* Sen. Tom Cullerton asked the Legislative Research Unit for some county-by-county data on how much money counties are getting back from the state compared to what residents put in.
Dark red means the counties’ get back 80 cents on the dollar or less from the state. Counties shaded dark black are more break even. The blue counties are doing well and the green counties do the best, getting back at least $2 for every $1 they send to the state.
The data is from 2013 (the latest they have) and the LRU warns that it isn’t exactly precise because, for instance, not all revenue and disbursements can be totally verified. So, it’s more of a rough guide. Click the pic for a larger image…
Not a whole lot of surprises for those of us who follow this stuff. Some Downstate Chicago-haters, however, might be enlightened.
A reporter followed up, asking if the governor considered the [Charlottesville] incident to be an act of terrorism.
“It is outrageous, and we’ve got to fight against it,” Rauner said at first. After more back-and-forth, the reporter noted that Rauner had not answered the question.
“You define terrorism,” Rauner shot back. “What I’ll say is, that is horrible, horrible behavior, completely beyond the pale. We in America have to fight against it in every way.” […]
Rauner went on to quibble with the notion of assigning a definition.
“That’s all a question of definition. What doesn’t matter is definitions,” Rauner said. “We know what hate is. We know what violence is. We know what racism is. And we should fight against it.”
“Is it an act of terrorism?” an NBC reporter asked Rauner at a bill signing on Monday morning.
“It is outrageous and we’ve got to fight it,” he said.
“It is not an act of terrorism?”
“I did not say that, Mary Ann, come on.”
“Well, is it an act of terrorism, yes or no?”
“You define terrorism,” the governor replied. Two hours later, he had changed his stance.
“Outrageous,” of course, is the exact same word he used to describe the offer of Senate President John Cullerton to meet with him to discuss SB1. Not cool.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday joined a wave of mostly Republican governors in announcing that Illinois would temporarily stop accepting Syrian refugees following the Paris terrorist attacks, sparking sharp criticism from advocates who said the move amounted to fear-mongering and raising questions about whether states can refuse to take those fleeing the war-torn country.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday that an attack by terrorists in the state is “just a matter of time.”
Rauner made his remarks a few hours after the rampage outside Parliament in London, which killed four and injured nearly two dozen. British authorities believe that attack was an act of terrorism.
The Illinois Senate on Sunday adopted a resolution urging law enforcement officials to recognize white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations. […]
“It is vital that we stand in total opposition to the hatred, bigotry and violence displayed by the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Charlottesville this past weekend,” said sponsoring Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “They are the heirs to the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis. We fought two bloody wars in opposition to their ideologies. We must continue to fight those same twisted ideologies today.”
At an event on Monday morning, Rauner declined to say the death of a woman, killed when a car slammed into a crowd of protesters on Saturday, was terrorism.
About three hours later, speaking with reporters, he said he had since consulted with Illinois law enforcement to get a clear legal definition on the issue.
“We can say definitively that an act of violence against someone because of their religious views, political views, ethnic background, that’s an act of domestic terrorism,” Rauner said.
When pressed on why it took him three hours to revise his comments, Rauner bristled.
“I made it crystal clear how I feel about the acts in Charlottesville,” he told reporters, his voice rising. “I have said it from the [first] moment.
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed House Bill 2663, bipartisan legislation which protects preschool-aged children enrolled in early childhood programs and schools that receive state funding from being expelled.
The bill also requires the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Education and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), to develop rules to prevent licensed day care and similar institutions from expelling young children for exhibiting challenging behavior. This bill will help ensure all children in Illinois have the opportunity and tools to thrive from an early age.
Research suggests expulsion and suspension have negative educational, health and developmental outcomes for children. Recent studies show that early care institutions are expelling children at alarming rates, particularly among boys and African-American children. A study completed in 2005 indicated that in Illinois, pre-kindergarteners were expelled at three times the rate of their older peers.
“Our children are precious, and we must do everything we can to give them the tools they need to grow and succeed,” Gov. Rauner said. “It’s our duty to make sure all children, especially the most vulnerable, receive a quality education starting at a young age. I’m proud to sign this bill, which will provide teachers the tools they need to address challenging behavior so expulsion isn’t necessary.”
HB 2663 is an initiative of early childhood advocacy organizations, including the Ounce of Prevention Fund. First Lady Diana Rauner, president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, advocated for the passage of HB 2663.
“HB 2663 and the programs it would support can serve as a model for nationwide reform of expulsion criteria in early childhood settings,” said First Lady Diana Rauner. “We must do everything we can to ensure our nation’s most at-risk children have access to quality education in the early years, allowing them to have the best chance at success in life.”
Specifically, this bill requires early childhood programs refrain from expulsion and instead document steps taken to ensure children exhibiting challenging behaviors can participate safely in these programs. If attempts to address challenging behavior prove unfruitful, early childhood programs may transition a child to another program with parent permission.
Early childhood programs may temporarily remove a child for safety concerns, but the program must then attempt to address the challenging behavior through intervention and community resources, instead of resorting to expulsion. These programs also may rely on ISBE, DCFS and the Department of Human Services to recommend training, technical support and professional development resources to ensure teachers and staff have the tools to address challenging behavior with understanding.
Bill No.: HB 2663, An Act Concerning Children
Action: Signed
Effective: Aug. 14, 2018
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, who slammed the Republicans during SB1 floor debate yesterday for not negotiating in good faith, was also present.
* And then he signed this bill before having to explain that he needed to check with the police on a definition of terrorism before he could actually come out and call the Charlottesville incident a terrorist act and dodging questions about President Trump…
Illinois will now have a useful tool to start consolidating 6,963 units of governments, thanks to Villa Park Democrat, Tom Cullerton.
