixing it, the Illinois State Board of Education has removed the elected members of the East St. Louis School Board—the first time Illinois has ever taken that approach to any public school district. The unprecedented action was followed immediately by a vote to take the same action against North Chicago School District 187, based on similar issues. The state will set up a new administrative structure to run the East St. Louis district.

ALSO...From The Lake County News Sun: In urging the state board to remove the North Chicago school board members, Illinois school superintendent Christopher Koch cited a shocking statistic for North Chicago High School: Just 13 percent of students meet or exceed state academic standards — 40 points lower than the state average. Koch said he expects to appoint a new five-member Independent Authority in North Chicago by July 1.