By Dave Dahl

The widespread job openings in public education have been a big story for a long time in Illinois. Lt Gov Juliana Stratton says it’s going to take a long time to fix and she also wants to keep Illinois high school graduates in Illinois.

“The reason why I am on this statewide tour of all of the public institutions in our state is to hear, what are the barriers. If we want to look at the long game, we have to look at this system over time that have kept students from getting into the education field. And that is everything from recognizing the costs associated with going into the field, the messaging that people are getting.”

And cost is a concern. Schools like Alabama and Mississippi are luring Illinoisans to their campuses with tuition that’s lower than the in-state tuition in Illinois.

Reporters also asked Stratton about ethics a week after the indictment – and a day after the arraignment – of former House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“Certainly. Gov. (JB) Pritzker and I both believe that when you are elected to public office, it is an honor and it is a privilege. Our responsibility to the people of our state is to make sure that we do the right thing all of the time, and when someone violates that trust, they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].