* From the Illinois Republican Party…
ICYMI: “4 Top Legislative Leaders, Rauner Reach ‘Historic’ School Funding Reform”
Plan Includes School Choice, Proves Bipartisanship Still Possible
Yesterday, Governor Rauner, House and Senate Republicans, and House and Senate Democrats announced a compromise plan to pass historic education funding reform.
It proves that bipartisanship is still possible in Illinois.
And thanks to strong negotiations led by House GOP Leader Jim Durkin and Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady, Illinois is now poised to have a school choice program for the first time – something the Chicago Teachers Union is not happy about.
More coverage on the education plan:
NBC Chicago: 4 Top Legislative Leaders, Rauner Reach ‘Historic’ School Funding Reform
The Illinois Republican House and Senate announced Thursday that the four top legislative leaders and Gov. Bruce Rauner have reached a “historic” school funding reform.
ABC 7 Chicago: Legislative leaders, governor reach ‘agreement in principle’ on school funding reform
The governor’s office released a statement, saying, “Governor Rauner applauds the four leaders in coming to a consensus on historic school funding reform that reflects the work of the School Funding Reform Commission. He thanks them for their leadership and looks forward to the coming days when the legislation is passed by both chambers.”
Daily Herald: State leaders say they’ve got a deal on school funding reform
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that one source said a scholarship program to provide tuition help for parents of children in private schools, through vouchers, was part of the deal. Cardinal Blase Cupich and other religious leaders had lobbied hard for the tax credits — $75 million for donors to the pilot program — long sought by parochial schools.
I’m speechless.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:01 am:
Rauner knows he needs to sign it.
Rauner knows he needs a deal.
Rauner knows a bipartisan victory is the best victory.
Having said all that… I’m stunned
- Perrid - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:02 am:
I really hate the branding for voucher programs. “School Choice” just means choices for those that are at least middle class, and no one else.
- PJ - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:03 am:
The amount of cognitive dissonance it’s going to require for them to cheerlead for a deal that’s apparently *more* generous to CPS than the “Chicago bailout” should be amazing to watch.
- Honeybear - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:05 am:
Ahhhh…. Is this the pivot back to Labor being target?
- Name Withheld - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:08 am:
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Let’s see if this is starts something that resembles a pattern or if it’s just a fluke.
- Lt Guv - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:14 am:
Holy Schnikies!
- wordslinger - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:19 am:
You can drop your tranny popping the clutch from overdrive to first like that.
- walker - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:24 am:
A pilot program, that could carry an overblown ideological label, was the key to the lock.
- Anon221 - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:26 am:
Did they realize they need Madigan more than they need Rauner at this point?
- Henry Francis - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:27 am:
Nice gratuitous shot at the CTU. Guess there needs to be some red meat.
Word - I had to read your comment twice to make sure some of the phrasing wasn’t a euphemism for something else.
- winners and losers - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:28 am:
Vouchers have always been more important to this faction of the GOP than funds to CPS.
What a bargain: more money to CPS and public funding for private schools.
- Eve - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:28 am:
Take the win and let’s move on.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:30 am:
IGOP: “Fellow believers. See this pile of moose dung? That there has some of natures best nutrition available in edible form. (OKAY, it’s not the prime rib we promised, but close your eyes, eat up, and Pretend)
- Amalia - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:33 am:
Thanks for that headline, Rich. I needed the laugh.
- Norseman - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:40 am:
“Historic?” I guess it is historic since compromise is so foreign to Rauner and his minions.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:41 am:
… or how the GOP learned to love the Chicago bailout
- Ghost - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:42 am:
I think they were just truing to get out of the fumble. they miscalculated on the votes for passage strategy of the veto. They needed that pitard to go away before it detonated.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:45 am:
Wonder if they know that this also takes 71 and 36
- Montrose - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:47 am:
They must have lost their ILGOP Madlib sheets.
- Trust Me - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:52 am:
The blame Madigan mantra is beginning to get overplayed. Most of the rank and file public are becoming desensitized by the constant charge.
- Nearly Normal - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:52 am:
Nice to see that “bipartisanship” is now acceptable by the Illinois Republican Party. Seems that the Governor and others did not want bipartisanship but were insisting on their way or no way.
What they purport to be “School Choice” is not what it means in other states. It may be the seed for future school choice bills.
- Huh? - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 11:54 am:
Was the ILGOP word jumble stolen over night? After so many press releases complaining about Madigan, I thought bad and Madigan was ingrained and rote.
- Huh? - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
Normal - A one off event does not make a tread. I think the current spat of comity was caused by the realization that 1.4% created a huge problem for the ILGOP, no matter how they tried to spin it into a Madigan problem.
I predict that the feuding will return once this crisis is past.
- Trapped in the 'burbs - Friday, Aug 25, 17 @ 12:46 pm:
An agreement that still has to be reduced to writing, voted on and signed by Rauner? What could possibly go wrong?