30 Comments - wordslinger - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:30 am: The General Assembly and governor are awfully busy these days, what with the twitters and such. You can’t expect them to have the time to wrap their noggins around a Constitutionally mandated core function. - Politix - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:35 am: Rikesha is my queen. Feel the burn, people. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:37 am: ===”All of us did agree that the school aid formula is something that needs to be changed. It needs to be addressed. We’re not gonna handle it until after we resolve this budget impasse.”=== Ok, if you’re landing planes, “pushing tin” if you will, the planes need to be landing in this order, according to the Administration, via the Leaders(?); 1) End prevailing wage, collective bargaining, hide it through property tax “cap” 2) Budget discussions that are going to have to include new revenue and structured roll calls for the budget and the Rauner Tax. 3) Education formula “discussion”, with the GOP GA hoping to not have to have another vote that will be damaging come November, 2016. “Um, Maverick, the pattern is full… “ - JS Mill - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:38 am: Christine Radogno- “Oh, we love to talk about and granstand on education issues. I especially LOVE to show up at schools and get my picture taken with the kiddies, but substantively addressing the complexities of our educations system, not so much. Did I mention how much I adore kids and LOVE to get my picture taken with them?! I could go on…” BTW- That is every one of them, not just Christine. They love to tour school and get their pictures taken. They can’t get enough of that. - illlinifan - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:39 am: If you want to “turnaround” Illinois it is important to focus on things that will really turnaround the state such as education funding, Illinois taxing structure, the multiple units of government, and budgeting methodology. Union busting and workers comp are not the big ticket items that will result in substantive change. - AC - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:39 am: If they were serious, they’d delete the issue to some working groups to sort out the issues, and include Andy Manar who has forgot more about school funding than all of leaders know about the issue, combined. At least it’s budget related, unlike weakening unions. - AC - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:40 am: Delegate, not delete - wordslinger - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:42 am: For crying out loud, the governor has a made-up position of “Secretary of Education” and a state Superintendent of Schools and it’s all too complex for them? What would you say….. they do here? - VanillaMan - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:42 am: It is as though they never imagined that they would be asked to actually lead, govern, consider, compromise, administer or enact what has been blazingly obvious to everyone who prioritized Illinois education issues and voted upon them. This is an admission of total failure and reveals how ILGOP is contented to hide behind the wall of cash Rauner has built for them to hide in. If ILGOP hasn’t yet figured out that they cannot work with Rauner, his ridiculously inexperienced staff and setbacks that his political explosions are detonating daily, then ILGOP is too inconsequential to be relied upon as a source of governance. You are on your own guys. Get to work and figure this out. The Governor isn’t going to govern, and the work still needs to get done. Hustle! - Norseman - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:43 am: School funding reform is as much a hot-button opposition issue to suburban GOP as the anti-union measures are to Dems. Both GOP legislative leaders are suburban solons. The problem is while the GOP is willing to take hostages for its agenda, nobody is taking hostages to get meaningful education funding reform passed. - Daniel Plainview - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:53 am: - What would you say….. they do here? - C’mon word, they’re having way too much fun playing James Bond and convincing people that they’re bringing ultra-sophisticated military tactics to politics. - Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:54 am: ===and convincing people that they’re bringing ultra-sophisticated military tactics to politics. === LOL Touche - Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:02 am: Me? I would be very interested to hear from Sen. Andy Manar. - JS Mill - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:12 am: =Me? I would be very interested to hear from Sen. Andy Manar.