New school funding reform plan appears DOA
Friday, Jun 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Republican lawmakers Thursday put forward a new plan to overhaul the state’s education funding system and send less money to Chicago Public Schools than a competing proposal from Democrats, who are unlikely to approve it. […]
Sen. Jason Barickman, a Bloomington Republican, on Thursday laid out what Rauner’s side would consider a satisfying compromise on the education funding issue. The proposal would provide about $323 million less to Chicago Public Schools compared to a competing proposal that was passed by Democrats in late May and has yet to be sent to Rauner’s desk.
Barickman said the Republicans had picked up where negotiations had stalled in late May.
“We looked at where we were then and we asked ourselves, how can we close the gap here to reach a meaningful compromise with the Democrat majority that allows us to produce a fair and equitable funding formula,” Barickman said.
But the proposal eliminates hundreds of millions of dollars that Democrats had insisted on providing for CPS, including $215 million for the district’s teacher pension fund — CPS is the only district in the state that pays for its own teacher pension system — and $202 million in special grants that the district has historically received from the state.
All Chicago Democrats are needed for any tax hike floor vote, and this school funding reform bill will require new revenues, meaning a tax hike is necessary. You can’t ask Chicago legislators to raise taxes and whack their public schools and expect them to merrily comply.
And the Republicans know this.
- Chairman McBroom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:01 am:
===”whack their public schools”===
Sure, SB1124 does not give CPS as large of a funding increase as SB1, but I wouldn’t call the GOP plan a “whack” to their schools. An additional $165M year-over-year ain’t peanuts.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:06 am:
===You can’t ask Chicago legislators to raise taxes and whack their public schools and expect them to merrily comply.===
This isn’t an accident…
===And the Republicans know this.===
This is just a sham idea, due in very large part that purposely “ignoring” the political realities, how do I see Mr. Barickman is even remotely sincere in this endeavor.
Not unlike Ms. Borne, as pointed out by Charlie Wheeler, discussing funding inequalities, but ignoring the numbers her district’s schools get, compared to “another”.
I don’t understand how thus helps in making necessary changes when getting the other side of the aisle, the majority subgroup too, can’t see this as a possible “Green” vote with the parameters as they currently are.
If Mr. Barickmam is unaware of the obvious, that’s another issue, but let’s say he’s keenly aware… wonder which is worse, willfully ignorant or blissfully unaware…
“And the Republicans know this.”
Hmm.
- Ryan - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:07 am:
“Democrat majority?” Come on Jason, enough with the petty insults, it’s getting old…
- Galena Guy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:08 am:
State funding of schools is only appropriate when those schools are in Republican districts - and this is why we can’t have nice things. Sigh…..
(Makes me want to leave this state too.)
- JS Mill - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:10 am:
SB 1124 is closer the the true Evidence Based Model. However- SB1 is true to the “no red numbers” pledge.
So- something in the middle should be doable in normal circumstances.
These are not “normal” circumstances, but might be the “new normal”. Yikes.
- Lefty Lefty - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:11 am:
This is so depressing
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:13 am:
I know how CPS can get more money for schools.
Raise their property taxes.
Novel idea.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:13 am:
== how can we close the gap here to reach a meaningful compromise with the Democrat majority==
Yeah. Reducing the amount of money CPS gets is “meaningful compromise.” Does he really seriously believe that doing such a thing is compromise?
This impasse is never going to end.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:14 am:
==Raise their property taxes.==
Umm, they are trying to freeze property taxes.
- Debbie - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:18 am:
Demoralized - CPS is exempt from the property tax freeze in the bill that the Senate Democrats passed.
- cdog - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:19 am:
Exactly, akmoRacoon.
Let’s equalize the statewide numbers with that variable.
- Truth Teller - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:19 am:
The representation that 1124 has increases for every district is the real sham here. CPS loses $203, gains $165. Any elementary student knows that is a loss. Also, check the numbers the Republicans are touting. They spend the normal cost in 1124 and then again in their cost shift bill.
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:20 am:
=Demoralized at 11:14=
yes, but you do know Chicago would be exempt from a property tax freeze as proposed right?
And where have they been the last 30 years while Daley bankrupted the entire city?
Chicago has had artificially low property taxes for years, so Daley could stay in office, put up fancy fences, and get fat.
Raise your property taxes for schools Chicago. That is what the rest of us did.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:22 am:
===
And where have they been the last 30 years while Daley bankrupted the entire city?
Chicago has had artificially low property taxes for years, so Daley could stay in office, put up fancy fences, and get fat.===
Bruce Rauner was a donor Daley, and that money donated seems to say keeping Daley as Mayor was fine by Rauner.
