"So if Christian didn’t like the pension bill, then why did he vote for it?"

In this morning's mail... Jay Travis asks a great question of her opponent, incumbent 26th Dist. Rep. Christian Mitchell. He's quoted in the Sun-Times as saying he “didn’t like Senate Bill 1”—that is, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s bill that slashed the retirement security of elderly teachers, social workers, and other state employees. Asks Travis: "So if Christian didn’t like the bill, then why did he vote for it?"

Answer: Mitchell is bought and paid for with big dollars from the union-busting group Stand For Children. In other words, he's one of those reformed progressives or sellouts, as we used to call them BITD.

According to the Trib's IL CampaignCash Tweet site, Mitchell recently received $56,683.53 in just 6 contributions. Here's the list. elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclo…

The Trib's Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah reports that despite promises made by Chicago schools chief Byrd-Bennett that closed schools wouldn't be turned over to charters, there are moves afoot to turn shuttered Pope Elementary School over to Legacy charter. Valerie Leonard, who sits on that council and is a co-founder of the Lawndale Alliance, was quick to rally residents against Legacy's proposal.

"It flies in the face of the promise CPS made," Leonard said. "They promised when those buildings would close they would not be turned over to charters. But before we can even get a repurposing policy in place by CPS, there's a proposal before us for a charter school."

A SmallTalk Salute... goes out to Philly high school senior Faheem Williams, 18, for speaking out about the desperate conditions facing his school, legendary Overbrook High School. Faheem is in a close race for class valedictorian with only a few months left before graduation. He's also an excellent defensive back on the school football team (I've watched his videos).

PhillyTrib reports:

The teen said the learning environment has changed in the four years since he was a freshman. In that time, the school district has lost millions in education funding, which contributed to serious debt and resulted in widespread layoffs and severe cutbacks in programs and services. Students, parents and community activists say funding cuts have translated into huge loss of educational opportunities for their children.

The school district shuttered 24 schools in 2013, forcing the reshuffling of more than 9,000 students.