Today’s must-read
Friday, May 26, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This Tribune piece is very well-written, well-researched and timely. So you should definitely go read the whole thing…
Democrats and some Republicans are pushing ahead with an attempt to overhaul the way state government doles out tax dollars to elementary and high schools, setting up a potential showdown with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner over funding for Chicago Public Schools.
Few issues have kicked around the Capitol for as long as the education funding formula — a controversial system that’s proven resistant to major change thanks to a combination of political and financial factors.
* I just have one little nit to pick…
Rauner hasn’t offered his own bill, deferring to the education task force that was supposed to produce legislation but instead came up with a broad framework for fixing the formula. His education secretary, Beth Purvis, says the governor has been “pretty clear about what he would like to see in these bills” and noted that it’s not up to the governor to write legislation.
Historically, though, Rauner has not been shy about introducing legislation when he has an idea that he’d like to see enacted by lawmakers. That Rauner’s left the process up to the General Assembly has some critics questioning how badly he wants to see the formula changed.
Historically, Rauner has avoided drafting his own legislation like the Plague. He steers clear of ownership on controversial stuff. It’s why he has never introduced a balanced budget or unveiled his own detailed criminal justice reform bills. And it’s why legislators are constantly wondering if he’s truly serious about moving forward with things, like education funding reform.
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:09 am:
Rauner’s “persistent rascal” approach to governing didn’t allow for any other approaches. He didn’t seem to believe that other issues could be addressed until his one true challenge was first won. Rauner was issue constipated, unable to allow for any Plan Bs.
His entire focus has been on his reforms. His mission. He saw the Turnaround Agenda as the magic sword. He believed focusing everyday on pressuring his agenda would wear down his enemies. Rauner misread his enemies because he didn’t respect government.
Rauner didn’t relent. He didn’t use his office or time wisely. He shocked his supporters by presenting extreme positions they wouldn’t have voted for, so he discovered the consequences of losing a mandate. He hid his true intentions on other issues.
Bruce was a one note governor, completely committed to it. He doubled down, and didn’t care who he hurt.
That’s why he failed.
- DuPage - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:11 am:
Richard Daley was very shrewd. He kept the Chicago property taxes low for decades because that way CPS got MORE money from the state. Every time a suburban district (like Wheaton-Warrenville) needed more money, a referendum would be passed to increase the local property tax. When the local property tax went up, the amount from the state would decrease. Property taxes for CPS are low. If the people in Chicago want more money for CPS, they should pass a referendum to increase their CPS taxes.
- Stones - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:12 am:
And this is what you get when you elect a businessman who has never held elective office to the highest office in Illinois (or in the country for that matter).
- winners and losers - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:15 am:
Another nit: The story does not cover all the changes in education policy in SB 1 and HB 2808, does not explore just how many of the 27 elements are REALLY Evidence Based, and does not mention the real cost of the bills (probably $8 Billion in NEW, additional dollars).
If any one of the 27 elements were a separate bill, each would be debated and considered.
None of that is happening (and very little of it happened in the Rauner Commission). One outside evaluation it received near its end stated that the effects of many of the 27 were exaggerated.
But as Andy Manar stated to the Senate when it passed SB 1, “The bill is complicated.”
- DHS Jim - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:23 am:
This paragraph from article gets at the heart of the problem:
Illinois schools rely heavily on property taxes for funding, in part because the state’s contribution to school budgets is low. In 2015, state dollars accounted for just one quarter of school funding, with local governments kicking in more than 67 percent and the federal government the rest. That year, Illinois’ share of state funding for public education was lower than every state other than New Hampshire, South Dakota and Nebraska, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:25 am:
===Another nit: The story does not cover all the changes in education policy in SB 1 and HB 2808===
That would be a book, not a newspaper article.
- Juice - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:25 am:
DuPage, I agree with you that the CPS board should have put a tax increase on the ballot years ago, even if there is a pretty high chance of it failing.
But that being said, keeping the levy low does not increase the amount CPS receives from the State. The State uses an assumed tax rate that is applied to all districts across the State. (one rate for unit districts, one rate for elementary districts, one rate for high school districts)
- Ginhouse Tommy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:27 am:
Vanilla’s right. Bruce has stuck to his plan even when it is a complete failure and has made no attempt change at all. Though the Governor can’t introduce legislation has had any meetings with the any legislators to discuss what he would like done? That’s how some things get done. He hasn’t learned a thing about being the governor and doesn’t want to.
- winners and losers - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:39 am:
===Another nit: The story does not cover all the changes in education policy in SB 1 and HB 2808===
==That would be a book, not a newspaper article==
Yes, exactly right.
We are changing much of elementary & secondary education without anyone writing the book, reading the book, or even pretending to understand what would be in the book.
We have learned nothing since Obamacare and the Nancy Pelosi comment on it.
In Illinois for SB 1 and HB 2808 -
“But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it….”
- cdog - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:58 am:
I found the article refreshing in the fact that bipartisan voices are sounding reasonable.
fingers-crossed.
- JPC - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:05 am:
“It’s why he has never introduced a balanced budget” There’s your problem.
- Rod - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:13 am:
I liked both “winners and losers,” and Dupage’s posts. I agree as a property owner on the north side lakefront area of the City that I have gotten a great deal on my property taxes, even with the numerous increases for a house worth over $600,000 paying $12,000 a year is a good deal in today’s world. But as I have said before there are vast tracts of land in the city with minimal property values. None the less I support a property tax referendum under the condition that Chicago has an elected school Board. I also realize the social class and race based wars that would likely happen in the electoral process. Better in the open than hidden as they are now.
