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6:42 UPDATE: The Tribune has already published its editorial about the plan.
…If education were the only concern, the governor’s priorities would, on balance, be winners. We wonder how he’ll get jealous communities to consolidate school districts, or teachers unions to go along with merit pay. But his list of wishes includes many that this page supports.We suspect that what drives this plan isn’t education, it’s politics. If this proposal were such a swell idea for Illinois, Blagojevich would have proposed it for this spring’s legislative session. Instead it surfaced only after Meeks threatened to run for governor. A Meeks candidacy could have siphoned off enough Democratic votes to throw the governorship to Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka.
Meeks said he would back off only if Blagojevich offered a big education funding plan. Voila! A big education funding plan from the governor!
But Blagojevich has a political price to pay as well: At first blush, this plan does nothing to address fast-rising property taxes that enrage many voters. And it appears that relatively few of its benefits would go to the suburban school districts that state funding already short-changes. Blagojevich may have just torpedoed the suburban support he’ll need against Topinka.
If Illinois schools receive more funding, some of it should go to teaching the rudiments of economics. That’s where this plan really falls short. Blagojevich argued Tuesday that accountability is a big part of his plan. But mostly it’s about spending more money. As is, many Illinois school officials (especially Downstate) cry poor rather than convince their property taxpayers to shoulder a heftier burden. They cry poor rather than consolidate districts to shrink the number of highly paid local officials. They cry poor rather than show anyone that their real priority is spending smarter, rather than spending more.
Blagojevich has shown that he knows how to hold down a payroll, kill obsolete programs and streamline or consolidate the business of government. That, Governor, was a show of leadership. This, by contrast, is the thinking we’ve seen too often from your administration: relying on future generations of Illinoisans to pay for decisions that are politically popular today.
6:05 UPDATE: AP: Blagojevich lottery plan raises big money and big questions.
6:00 UPDATE: Larry has some thoughts about the merits of the policy end. Fran discusses the morality of the idea. OneMan crunches some numbers and looks at some perils.
5:40 UPDATE: The raw tape of the announcement can be found here.
4:04 UPDATE: A Blagojevich spokesperson just told me that no special session will be called. “Everything will run in veto.”
4:00 UPDATE: Here’s a PowerPoint presentation from the guv’s office. There appear to be more details in this PowerPoint than in the press release, but you have to look for them.
3:50 pm UPDATE: The Illinois Federation of Teachers is taking a wait and see approach towards the governor’s proposal.
We believe that any rush to judgment on this important issue would be a mistake. Thorough analysis and discussion from independent organizations such as the Educational Funding Advisory Board (EFAB), the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and A+ Illinois can provide valuable insight on this proposal. Once this plan has been thoroughly studied, we believe the appropriate decision can be made on how best to move forward.
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IMPORTANT UPDATE: The governor’s office has just released some details. Click here for the txt file, or click here for the online press release.
UPDATE: The AP fleshes it out a little more.
UPDATE: The AP has a list of highlights here.
UPDATE: Statement from Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., today said, “Every student, parent and citizen in Illinois should thank Reverend and State Senator James Meeks for dramatically raising the issue of adequately and fairly funding public education in Illinois. Only time will tell if the Governor’s plan is both innovative and effective because the devil is always in the details. However, I am hopeful that all Illinois children will soon reap the full crop of educational blessings that the Governor is promising through the economic seeds he is planting today.“This education plan is a public/private partnership - using a public asset to attract private funds in order to gain extra money for public education. If such a partnership is good enough for the kids, then it’s good enough for their parents. Leasing state-owned land to a legal airport authority (ALNAC), so ALNAC can contract with private developers to build an airport and create thousands of new jobs, is just as valid. All we need is the Governor’s signature. He can immediately unlock over $300 million of private investment in Illinois and create 15,000 new jobs at no risk to taxpayers. As the Governor said today, `when you know in your heart what you’re doing is right, the rewarding part of the job is you go out and you just do it’,” Jackson concluded.
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I’ll be updating this post throughout the afternoon, so keep an eye on it.
Crain’s starts us off.
The governor’s plan, to be formally unveiled at a press conference this afternoon, will call for either leasing the Lottery to a private operator or selling it, perhaps by offering stock in an initial public offering (IPO). Sources familiar with the plan said that would pull in an estimated $10 billion, one-time payment.The state would take about $4 billion of that money for extra school spending in the next four years. That $4 billion would be divided among school construction, pre-school education, more money for special education and a general increase in the “foundation level†that all public schools receive.
