Mayor Daley’s announcement on school funding was about something bigger than just him, or his relationship with Sen. James Meeks. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is also now on record favoring “comprehensive school funding reform.” Suburban legislators usually listen closely to their mayors, who have quite a lot of local power. The group of 272 mayors plans to release a report in February.

Elgin mayor Ed Schock wants the state to boost per-student spending across rich and poor districts.

He said in the past, Springfield worried the money would be wasted.

“They did not address fiscal and academic accountability,” he said. “The mayors’ caucus intends to raise the level of discussion and accountability to ensure it’s included in any discussion of funding reform in the General Assembly’s Spring 2007 session.”

Caucus members hope higher income or sales taxes will let local governments lower property taxes.

Regional mayors insist they’d be open to finding other revenue, including the sale or lease of Illinois tollways.

Back to Daley for a bit.

Mayor Richard M. Daley challenged state lawmakers Thursday to reform Illinois’ education funding system to take the burden off property taxpayers and reduce inequities between rich and poor districts.

“This is the year,” Daley said at Prosser Career Academy, a public high school on the city’s near northwest side. “We don’t need a new study. I don’t need somebody telling me all about education. Basically, we need funding. You need money. It’s as simple as that.”

And Republican state Rep. Roger Eddy was more open about a tax increase yesterday than I think he has been before.

State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, who also is a school superintendent, said reform that raises taxes may face opposition from Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has his own plan for selling or leasing the state lottery to raise money for schools.

“If the mayor is looking for a place to start, the biggest obstacle is the governor’s office,” Eddy said. “The mayor’s absolutely right, though. The over-reliance on property taxes is an antiquated system. … If it takes an income tax increase, it takes an income tax increase.”

Rev. Sen. Meeks hinted yesterday that the governor has a fall-back plan.

“The lottery plan is the plan the governor publicly espoused. The governor shared with me privately several other plans and options he had if the lottery did not work….He has other areas he’s looked at — other things that might or could be sold or leased that he’s asked me publicly not to share,” Meeks said.

Meeks winked when asked whether Plan B might involve leasing the Tollway. But Deputy Gov. Sheila Nix declared the tollway “off the table.” […]

Daley, who turned the Chicago Skyway into a $1.83 billion gravy train for city programs, said “everything should be on the table.” He specifically mentioned the tax swap, privatizing the lottery or Tollway or a land-based, taxpayer-owned Chicago casino.

And what about the new kissy-kiss friendliness between Daley and Meeks?

“This is a meeting about school funding. I don’t want us to politicize the mayor’s gathering today. If I make a statement like that, the headline might be something different from that,” Meeks said.

“When I do that, I want to have a separate press conference so I can get you [media] guys back again. If I say it now, you guys wouldn’t have to come.”

And added…

Asked if he would endorse Dorothy Brown, Meeks said: “I probably won’t be endorsing anybody who’s going to lose.”

What was that old saying about good government and good politics?

Meanwhile, Doc Walls continued his attempt to toss Daley off the ballot. It doesn’t look too promising.