I agree with winner and losers about SB 1 and HB 2808. I do not believe given the current fiscal situation of our State the on going k-12 funding increases necessitated by the staffing ratios in the bills will happen.
- Curl of the Burl - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:14 am:
Hold on a minute. Ms. Geiger’s statement about Rauner not introducing “his” own education reform bill is a bid misleading. SB 1124 by Senator Barickman has a decent chunk of Rauner-influenced ideas/initiatives in it. There are (of course) a lot of Senate GOP ideas/initiatives in SB 1124 but Rauner’s fingerprints are on the bill.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:18 am:
The concept that the current formula has exacerbated the funding disparity is an absolute false narrative.
The poverty grant has matched or exceeded the dollars that go into the rest of the GSA formula.
We are a middle of the road district, some would say middle class, near Bloomington/Normal. We are at an approximate 39% poverty level. We get (should get if we get MCATS) $2,300 per pupil from the state. That is all in.
In comparison Cicero 99 gets $3,600 per pupil (for every pupil enrolled, not based on average daily attendance) just in the poverty grant. Then they get their ADA money and MCATs, plus a ton of Federal dollars. In addition, everyone of their students gets free breakfast and lunch (if they want it due to their poverty concentration). Their state level resources top $9,000 per pupil. That is more than we spend per pupil.
“Wealthy” districts get no where near that amount and total state dollars for Hinsdale and the like are probably below $1,000 per pupil.
While property tax receipts are responsible for the disparity in available resources the state, in terms of funding, the state is closing the gap.
- Ron - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:39 am:
“I agree as a property owner on the north side lakefront area of the City that I have gotten a great deal on my property taxes, even with the numerous increases for a house worth over $600,000 paying $12,000 a year is a good deal in today’s world.”
No, that’s a terrible deal. I live in the City and pay 1.5%, you are paying 2% of value.
- walker - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:46 am:
Ron: You just stated the other side’s case for a City tax increase.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 11:55 am:
=I agree with winner and losers about SB 1 and HB 2808. I do not believe given the current fiscal situation of our State the on going k-12 funding increases necessitated by the staffing ratios in the bills will happen. =
There is no way the state is going to kick in another $4 billion in funds. But $250 million, sure.
The dsitribution model will send most of that funding to the districts furthest from the Base Funding Minimum. Which is a good way to start. But a better funding formula/model is a good start.
The problem I see is not the model, it is with politicians trying to manipulate the model to make it cheaper and thus appear to be closer to appropriate funding.
- Ron - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
walker, 1.5% is too high.
- winners and losers - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 12:38 pm:
==The problem I see is not the model==
The problem I see is the model. School administrators will come to rue the day they made such grandiose promises based on the model.
The testimony this month (the model is the International Standard which will result in such improved outcomes for schools that the Illinois economy will show measurable improvement) will sooner or later prove to be absurd.
Promise the world, enact extreme local control(and make the details of a bill so complicated no legislator truly understands them): recipe for passing legislation, but also for retribution.
School administrators will eventually pay the price for such tactics because with extreme local control comes extreme accountability as the local administrators will have no one to blame.
- DuPage - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
@- Juice - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 10:25 am:===
DuPage, I agree with you that the CPS board should have put a tax increase on the ballot years ago, even if there is a pretty high chance of it failing.
But that being said, keeping the levy low does not increase the amount CPS receives from the State. The State uses an assumed tax rate that is applied to all districts across the State. (one rate for unit districts, one rate for elementary districts, one rate for high school districts)===
Juice, let me clarify, CPS got more then if their assessments and school tax levies had been equal with the collar counties. Every time Wheaton-Warrenville would get a referendum passed, it was counted as MORE “local resources available” and the state funding would decrease. Richard Daley knew how the system worked and kept the CPS “local resources available” down as low as possible. He knew how to work the system to get the most for his city and CPS.
- Rod - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 1:53 pm:
Ron our EAV and the EAV of many homes in my community in Rep Greg Harris’ district are probably undervalued for taxation purposes, so our home actually built in 1888 has sister homes built in Evanston in the 1890s by the same contractor and architect with higher EAV’s on smaller lots.
The larger issue here is the one DuPage raised and we have to consider the sad situation of home values in large parts of the south west side virtually to the Indiana border. Some homes will be abandoned or foreclosed on if the rates rise too rapidly and can’t be absorbed by the owners over time.
I doubt there will be a property tax referendum in the City and I do believe CPS will eventually end up in a receivership type situation regardless of the inability to use bankruptcy proceedings. It happened in 1979 with CPS and is happening in a similar way in Puerto Rico using the PROMESA act.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 4:09 pm:
=Promise the world, enact extreme local control(and make the details of a bill so complicated no legislator truly understands them): recipe for passing legislation, but also for retribution.
School administrators will eventually pay the price for such tactics because with extreme local control comes extreme accountability as the local administrators will have no one to blame.=
My goodness, such shrieking!
There is nothing extreme about the EBM. Unlike the current model, or any other that has been conjured, there is research to support it and a direct link to learning.
Illinois has a Balanced Accountability Model ready to take effect.
This is actually and educator conceived concept and not a political one. Even as classroom teachers have not spent the time to understand it.