The remaining $6 billion would be saved, invested and generate a guaranteed $650 million a year for schools over the next two decades, according to sources familiar with the proposal.
The Lottery now generates about the same amount for the state, $650 million a year, but some of that money has been pulled off to pay for other state spending.
UPDATE: A Michigan think tank figured three years ago that the sale of that state’s lottery would bring in just $1.3 billion to $2 billion.
UPDATE: Krol has some good questions about the plan here.
· How does the private company that leases the lottery plan to actually turn a profit? Will it reduce prize payouts? […]· Has the governor already figured out which he company he wants to take the lottery off his hands? […]
· How does the governor ensure the “new lottery money†is added to the budget as extra school funding money and that lawmakers don’t pull another shell game? […]
· What about the other lottery games, like the special lottery tickets benefiting breast cancer research or military veterans? What happens to that cash already earmarked for special purposes?
UPDATE: AP:
The plan includes $1.5 billion for school construction and calls for performance pay for teachers and the consolidation of school districts, according to an individual familiar with the plan who requested anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced.The state also would increase the “foundation” level — the guaranteed minimum state spending on each student — by $250 million in the plan’s first year, although a per-child breakdown was not immediately available. The current state budget would raise the level to just $5,334 for each student, instead of the recommended $6,405.
UPDATE: Back when the governor did his $10 billion pension bond scheme, his expected rate of return on the invested money was just 8.5 percent. This time, it’s much higher.
UPDATE: Topinka calls it a “scam“
The Republican candidate in the governor’s race says Governor Rod Blagojevich’s education funding proposal is “a scam.”State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka says selling the Illinois Lottery wouldn’t help improve education and would end up costing the state money in the long run. […]
Topinka today also criticized the proposal as a hastily constructed plan designed to keep state Senator James Meeks out of the governor’s race.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 12:26 pm
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So all these all lawmakers are going to make sure that all this money is going to go where he says since it is his buy off of Meeks and forget about their pork projects.Yea right.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 12:43 pm
“The remaining $6 billion would be saved, invested and generate a guaranteed $650 million a year for schools over the next two decades, according to sources familiar with the proposal.”
So we can reduce funding education from the general fund by $650 mil a year. (Assuming 10%+ a year return)
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
And which clout heavy firm will be in charge of “saving” and “investing” this money? But if the politicians promise not to loot the money, I’d be all for this plan. ho ho ho…..
Comment by Leroy Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 12:52 pm
If you are a state legislator and you vote with this, you are a complete IDIOT! This governor will re-direct the money to wherever he sees fit once it comes in and under the auspices of executive authority nobody will be able to do anything. He does not care about truth in budgeting, legislative process, or the long term effects of his actions. Furthermore if you are a downstate Democrat and you go along with this, you are even bigger IDIOT. -cross reference with clout list, you guys are called on for votes, but left out when the money is dolled out. Except for one notable metro east legislator (money to guv impossible to calculate) you are going to let him hose us more for a few pennies here and there, you are an embarassement to your districts.
Comment by the Patriot Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 12:54 pm
Where can I get this guaranteed 10% return on my money?
Comment by Cal Skinner Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:01 pm
The press releases are bold.
“It’s all for the best,†we are told.
But who tell our posterity,
In future austerity,
“Sorry, but your state has been sold.â€
Comment by Limerick Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:12 pm
The press releases are bold.
“It’s all for the best,” we are told.
But who will tell our posterity,
In future austerity,
“Sorry, but your state has been sold.”
Even The Limerick makes mistakes.
Comment by Limerick Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:17 pm
It would be interesting to see where he’s coming up with these projections. In fiscal year 2005 (according to the Comptroller web site and financial reports), the Lottery Fund (fund 711) only had around $900 million or so in receipts, of which $614 million was transferred to the Common School Fund.
Lottery receipts haven’t been that great the last few years; look at the transfer history as well. Predicating the fiscal year 2007 budget to include a nearly 6 percent growth in lottery transfers is shaky, unless the adminstration has come up with a super-secret plan to boost sales.
