One way to avoid public calls for more money for public schools (and, therefore, higher taxes) is to silence public bodies designed to calculate the financial need.

A government board charged with recommending state school funding missed a Jan. 1 deadline to report to lawmakers because Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration has not reconvened the panel. […]

Still, it is the second time Blagojevich has been slow to marshal EFAB, which consists solely of his appointees. By law, the five-person panel every two years must recommend a per-pupil “foundation” level - the minimum amount of money deemed necessary to give most Illinois children an adequate education.

Under the threat of a lawsuit two years ago, the governor’s office filled vacancies on the board, and the panel - three months late - recommended a foundation level of $6,405 per student. The budget lawmakers and Blagojevich approved later that year fell short of the mark, providing for a foundation of only about $5,200.

Meanwhile, Senate President Emil Jones made it pretty clear yesterday that he wants a tax increase for education.

Jones outlined an ultimate goal of having state government provide more than half of all school funding. He called for increasing the amount of money the poorest schools in the state receive as well as a funding plan for new school construction.

Jones said all options are on the table now, except for raising the state sales tax because it is too regressive. He has long supported increasing the income tax and expanding gambling as well as various ways to exchange a higher income tax for lower property taxes.

And…

“The state has a revenue problem, not a spending problem,” Jones said. “It’s our job to come up with a solution to solve the problem.” [..]

“Governor, I want to thank you for the job you’ve done the past four years to increase (education) funding,” Jones said. “You are on the right track, but we must go further.”

And…

He said the top 20 districts spend $14,000 to $28,000 per year on each student, while more than 600 districts spend the minimum of $5,334 per student. He compared that to the $21,000-per-year average to house an inmate, and noted that 62 percent of prisoners are high school dropouts.

And House Speaker Michael Madigan all but said he would push for higher taxes.

I’m prepared to engage in unpopular choices,” said Madigan, who warned that the state is facing a huge backlog of unpaid bills. […]

For Madigan, the focal point of the upcoming session will be the state’s shaky finances. He said he’s made tough choices in the past and is ready to make them again.

“I’m not going to be feint of heart,” said Madigan.