* AP…
Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed school funding legislation, saying it wouldn’t let about three dozen private schools participate in a new scholarship program.
Rauner issued the amendatory veto Monday for legislation that the Illinois State Board of Education requested to move forward with a new school funding formula that would prioritize poor and needy schools. The scholarship program would allow individuals and corporations to give private schools money for scholarships in exchange for a tax credit.
Rauner said “we simply must ensure that we follow through with the appropriate language to get the job done.”
* Tribune…
Rauner used his amendatory veto powers to rewrite the measure, which sponsors said was requested by the Illinois State Board of Education so officials could move forward on a new school funding formula that would prioritize poor and needy schools.
While Rauner has listed the new funding formula as one of his top achievements as he seeks re-election, the Republican governor said Monday that lawmakers failed to address a technicality that would prevent at least 36 Catholic and independent schools from benefiting from a new scholarship program he’s pushed.
Under that program, individuals and corporations can give money for scholarships to private schools in exchange for a tax credit worth 75 percent of their donation.
“Inclusivity was the spirit of this legislation to begin with, and we simply must ensure that we follow through with the appropriate language to get the job done,” Rauner said in a statement.
* From the governor’s press release…
Lawmakers also should fix a defect that would prevent at least 36 Catholic and other independent schools — many of which serve African-American communities — from participating in the Invest in Kids program for up to two years, Rauner said.
Senate Bill 444, as written, does not address the exclusion from program participation of those schools not yet recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education. Invest in Kids creates a scholarship program affording low- to middle-income students opportunities to attend non-public schools through a system of tax credits for approved contributions.
SB 444 should include language that grants program eligibility to ISBE-registered schools, as well as those already recognized, to increase the number of schools affected and broaden the scope of potential applicants, according to the governor.
“Making this adjustment to this bill will maximize the number of schools eligible to participate, and therefore the number of students who may benefit,” Rauner said. “Inclusivity was the spirit of this legislation to begin with, and we simply must ensure that we follow through with the appropriate language to get the job done.”
* Sun-Times…
Meanwhile, the governor’s office said the state Board of Education is still working on the new funding formula and tier funding is still “several months” from being sent out.
“It is unfair for critics to say that this amendatory veto will delay implementation of SB 1947,” Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold said in a statement.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, called the amendatory veto Rauner’s version of tossing “his own request in the trash.”
“Here’s what Gov. Rauner accomplished today: absolute chaos while undoing all of the equity components in the school funding reform legislation that he takes credit for passing,” Manar said in a statement. “I am perplexed and puzzled by the motivations of this governor who claims to care deeply about public education in Illinois. “Why would he veto a bill that he sought in the first place?”
Senate Democrats said the bill was intended as a form of “technical cleanup,” which had been requested by the governor’s administration.
* Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner is forcing students to wait for fair funding so he can expand his back-door school voucher program, once again using Illinois children as pawns in his political games,” said JB Pritzker. “With his amendatory veto of SB 444, this failed governor is manufacturing another crisis by putting equitable school funding on hold, even after he claimed credit for the reform. SB 444 should have been signed the day it landed on Rauner’s desk to ensure Illinois schools were properly funded under the new, more equitable formula. Once again, this failed governor is attacking public education in Illinois and students will pay the price.”
* Daiber campaign…
“School districts waited until Aug. 31 (2017) with uncertainty of funding. The governor’s action delays progress on implementing the new funding formula, for which all districts in Illinois are waiting.”
At issue is language that would prevent private schools not recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education from benefitting from a scholarship program contained in the legislation, under which taxpayers can give money for scholarships to private schools in exchange for a tax credit worth 75 percent of their donation.
“To award public funds to private schools not meeting ISBE recognition status is a move in the wrong direction for school funding reform,” Daiber said. “It lowers the standards by which we operate when you do that.”
Daiber, in his official capacity as regional superintendent of schools for Madison County, conducts the compliance visits for non-public school recognition status.
Daiber opposes the tax credit-for-scholarships program, and has promised to end it if he’s elected governor. “This provision was snuck into school funding legislation when lawmakers were in a must-pass bind. School funding was jeopardized. There were concerns about school districts being able to make payroll. If the scholarship tax credit program is examined on its own merits, it’s an economic and educational disaster,” he said.