You can find a lot of historical information at the Comptroller’s web site; look for the Detailed Annual Reports and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.
Leroy is correct about the supplanting of existing general funds; all the legislature will see is another $650 million to play with, not another $650 million for education.
And the Limerick sums it up nicely.
Comment by Silent Budgeteer Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:25 pm
I have new details of the plan. Take the $10bil and buy 10 billion worth of lottery tickets.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:26 pm
What most people don’t realize is that “foundation” increases don’t just go to those schools spending less than the foundation amount. Districts spending much more than the $5334 per student will also be getting raises on a sliding scale using the foundation level as a “base”.
The “formula” even distributes state funds of around $600 to districts spending $24,000 per student (Roundout 72). The formula won’t change with this moolah.
Winners from this plan:
Deal brokers
Bond Dealers
Bond Attorneys
Teacher’s Unions
Politically connected gambling concerns
Politically connected school construction companies
Losers:
Lottery players (they’ll pay more and get less after this is done)
Lottery sales stores-they’ll pay more for the franchise when this is “privatized”
Taxpayers-This temporary inflationary infusion of cash will ratchet up school salaries that local taxpayers will be burdened with after this temporary funding is gone. Last year instructional staff raises were a nation leading 5.5% when the schools were “broke”. What do you think they’ll be next year with all this cash being thrown into the system?
Although the kids won’t be “losers” in this plan, it’s unlikely much of the money will be spent on services beneficial to them. It’ll just allow schools to pay more for the same inadequate education most Illinois school children already receive.
Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:39 pm
Raided pension - ooops, lottery - money.
Rosy, inflated projections on revenue increases and rates of return for those gullible voters to swallow.
A re-election competitor blatantly bought off on the backs of the taxpaying citizens.
The Blagojevich Administration remains a narcissistic disgrace.
Comment by Bubs Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:40 pm
Let history be the guide..the last time the B-Team got their mitts on a big pile of cash, that being the Pension Bond money, what happened ?
1) Clout prevailed in the award of just about every assignment on the bond issuance, including the $800k fee to BIg Bob Kjellander that drew Fed attention.
2) Fiscal wizard John Filan and his crony, Ron “Nose” Picure, inserted themselves into the major question of how all the cash should be invested, recommending a “conservative, low-risk” mix of bonds and hedge funds, which, oh, gee, by the way, our pal and John’s cousin over at Mesirow just happens to sell. The pensions ignored that “advice” and saved their members over a billion dollars.
3) After the bonds were issued, use the improved financial position as an excuse to stiff the pensions $2 billion under the mantel of “reform.”
BTW, as I figure it, the “trust fund” which is a great oxymoron with this crew, will have to earn about 17% ($1b/$6b=16.67%) to make the deal work. The best performing Illinois pension has barely made that in recent years under very good markets, and as Rich correctly notes, 17% is twice the long-term target for the pensions.
This thing is not financially viable. Period.
Comment by Merrill Lynch Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:54 pm
And once again, Judy criticizes a funding plan without offering up one of her own. Is this going to be her strategy for the next 5 months? That sucks, dumb idea, it’ll cost us more in the long run, it’s a scam, it’ll backfire, and on, and on.
Does she have an idea? How about a thought?
Don’t start on the pension raids thing. When Judy was in the House of Representatives, she supported borrowing (raids) from the pensions.
What a Joke!
Comment by B Hicks Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:55 pm
And there is no way in hell a company is going to pay anywhere close to $10 billion for an investment that is bringing in less than a billion a year.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 1:57 pm
…but it’s pronounced “Throatwobblermangrove”
Gee - JBT said that G-Rod’s plan was a scam. Whaddya know.
Erstwhile reporters would do well to check the timestamp on her release to make sure it was typed AFTER the plan actually came out.
Comment by Mr. Luxury Yacht Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:11 pm
A guaranteed $650M per year of income off a $6B principal. That’s nearly 11% per year. Hot Rod for president, as his advisors can make the same investment with social security funds and eliminate the liquidity problem. Pretty please- can I get in out it too? A guaranteed 11% per year will push my retirement up about 10 years!
Comment by Joe Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:15 pm
Don’t let this get lost in the money game: the Governor’s proposal has teeth in it. If the school’s that take the new money don’t improve, they will be “taken over” (his words) by the state. Didn’t they do the same thing in Germany in the 1930s? Next thing you know we’ll have the Blagojevich Youth Corps, complete with state mandated uniforms with the Guv’s name emblazoned on the back.
