Lightford and the other members of the committee listened to more than four hours of testimony on issues raised by education development groups, including various education stakeholders and advocacy groups. These groups are pushing for significant reforms to teacher tenure, teachers’ right to strike, school reporting, teacher placement, and teacher dismissal. They believe that tying teachers’ pay to student performance, making it easier to dismiss low-performing teachers, and reducing the number of teachers’ strikes will improve student outcomes.

In addition to reform groups such as Stand for Children and Advance Illinois, the committee heard from education management groups like the Illinois State board of Education (ISBE) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and teachers’ unions like the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU). Though these groups support education reform, they do not all agree that the proposed changes are the best path forward.

"It’s important that everyone has a seat at the table to voice their concerns before we advance any legislation out of the committee," Lightford. "It is my hope that we can negotiate with both sides to craft a fair bill that does right by our children."

The Special Committee on Education Reform is completely bipartisan, consisting of two Democrats and two Republicans. It is one of a series of committees created by Senate President John Cullerton in recent months to consider some of the most important issues facing the state of Illinois. The Illinois House established an equivalent committee, which has already held several hearings.