…Adding… Ruiz campaign…
As the former president of the Illinois State Board of Education, former vice president of the Chicago Board of Education, and former Interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, I urge the General Assembly to move immediately to override Governor Rauner’s veto of the historic education funding bill.
It is outrageous that, once again, Gov. Rauner is playing politics with our children’s education. His decision to veto this important bill, which would bring some long-awaited equity to the state’s funding of public education, has pulled the rug out from under school districts in low-income communities across Illinois.
Rauner’s action in vetoing this crucial bill is bad enough – but his hypocrisy is mind-boggling. Just a few short weeks ago, Rauner named “Historic Education Funding Reform” as his top accomplishment during his disastrous term as Governor. Yet now he has brought this overdue school funding reform to a screeching halt.
Again and again, Rauner has shown us he feels absolutely no responsibility or concern for the people of Illinois. We cannot allow Rauner’s radical political agenda to derail this reform and jeopardize the futures of our most vulnerable students.
It is time to end these delays and take action to provide our public schools with the funding they deserve – now.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:45 am:
Any word from Ms. Bourne?
Any “re-worked and approved” release from Mr. Barickman?
Just wondering what the Raunerites are thinking about this, the ones who were the point-people…
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:48 am:
–the Republican governor said Monday that lawmakers failed to address a technicality that would prevent at least 36 Catholic and independent schools from benefiting from a new scholarship program he’s pushed.–
Trying to make nice with the cardinal after bearing false witness on HB40?
Not surprised that there would be “technical” issues with the scholarship program, as it was a last-minute, face-saving gesture to rescue Rauner from the trick bag he’d placed himself in by not knowing the elementary basics of veto overrides.
You know, his job.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:48 am:
I thought this bill passed with veto-proof majorities. I must be thinking of the wrong bill…. No governor would be dumb enough to veto a bill that every single member of his party in the House voted for… right….? Um….
- Roman - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:52 am:
== “It is unfair for critics to say that this amendatory veto will delay implementation of SB 1947” ==
Notice she didn’t say it’s untrue.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:53 am:
What’s most fun is this is Bruce Rauner, again, looking at agreed language for a compromise and win and “adding a wrinkle” because understanding what was passed isn’t the charge of Rauner, but the history of Rauner shows a real contempt for legislating and legislators and in one moment cheering them and legislation, and the next move away from what Rauner May have thought, to what Rauner wants, maybe undercutting the honesty of the process.
I guess that’s how you work things as a governor not in charge, but I digress…
- Jocko - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 11:55 am:
==lawmakers failed to address a technicality==
Checking on the legitimacy of a school is a technicality? Like the possibility of using the scholarship voucher as a tax dodge never entered his (or other cocktail party members) minds.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:01 pm:
Anyone at the GovJunk bunker ’splainin’ why ISBE still workin’ in January on a bill that passed last summer? And why not sign 444 and intro a new bill?
- Ole' Nelson - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:03 pm:
This should not suprise anyone who has paid attention to the Governor’s actions (not words). He did not buy the office to “fix” Illinois, rather to destroy labor.
- Moe Berg - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:08 pm:
Saboteurs gonna sabotage. Rauner in a nutshell.
- Metro East Resident - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:10 pm:
What’s frustrating is that it takes a lot not to be a recognized non-public school. Compliance, like Dr. Daiber, is there to help get them recognized. Look at the schools not recognized especially in Daiber’s metro-east…there’s not many and if there are they either refuse to have any government over site (have policies on file, keep records, non-discrimination, say the pledge daily, etc.) or even worse they simply are not doing anything to serve their students.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:20 pm:
We shouldn’t be funding private schools at all. Period.
- Nick Name - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:24 pm:
===While Rauner has listed the new funding formula as one of his top achievements as he seeks re-election===
Didn’t he veto that?
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:31 pm:
Bruce Rauner makes Donald Trump look like a genuis. Does Illinois have a 25th amendment?
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:32 pm:
First, I would like to see the list of these alleged 36 Catholic schools. I do not believe it exists,
The bill was for public school funding not private school funding.