Comment by cashflow_pro Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:38 pm
Hey Bob,
There you go with the phony numbers again. You must be a candidate.
Comment by The original Bill Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:46 pm
I thought I read - I know I read - that a pilot voucher program was in the mix. Any word on that, anybody?
Comment by Collin Hitt Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:48 pm
Another fantastic proposal from the Reform and Renwal machine. So someone please tell me how all of the other grand plans Blago introduced.
I-Save RX? Rock the system ethics? ALL Kids? Selling Thompson Center,,,etcOthers? How successful has G-Rod been on his grandious plans. I know they were successful in their effort to garner press but how about real results?
Comment by Larry Mullholland Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 2:58 pm
Larry, does your candidate have any fantastic plans?
Comment by B Hicks Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:01 pm
How many campaign consultants did it take to help Judy Bore Topinka craft that response? Come on AccordiOnGal get with promise more dough for schools without a tax hike like you promised the highed crowd in Bloomington Monday.
Even the media is starting to learn the the JBT message is the pits.
Comment by Reddbyrd Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:09 pm
The Thompson Center, lottery, tollroads…what’s next?
“Welcome to the State of Illinois - Brought to you by Coca Cola”
Comment by State For Sale Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:10 pm
The proposal actually says that the trust fund of $6 billion will gone by 2025 - so it’s actually guaranteeing a much lower rate of return but the money and 650 million/year are gone by 2025. The lease of the lottery though continues for another 60 years or so past that. So leasee stands to make almost 50 billion off a 75 year lease while the state gets about 16 billion from the upfront cash, a net loss of at least 34 billion. Sounds like a great investment to me - and insane fiscal policy.
Comment by whatarewecomingto? Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:19 pm
Sigh . . .
The Governor did not campaign on the promise that he would sell off state assets to fund current programs.
He did, however, promise not to expand gambling. First Keno, and now this. By the way, what do you think the chances are that the firm which wanted to run Keno — and hired John Wyma — is the same firm that would run the Lottery?
Comment by the Other Anonymous Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:20 pm
Selling DuPage County would make more sense.
How long before someone asks how this new mega-gambling company would be regulated and when they will start selling keno?
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:20 pm
Any Republican that can’t bring himself to criticize Bush paying for tax cuts on the national credit card (meaning that the bill will come due for some future administration) doesn’t have much credibililty criticizing Democrats at the state level.
That said, if it sounds like money for nothing, it’s probably a scam.
I agree that a 10% return on investment seems optimistic. Now if interest rates increase–a likely scenario thanks to irresponsible Republican fiscal policy–then it becomes more realistic.
But the state would be paid back in dollars worth substantially less.
And I also share the concerns about the commissions on “investing” the money going to politically connected brokers. Let’s pay everyone involved salaries, not commissions.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:21 pm
Hicks, Judy wouldn’t have a massive ridiculous plan to throw out there, she didn’t have to buy off any 3rd party candidates.
Comment by you're nuts Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:26 pm
Carl - I’m a Democrat, I’ve been very critical of Bush’s borrowing, and I can say emphatically that the Governor’s “plan” has some serious fiscal and public policy problems.
For one thing, only a fraction of the Governor’s proposal will go to helping schools meet their current operation expenses — the foundation level funding — and not only does that measly amount not close the gap in school funding, it doesn’t even keep up with inflations.
Secondly, by my count, the proposal creates some 15 new programs, each with their own 10% bureaucratic overhead, but in four years, there’s absolutely no funding for those programs.
Thirdly, the measure does nothing to provide property tax relief, and infact will likely mean a net transfer of school funding away from downstate schools.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:34 pm
The one thing that guarantees the cost of education will increase faster than the rate of inflation is the failure of the federal government to successfully control health care costs.
So the school funding problem is really a health care problem.
But the Democrats are too wimpy to advocate for the one thing we know will stabilize health care costs: single payer health care.
While plenty of Americans have blind ideology to the idea that the marketplace controls costs, it’s absolutely clear that countries with universal health care have lower rates of medical inflation.
