Thumbs up to some of the accomplishments of the Rauner administration. One of Bruce Rauner’s stated priorities while he held the governor’s office was to reduce the prison population in Illinois. He established a criminal justice reform commission, which was part of the driving force behind changes that have allowed prison inmates to get professional licenses while they’re behind bars — which has made it easier for offenders returning to society to find stable employment. Rauner also just last week freed six young men who had been given long sentences in prison for minor offenses they committed at the Illinois Youth center in Harrisburg. And, in signing House Bill 40 in 2017, which allows Medicaid and state health insurance to cover abortions, Rauner bucked the far-right corner of his party, saying he supported “women’s rights, women’s equality, women’s health.” It was the bill signing that sealed his fate in facing a primary challenger. It was controversial. It was politically dangerous. It was the right thing to do.

Thumbs down to the outgoing Rauner administration. Despite the accomplishments of Bruce Rauner’s four years in office (see preceding thumb), the outgoing governor will always be tied inextricably, and deservedly so, to the two-year budget impasse. Although the state has made some strides back toward solvency in the two years since the impasse was resolved, the state’s universities and social services systems suffered damage that will take years to repair. The bottom line is the bottom line here, the state would be in markedly better shape if the impasse had not occurred. Worse yet, the impasse accomplished nothing. It was a petty clash of wills with the Democratic-controlled legislature. It will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the darkest eras of Illinois’ tawdry political history.

Thumbs down to the continuing trend of Illinois residents fleeing the state (again, see preceding thumb). A recent study by United Van Lines, they should know, showed that people are still fleeing states like New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, New York and Kansas. In terms of percentage of population lost in that group, Illinois ranks second. The study indicated Americans are moving west and south.

Thumbs up to the positive effects of the new school funding formula. The new formula is aimed at equalizing the state’s contributions to individual districts. So far, the new formula is playing dividends in Southern Illinois. At Du Quoin, the addition funds are being used to reduce class size and introduce more technology. The district has also been able to hire additional teachers. At Pinckneyville, the infusion of state money has allowed the rural district to reinstate its agriculture program — think of it, schools in Southern Illinois were forced to eliminate ag classes. Pinckneyville also rehired teachers that were let go during the impasse and is expanding its language arts program. At Vienna, the new funding is being used to complete maintenance programs that were delayed by inadequate funding.

Thumbs up to the countless hours volunteers donate to our state parks and national wildlife refuges. This newspaper ran a story last week about volunteers who do weekly water bird counts at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The counts provide valuable data for biologists. The volunteers have played vital roles in keeping our state parks and wildlife refuges viable during the recent recession. Their work is frequently done behind the scenes, but benefits all of us, especially those who frequent the parks.

Thumbs up to the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools for its work in training more classroom personnel to teach learning-disabled students. The group is working with Southern Illinois University Carbondale to identify and train 20 to 25 current teachers’ aides. The aides will earn bachelor’s degree and a teacher’s certificate. “These paraprofessionals are an extremely rich group to think about in terms of getting teaching credentials,” said Dave Ardrey, executive director of the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools. “They’ve got plenty of classroom experience and many already have an associate’s degree or susbstantial college credit under their belts.” The best news of all, the program will be funding by a grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.