The payments based on the new formula are probably delayed due to a lack of revenue versus other technical issues. I wonder how a 3% income tax would help that?/s
- Barrington - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:35 pm:
Rauner being Rauneer again and just wants to destroy or delay. Something like this can be dealt with effectively under regulations and no need for this nonsense.
- A Jack - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:36 pm:
So based on Rauner’s idea, I can open a private not for profit school in my house, have my kid as a pupil, give 100% of my income for a scholarship to that school and then get a tax credit for 75% of my income.
- We'll See - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:40 pm:
The Gov has amemdatory veto powers? He must not have these powers when it comes to budget issues. /s
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:42 pm:
–Anyone at the GovJunk bunker ’splainin’ why ISBE still workin’ in January on a bill that passed last summer? –
Good question.
–First, I would like to see the list of these alleged 36 Catholic schools. I do not believe it exists,–
Very interesting.
Perhaps BTIA(TM) could chime in and address those legitimate concerns.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 1:22 pm:
==–First, I would like to see the list of these alleged 36 Catholic schools. I do not believe it exists,–==
I worked at ISBE a few years back, and trust me - they exist. There are any number of shady “schools” here in Illinois that really don’t deserve to be called such. Mostly religion-based organizations run by shysters, IMO, because Metro East Resident is correct - you have really got to be an awful organization to not be recognized by ISBE.
It would be interesting to know who exactly Rauner is doing this for. My guess is some ILGOP or think-tank bigwig has a brother or cousin who just realized they won’t profit from this language as much as they thought they would.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
You’d think if this was such an important change… for 36… that’s 36… schools, they’d list those schools to show its importance.
Wonder why they won’t?
- Rutro - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 1:29 pm:
So do any democrats want the private school parents votes? It’s going to be a close election and its not a small group of D’s?
- dbk - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 1:33 pm:
This is too weird for words.
I really doubt that those who wrote the bill were confused about the distinction between “registered” and “recognized” as applicable to private schools.
There was a report out late last week that takers for the tax-credit scholarships were fewer than hoped — many had anticipated that they’d be used in the first couple of days.
I’m wondering whether the private school lobby didn’t decide they needed to expand the field of eligible recipients to ensure all the credits get used.
Not a very graceful way to accomplish this, but then, the gov doesn’t do graceful.
- Just Saying - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 1:53 pm:
Someone should inform Rachel Bold SB1947 was effective August 31, 2017….
- thechampaignlife - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 2:59 pm:
> ===While Rauner has listed the new funding formula as one of his top achievements as he seeks re-election===
>
> Didn’t he veto that?
His re-election? It’s lookin’ that way.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 3:04 pm:
@LHM- I don’t disagree with you that those schools exist and in greater abundance than one would usually think. But he said Catholic Schools specifically. The church is t new to the education business and I would be surprised if 36 “Catholic” schools weren’t recognized. Granting the fact that I don’t have your experience at the ISBE so you have an experience that I don’t.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 3:26 pm:
Still nothing from Mr. Barickman or Ms. Bourne?
I’m looking…
- don the legend - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 3:50 pm:
When I read the Ruiz campaign comments, I immediately thought of Jackie Chiles: ” It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous.”
- TinyDancer(FKASue) - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 6:48 pm:
Huh? I’m so confused. I thought this was over and done with.
What’s that music I’m hearing?
Sounds like Sonny and Cher….I Got You Babe.
- working stiff - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 6:55 pm:
== Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Jan 9, 18 @ 12:20 pm:
We shouldn’t be funding private schools at all. Period. ==
totally agree
- Lynn S. - Wednesday, Jan 10, 18 @ 9:40 am:
@JS Mill– did you mistype something? The Catholic Church has been schools for at least 200 years.
And based on stories I’ve heard, there may be days when those sweet little nuns can be absolute *****es to deal with, but I find it hard to believe that any Catholic school under the supervision of a diocese in Illinois does not meet the necessary compliance requirements.
Schools under the aegis of independent Protestant churches–I could see where there might be issues with some of them.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Jan 10, 18 @ 9:56 am:
Looks like continued confusion on how many schools are on the “list”-
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/democrat-backs-rauners-scholarship-veto-but-govs-school-list-raises-questions/