So, I’m not in favor of a big tax increase to buy a five year reprieve on dealing with the health care problem.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:41 pm
Please remember that 3 1/2 years ago Senator Larry Bomke did not trust Blago and asked that Blago sign a memo promising that he would reopen the Lincoln Developmental Center (in some sort of fashion). Now Blago is saying that he regrets signing that memo and that LDC probably will not be reopened. If the reps and senators are leery enough of Blago to ask that he put his word into writing and Blago still does not keep a promise, why should we believe one single thing Blago says about this lottery scam. He may not be raising our taxes but you can bet your bottom dollar that somewhere down the road, some politician will have to because this State will be in hock to the gills and have no assets.
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:50 pm
Carl -
I’m all for Single Payer, but let’s not pass the buck here. Because the state negotiates the health care contracts for a pool of hundreds of thousands of people at the same time, they get a pretty good rate.
I don’t know what the increase has been for teachers, but the Medicaid inflation rate was around 4% in Illinois last year.
Again, I’m all for Single Payer, but it has nothing to do with why our schools are failing. In Chicago, they pay their garbage collectors more than they pay their teachers. You can’t expect to attract the best and the brightest with a pay scale like that.
The lifting of the glass ceiling for women has created a brain drain for our schools, not just in Illinois but across the country. Opening the doors for women in law, medicine and business means they are no longer trapped in nursing and education.
The health care system has responded with huge increases in salaries for nurses, and by opening up Visas for nurses from other countries. The result is long lines of new people trying to get into the nursing profession.
There are no such lines of people hoping to be teachers. I don’t know exactly what the stats are hear in Illinoisa, but in California they were short 25,000 qualified teachers last year. They were forced to put people into the classroom they knew were unqualified just to be babysitters. A very shortsighted response.
Ask any smart, bright, talented young person you know why they don’t want to be a teacher, and the answer is almost always “the pay sucks.”
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 3:59 pm
YDD,
Selling DuPage County is an excellent idea!
Comment by The original Bill Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:00 pm
Is this a great state, or what. It’s like an upside down Nevada, with the government being the mob and the suckers paying for the privilege of living here.
You see, somehow we don’t believe that lottery profits are taxes by any other name - -and the most regressive tax we have at the State level. Black Chicago provides over 35%, I understand, of the net lottery “contributions.”
So, Meeks’ parishioners and their neighbors are paying the freight on games that a respectable numbers operator would be ashamed of. The people with the ability to get to the boats get much better odds.
To put the best face on it there better be distributed by zip code at least the fair share of the money they contributed.
Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:04 pm
NOW PLAYING:
Dynamic, debonaire Rod Blagojevich and his dreamy sidekick, Testicular Virility, join forces for their first feature film:
“HONEY, I SOLD THE STATE!”
In theaters everywhere. Also available in DVD in the “Horror” section of your local video store.
Comment by Bubs Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:04 pm
If this Governor was so serious about education why did it take so long to reveal a plan, and it just happens to be keeping Sen. Meeks outta the race against Blago. This plan was put together over a night and how can Meeks believe in Blago’s word??
Comment by scoot Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:07 pm
Boy, if Meeks bought this one, he must really have wanted Blago to save him from having to actually run for election. It’s much more fun throwing rocks of course and I guess he figured that out.
Even an 8th grade finance class could figure out what’s wrong with this one.
This “plan” will have evaporated by November but
Blagojevich will have fun using it as a campaign prop.
Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:10 pm
YDD,
Be careful citing the Medicaid inflation rate from the Governor’s people. The inflationary rate this fiscal year would have been 7-8% without the Medicare pickup of Medicaid recipients who are eligible for both programs. HFS’ assertion they manage costs to 4.5% is a rather disingenuous claim to success. Medicaid inflation runs about 8-10% and Illinois is no more or less proficient at cost containment than any other state.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 4:55 pm
HE SHOULD SELL COOK COUNTY, OR BETTER YET EVERYTHING NORTH OF I-80
Comment by SICKOFITALL Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 5:28 pm
Thanks to my 4:55 anon. friend for making my first point much more ably than I could have. We could only aspire to keep the Medicare trend at 4%.
Secondly, in the glee to fix education in one “swell foop” as some cartoon character used to say, the B-Team continues to ignore the 1000-pound elephant in the room hiding behind the 800-pound pension elephant. That’s the State’s liability for healthcare benefits to its employees and retirees that must be put on the balance sheet for the first time in FY08 under Govermental Accounting Standards Board #45. Based on other State/City estimates, it’s a safe bet that this amount will easily exceed the $40+ billion unfunded pension liability. Have we heard the first word from the R & R crowd about this staggering amount, let alone a plan to fund it? Nah.