- Rod - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:25 am:
allknowingmasterofracoondom (what a handle by the way) CPS is going to the property tax cap every year now so taxes are going up. To go above the cap requires a referendum and it would fail in the City because the vast majority of voters have no children in CPS and like everywhere else those who own property are in shock by how fast their rates have gone up. But CPS has another problem and that is falling enrollments, which equals falling general state aid under all formulas.
Ultimately assuming Governor Rauner survives his reelection in Nov 2018 he will win this fight because CPS will have all of its lines of credit cut off. Then the State will have the legal obligation to impose its terms for a bailout deal.
- Curl of the Burl - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:27 am:
Demoralized - not to use “subscriber’s only” material but according to Rich (and others I have spoken to) Chicago would be exempt from the property tax freeze.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:29 am:
===Novel idea.===
Here’s another idea: how about all local school districts pay their own pension costs just like Chicago does? The state could save a bundle and local school districts might think twice before spiking pensions for the favored few.
- DuPage - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:35 am:
@- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:20 am:
===Chicago has had artificially low property taxes for years…
Raise your property taxes for schools Chicago. That is what the rest of us did.===
EXACTLY!
- winners and losers - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 11:50 am:
I am in rare agreement with JSMILL:
==SB 1124 is closer the true Evidence Based Model. However- SB1 is true to the “no red numbers” pledge==
He supports SB 1124/SB1. I oppose them.
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:03 pm:
Oswego Willy - with respect. It is Rauner’s? I expect more from you.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
===It is Rauner’s?===
Whaa?
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
OW - LOL, I am a dork. Fault, it is Rauner’s fault….
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
== Barickman said the Republicans had picked up where negotiations had stalled in late May. ==
So they’ve been in a closet negotiating with themselves.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:14 pm:
Rauner donated and supported Daley.
Rauner must’ve liked how Daley was running the city.
Pretty straight-forward.
- Ginhouse Tommy - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:15 pm:
Found out last night on the news in Springfield that without a budget Spfld public schools will close in Oct. and smaller school districts in the state won’t even open all. For the love of God they have to do something.
- former southerner - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
Barickman is an excellent example of what is wrong with much of the current GOP representation. A lot of hot air and ideology comes out of his mouth while his district (and both ISU and UIUC where he received his degrees) continue to self-destruct.
- My New Handle - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:26 pm:
So back in 2012, Madigan was favoring cost shift of pensions to school and community college districts and state universities. Of course, such a shift would take a load off the state budget. The shift did not happen and now Chicago needs state money for filling in its teacher pensions. Had the cost shift been enacted, I wonder how many other districts would now be asking for state aid for pensions.
https://capitolfax.com/2012/10/page/5/
- Herny - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 12:49 pm:
Every school district gets more under SB 1124 than under the current formula. That’s a fact.
- Free Set of Steak Knives - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 1:16 pm:
=== And the Republicans know this. ===
Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.
Further evidence for anyone who needed it that Bruce Rauner has zero interest in passing a budget.
This last, best, final offer from GOP was designed to be rejected.
- City Zen - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
==…and $202 million in special grants that the district has historically received from the state.==
CPS enrollment had steep declines the past 2 years and is nearly 15% below where it was 15 years ago.
Funding follows the students. Why does CPS need more money to educate less children?
- Rod - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 3:21 pm:
City Zen it needs more money to fund the legacy costs of having been a larger school district with many teachers collecting retirement benefits. It needs more money because it educates young adults at York High School which is located inside Cook County Jail, because it educates hundreds of students at Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, because it educates significant numbers of students who are DCFS wards, and on and on. This is not Hinsdale or even Springfield. But don’t worry they likely will not get this money any time too soon.
- Opiate of the Masses - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 4:03 pm:
=Every school district gets more under SB 1124 than under the current formula. That’s a fact.=
i think what you meant to say was “Every school district EXCEPT CHICAGO gets more under SB 1124 than under the current formula. That’s a fact.”
if so, then that would be true. at the expense of chicago getting less, everyone would receive more dollars. however, both sides agreed to no red numbers so it’s a non starter and the republicans know it. this is all about obfuscation and running out the clock, not about school funding reform.
- City Zen - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 4:12 pm:
Rod - CPS enrollment #’s for
2000: York = 532, Nancy B. Jefferson = 431
2016: York = 270, Nancy B. Jefferson = 257
I never said CPS didn’t have special cases, but why do they need more?
- JS Mill - Friday, Jun 23, 17 @ 6:04 pm:
=He supports SB 1124/SB1. I oppose them.=
I am more supportive of SB 1124 because it is closest to the EBM, but wouldn’t throw a vote to any of them until they can keep the no red numbers pledge. That is the base funding minimum and add funds over time, but only if accountability is attached and enforced.
@47th- cost shift would need to come with a funding stream or districts will need to lay off large numbers of staff. I support cost shift as long as schools have the capacity to levy for TRS just as they do for SSI and IMRF. then it is up to them whether they do or don’t.