= Manar’s “funding reform” proposal was a shallow attempt at resume building. If you analyze his “formula” you will find that there was little supporting rationale or evidence for what he proposed. In fact, the revised proposal simply shifted funding to try and by votes and again lacked any real rationale. He simply shifted more money to CPS and the suburbs withou understanding the effects other than it would buy political support. It was never student outcome focused unlike the evidence based model that Mitchel and Barickman are looking at. Desired student outcomes not politics is the focus. No doubt a complex issue. Manar got a lot of pub and support from the bandwagon but not much analysis went into that support. Furthermore, Manar’s approach simply assumed a diminished pool of funding and revised the distribution model. Did you know that Manar’s model pushed tens of millions more into districts that were already running annual budget surpluses? I brought that to his attention before his revised plan. The revised plan pushed even more money to those districts. - Bill White - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:16 am: ===and convincing people that they’re bringing ultra-sophisticated military tactics to politics. === Okay, I finally get the YoDa Loop reference. Very nice. +1 - Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:17 am: - JS Mill -, Thanks. Appreciate the analysis. There’s more for me to chew on and to learn where Manar stands, today, and how his continued fight for education funding is growing, changing, evolving, or even hardened. Thank you! I’m still very interested to Manar’s thoughts given this current event in the discussions on Ed Aid Funding. - Abe the Babe - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:17 am: ==Cullerton won’t, however, hold anything else hostage if talks don’t progress.== What a novel concept. You disagree with your opponent on some policy idea but you choose not to hold up progress in other areas simply because of that firm disagreement. Interesting. - Triple fat - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:55 am: I guess administratin, educatin & legislatin are really haaaard things to do. Too hard for ILGOP! - AC - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:03 pm: ==Too hard for ILGOP!== It’s now the ILOP, the dropped the g and changed the name from Illinois Grand Old Party to Illinois Oligarch Party. - Juvenal - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:11 pm: Republicans are demanding “structural reforms” before they will pass a budget, but the one “structural reform” they don’t want to touch is the single largest appropriation in the budget. Because, ya know, that would be “hard” and “complex.” 1) What in the world have you been doing for the last 11 months? 2) Governor says we aren’t passing a budget until April maybe anyways, so the good news is you still have time to learn about the single biggest part of your job responsibilities. - zatoichi - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:13 pm: Dilbert: We have some projects at work that will affect our bottom line. Wally: I am not sure that’s something that’ll be on the agenda this year because of the complexity of it’. - Triple fat - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:15 pm: AC — ILOP — I like it! May I use the term with friends and family? - Anonymous - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:31 pm: JSMill== Find us one expert in this state that can give a policy rationale against Manar’s bill. You won’t find one because there isn’t one. Plain and simple: its a good bill wrought with the most difficult politics. - AC - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:36 pm: Triple fat - Absolutely and for any purpose! At least until there’s a big tent, independent Republican party with members allowed to vote their conscience and their district in Illinois. - History Prof - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:32 pm: illlinifan @ 10:39 am was dead on: If you want to “turnaround” Illinois it is important to focus on things that will really turnaround the state such as education funding, Illinois taxing structure, the multiple units of government, and budgeting methodology. Union busting and workers comp are not the big ticket items that will result in substantive change. But why aren’t the Dems, including Cullerton and Madigan saying this!! Ugh. Develop a counter narrative for the love of Pete! Rauner proposes winning the race to the bottom. With the head start that the American South, China, and Malaysia already have, Illinois is not going to win that race! We have to choose a different event. How about the 10,000 meter race to the top of high skills, high value jobs! How about we enter THAT race! - walker - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:42 pm: It goes both ways. Make the firm proposals and get on with negotiations. Hold nothing hostage. Nothing. - JS Mill - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:51 pm: =Find us one expert in this state that can give a policy rationale against Manar’s bill. You won’t find one because there isn’t one. Plain and simple: its a good bill wrought with the most difficult politics. = Thanks for your expert analysis based on what? You share nothing. Please, for the class, share the results of your , analysis as to why is is such great legislation. I am waiting… What does it actually, you know, do? Besides taking an already diminished pool of resources and redistribute, and poorly I might add. - GA Watcher - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:55 pm: Surprised we haven’t seen any headlines about the Governor and Leaders agreeing that the school aid formula needs to be changed. After all, they were pretty quick to hit the newsstands and airwaves with headlines about Speaker Madigan wanting to restore the income tax rate to 5 percent. - Soccermom - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 3:41 pm: Why is it that other states can deal with these issues and we can’t? Good lord, there are so many third rails there’s no room for the train… - Mama - Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 3:57 pm: “What would you say….. they do here?” My guess is those two are trying to figure out how to privatize education in IL. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.