YDD, I’m with you on this one. I can’t imagine where the votes come from to get this through.
Comment by NumbersGuy Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 5:35 pm
Short vacation, huh Rich? I think they were waiting for you to relax your vigilance:-)
This plan has so many holes in it, you could use it to drain cooked spaghetti. Lots of good points made already about the down side and the uncertainties. I found parts of it ironic.
Here’s the guy that called the Board of Ed a “Soviet-styled bureocracy” and complained about too many layers of administration, that it all needed to be streamlined. So you look at the description in the plan of making “Small Schools” out of large ones, carving one school into several smaller self-controlled entities… so you’re taking one school and set of administrators and… adding several more complete sets of administration, one for each ’small school’. Yet they all share the same building, students,teachers and resources. Oh yeah, this is streamlined. Like Shelly Winters was in The Posiedon Adventure.
Yes, this is also an expansion of gaming keno-boy Blago can point to saying “it’s not my fault, it’s out of my hands, blame the private sector company”. Wonder what effect this will have on the casino gaming, and vice-versa?
Meeks and Blago should both be ashamed of how this was done. Both sought short-term gain and both fail to see how this is going to lead to long-term woe for both of them. Meeks is especially foolish to believe this plan will look anything like it’s present form if and when it passes in the fall. Reverend, you gave up the race too early, and your payment from Blago is going to evaporate in your hands like water.
Comment by Gregor Samsa Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 7:19 pm
Just a thought but if this gets shot down then that clears him with Meeks and the black community.Meeks doesn’t run and the black community can be mad at people like us not Blago.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 8:57 pm
What happens after FY2007? As treasurer, can’t JBT come up with a rational thought outside “It’s a scam”? Yes, we know it was a ploy to run/buy Meeks off. Judy, you’ve had a couple of days to formulate a response, Cal Skinner posted the possibility yesterday. Say something intelligent!
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 9:03 pm
I’m a member of IFT and agree with their position. I will take a wait and see approach while people much smarter than me run the numbers and the effects on schools in my area (Southern Illinois). But, I do want to comment on a couple of things. First of all, rightly or not, I am skeptical of the plan because it comes from Blago. I know that may not be fair but as the many comments before this lay out, there are reasons for the skepticism. Secondly, it would’nt matter if this plan was the best ever developed and envied by every other state, JBT would criticize it. What would we expect her to do? She certainly isnt going to praise Blago. She has no idea how to fix the problem either. She seems to forget that her party helped start this mess with a 5 billion dollar deficit and pay to play Part I. So, I will wait and see what the plan truly holds and be leary of comments from either Blago or JBT.
Comment by Southern Illinois Democrat Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 9:19 pm
nice to here some of these comments from other areas are so concerned about the “black community”. anyway, whats JBT plan? No really, what is it? Or are the schools, education system ok? does she or any supporter beleive 36% towards education, EFAB recommendations even matter? How about changing the school formula? if so, whats the change. Or do we need more time to study it…(again). Cut the unions, consolidation…fine. unfortunately that will not do it.
A sell or not of the lottery… give A solution JBT, not political talk. thats what ALL communities are waiting for.
Comment by WWDMD Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 9:41 pm
Well here goes. This is a good plan because it means real improvement for real kids in real schools. Senator Meeks wanted to run. He was ready to make an announcement.
This plan kept him from running because it will makes a difference.
$6 billion over four years is a lot of money. That money can mean really improvements.
Just look at one dimension of this. There are people who cannot get there kids into pre-school. Now that is a real family crisis. And it is a crisis we tend to ignore which is all well and good for us (assuming most of our kids are in pre-school). It is not a problem that money can solve later. If your kid doesn’t get pre-school they get left behind. Time Magazine cited a state that the return to society in terms of money saved on subsequent service was 7 times.
Money spent on grade school education and kindergarten might not return quite as much but it still one of the best investments that can be made.
How this impacts state revenue long term is a valid question. It might mean tough choices or even cuts in the future but this isn’t just money we are moving around. I for one would rather we spent the money on kids today and had tough choices down the road. When we let the status quo of unequal education and too few preschool spots continue we are hurting real kids.
Comment by Unashamed Blago Idealist Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 10:13 pm
Blago Idealist: I don’t understand people who blame those who preceded them in power for all the ills of the current administration. George Ryan was a crook (most politicians are in some way or another - it goes with the territory) and Milarod is a grifter, pure and simple. This proposal is nothing but smoke and mirrors for the benefit of Rev. Senator Meeks, who should have known better than to listen to a proven liar.
Rev. Meeks told the NAACP two weeks ago that African-Americans should not vote for Democrats because they will do nothing for them and only want their votes to win. If he really felt that way, why give up so soon? How easily some people are bought.
Each politician elected to office has a golden opportunity to make a name for him or her self by doing the right thing, not the self-aggandizing thing, and currently they have all failed miserably, both nationally and locally.
Comment by Disgusted Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 11:00 pm
Meeks never wanted to run for Gov. He tried to make himself look important to his constituents and tried to make the rest of us downstaters believe that he could run a campaign that could on a good day threaten to take votes away from Blago and give the office to JBT. It was NEVER going to happen. And Blago has come up with some lame program to get Meeks off his butt. Now if I were in Meeks’ district, I’d be looking to vote for HIS opponent because Meeks is a loser in the worst way. And I’m sick and tired of having my intelligence insulted by Blago and his kiddie cabinet. I’m ready to leave this great state of Illinois if our reps and senators fall for Swindle II. Swindle I was the raid of the pension system which will have to be paid back. I’ve seem amateur magicians come up with a better trick than this one. Come on folks. Don’t let Blago make fools of us all AGAIN!!!!!!
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 11:11 pm
Didn’t Blago get “C’s” in Math?????
Comment by anon Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 11:11 pm
clearly little egypt doen’t know south side or south surb politics… By the way, Meeks is a independent in the senate not dem.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, May 23, 06 @ 11:29 pm
Nope… F’s…
Comment by Lovie's Leather Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 12:37 am
Topinka says she’ll unveil her plan this summer. Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, Blagojevich has set the bar very low.
Where is the testicular verility when we need it?
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 5:27 am
Money is not the answer, it is the excuse.
IFT proposes a wait and see attitude and lists three lapdogs (Educational Funding Advisory Board (EFAB), the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and A+ Illinois) who have bever opposed an increase in funding. We know what the answer will be from them.
The problem is and will be the increasing void between Education Value and Education Costs. It will always be that way as long as there is a monopoly on education services for the vast majority of Illinois families. Time and again the lapdog EFAB has run regrsssion analyses giving cover for increases in the Foundation Level which will raise performance. Time and again these increases have done nothing.
The ISBE is reduced to dumbing down the ISATs and then norming up the results, hiding the problems in the schools caused by teachers without evident subject matter mastery, although they sure have graduate schooling in the education field.
In each of the Meeks related comments and in a letter to the Senator I have proposed a program which I believe would bring Education Value up while holding costs down.
Every respondent has chosen to ignore it. It appears still to be more important to hold the IFT within the Democrat Party than to do something meaningful for the children.
Here is what I wrote to Senator Meeks. It is a rough model and deserves intelligent criticism.
“…The return of Education Value to the students in the public school system. We exist in a 21st Century world economy and must educate our children to compete. Raising additional money to feed an underqualified teacher’s union has not and will not increase the Value. Instruction is bogged down in education methodology. Subject matter mastery is too often not present, nor is love of that subject. As a minister you know the necessity of these two in inspiring your flock
It goes down to supply, demand and standards.
Here is the Demand side. We must vest every child equally with their share of Federal, State and Local moneys. That is the demand side.
We must adjust the Supply side as well. We must permit the family the right of Competitive Choice to any accredited school — public, charter, private, church or parochial (religious courses taught only outside of normal school hours) and home schooling.
Accreditation is the key. The Illinois State Board of Education is supposed to set Standards. Within the last two years, by admission, it has dumbed down the tests and normed up the results. Parents and students are given the wrong impression of how well their child is doing. On an absolute basis they are satisfied with relative results.
College admissions rejections tell the sordid tale. Public colleges, annually pay more than $2 Billion for remediating accepted entrants as well.
American high schools rank in the bottom percentiles internationally even in the content of Advanced Placement courses. References on request
Our education system without reform must eventually lead us into being a hollow, but expensive second world country.
Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 8:04 am
Has anyone been to a public school in the south or west side of Chicago lately? I have, and it’s not pretty. It’s time to crap or get off the pot, and Blago’s choosin to drop the kids off at the pool, if you pardon my language. Nothing in Blago’s plan talks about throwing $$$ at teachers unions, it talks about incentives for positive performance - which is exactly what everyone is clamoring for with new, inexperienced, and intimidated teachers in urban areas. We’ve got hundreds of the best and the brightest Teach for America teachers in Chicago Public Schools and they’re leaving the second their minimum time is up because they’re scared and they’re underpaid.
Anyone who thinks money isn’t a factor in a successful education system simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Blago’s plan is far from perfect or guaranteed, but it’s far greater than anything else I’ve heard lately for shoring up crumbling schools, 20-year-old books, and uninvolved parents.
Comment by Unwaivering Liberal Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 10:30 am
[…] Rich Miller is amazing. […]
Pingback by IlliniPundit.com » Blog Archive » How do you win an election? Easy, you buy off your opponent. Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 10:44 am
Unwaivering Liberal:
You hit on a good point which is going to have to be remediated. “uninvolved parents”
What I am about to say does not apply to all children passed through the education system on the rocky road to adulthood. But the numbers are significant.
Yes, the older grandparents who were involved and had hope are dying out. We are faced with two generations of people, who no longer believe that education is either an economic or a social good.
They are the warehouse generations passed through schools by rote. They are close to being a permanent underclass abandoning the goal of interclass mobility. Many are single parents, whose public school education was not sufficient to provide the necessary intra-family pre-school education.
Many were early school leavers, others were passed through.
If I were running a corporation (God help it) and I was required to keep underperforming divisions open, I would send my best people down to those locations to turn it around. That is not the way the teachers union seniority rules work. The neediest schools get the recruits, unarmed — like the front line of the advancing Chinese infantry in the Korean War.
A relative of mine was one of six sent to a CPS for her first full time year. At the end of the year, she was the only one retained. That is not teacher choice to resign, that is how the CPS works.
The Education Function is like a three legged stool, with the teacher, the parent and the standards providing the legs. The failure of one leg destroys the balance.
School buildings are underutilized. We close buildings and overcrowd others.
Each school needs to be reconstituted as a Learning Center, with remediation for the parent, training for the worker and education for the children.
Buses taking parent and child to the Center. Hot breakfasts and the locus of public transportation taking the adults to jobs. Child care until the end of the workday, buses to take parent and child back home.
The Learning Center would be the locus for Public Education, involving the family unit. Remedial education would be the price for welfare.
But it is not going to happen under the closed circle of thinking we have today.
Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 11:11 am
James, do you work in public education? You talk as if you have firsthand knowledge of every teachers knowledge of subject matter mastery. Do those teachers in private schools who aren’t even certified have this mastery of subject matter? Or do you just want a voucher to save you some tuition cash for your kids private school? Read the studies about peer group comparisons between public and private schools. Put underperforming students in a private school- the results don’t change.
Anyone who believes schools don’t need more funding hasn’t visited many schools. Blago’s plan appears to have a number of problems…. providing more money for education isn’t one of them.
Comment by voucher truth Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 11:11 am
voucher truth –
Firsthand knowledge of every teacher’s knowledge of subject matter mastery. What a ridiculous remark. Of course not. Can you, on the other hand give me any reason why we rank so low by international standards, why state schools nationwide have to provide $2 Billion in remediation classes evry year? That would be in English and math, not in social studies.
The study to which you refer was allegedly a critical review of an earlier study which showed private schools to be doing a better job.
Take a look at that study and you will see that key variables were omitted to get the regression analysis to come out they way the authors wanted.
But look again at what I wrote. you will see that I require accreditation of schools and teachers. Your comment, therefore, is a non sequiter.
An analogy. We started to get better built cars when foreign competition — automobiles built in the United States by offshore corporations — came on the scene. They had to meet all government regs, had greater productivity and fewer defects.
A second analogy. The Titanic would have sunk, regardless of the wages paid its Captain. It was a design flaw (only the bottom decks had watertight compartments.)
Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, May 24, 06 @ 11:31 am