Cullerton’s bipartisan government consolidation measure, Senate Bill 3 that will empower government entities throughout the state to consolidate units of local government, was signed into law today.
“We ran a tight ship for taxpayers when I was Villa Park Village President. I’m taking the lessons I learned to the state level,” Cullerton said. “The goal here is to reduce property taxes, save vital taxpayer dollars and make sure government is working for the people. Senate Bill 3 does just that.”
Senate Bill 3 will go into effect January 1, 2018.
Cullerton passed Senate Bill 494 in 2013, which created the DuPage County government consolidation model used in Senate Bill 3. He was later able to expand this model to McHenry and Lake counties, and Senate Bill 3 will expand the same powers to counties throughout Illinois.
County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Cullerton worked together to create an innovative bipartisan government consolidation model that can be easily adapted to work throughout the state. Counties and government entities based on their needs can consolidate redundant and obsolete forms of government.
“This legislation allows local communities and their elected officials to make decisions about the size, scope and cost of their own local government,” Cronin said. “Most importantly, it will change the culture and foster innovation.”
DuPage County’s successful government consolidation model is expected to save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years.
“It’s our duty to work together to explore every way we can save taxpayer dollars,” Cullerton said. “I’m proud of the work Chairman Cronin and I did to expand DuPage County’s government consolidation model throughout the state.”
The savings allow for lower property tax rates and provide residents with necessary services
“Cutting bloated bureaucracy and redundant forms of government means lower property tax bills for Illinois residents,” Cullerton said. “This new law gives Illinois taxpayers a voice in eliminating redundant and ineffective units of government.”
Cullerton says the next step in consolidating government waste is to eliminate the office of the lieutenant governor. This move would save the state $1.6 million annually which Cullerton believes would help pay for social services such as the DuPage County Meals on Wheels program and other similar programs throughout the state.
Since Cullerton has been in office, he has supported eliminating the position under both a republican and democratic governor. He believes the money would be better spent and services can be better executed without duplicate forms of government.
“We are in the middle of tough times,” Cullerton said. “It is hypocritical to continue to ask local governments to cut and eliminate units of government when the state government isn’t willing to do the same.”
Under the current administration, Illinois taxpayers are paying for two deputy governors and a lieutenant governor.
Despite the fact Cullerton’s plan, was endorsed by editorial boards throughout the state, he was unable to receive bipartisan support on his measure. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 29 did not receive a single republican vote.
Cullerton is the Senate sponsor of HJRCA6 and plans to advance the legislation once Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) passes the measure in the House.
Political consultant Betsy Ankney will head Rauner’s team, sources said Saturday, though the Republican governor has yet to formally announce his re-election campaign.
Ankney most recently managed U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2016 campaign in Wisconsin, pulling off an upset victory in the critical swing state.
In multiple interviews, Ankney has credited Johnson’s success in part to the data operation inherited from Scott Walker’s 2014 campaign, which helped position the campaign to better understand the electorate, despite lagging poll numbers throughout the race.
In many ways, Rauner’s upcoming re-election bid mirrors Johnson’s – a wealthy businessman-turned-politician running as a vulnerable first-term Republican incumbent in a typically blue state, painting himself as an outsider and looking to capitalize on voters’ frustrations with dysfunction in the Capitol. […]
Another potentially stark contrast between Rauner and Johnson’s bids for re-election lies in the question that keeps political strategists awake at night: What will the 2018 electorate look like?
Out of state folks can have a rough time in Illinois. And Gov. Rauner’s skills seem to be atrophying before our very eyes.
Gov. Bruce Rauner released the following statement regarding education funding reform negotiations:
“Today, we are calling on the four legislative leaders to meet as quickly as possible on school funding reform.
“We are hopeful that Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton share our sense of urgency to reach resolution. Families and educators across the state are heading back to school. We owe it to them to adopt a funding formula that is fair and equitable to all, and we owe them the assurance that their schools will open and stay open for the remainder of the school year.
“This weekend the Illinois State Board of Education released data showing my amendatory veto sends the most amount of resources to the neediest school districts in Illinois. These numbers clearly show how badly change is needed to ensure fairness and equity in how we fund our children’s schools.
“We sincerely appreciate the work done by the bipartisan bicameral negotiators, but believe the process can only reach conclusion with the involvement of the four legislative leaders. An agreement is within reach but time is of the essence to secure historic education funding reform.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
On the heels of the Illinois Senate’s historic, bipartisan vote to overhaul the worst public school funding system in the nation, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton welcomed news that Gov. Bruce Rauner is calling for meetings with legislative leaders.
“I’ve said all along that the only way to solve our problems is to work together in a bipartisan manner. I look forward to meeting with the governor and the other legislative leaders,” said Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
Notice that he included the governor in that acceptance. The governor didn’t include himself in the offer.
*** UPDATE 2 *** No surprise here…
Senate Republican Leader-Designee Bill Brady and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin today released the following statement:
“We support the governor’s call for the four legislative leaders to meet and remain committed to reaching a speedy, bipartisan resolution to fundamentally reform how we fund our public education system.”
Still waiting on MJM and I have an errand to run soon.
*** UPDATE 3 *** I called Steve Brown, who said: “Somebody needs to brief the governor that those meetings are already going on and will continue.”
I told subscribers this morning that the leaders had met Saturday into the evening and then again on Sunday.
Brown, by the way, also claimed that Rauner “put a brick” on the talks between the designated education negotiators earlier today.
Residents in central and southern Illinois will pay nearly 30 percent more than projected on utility bills if Ameren is allowed to lower its energy savings target, environmental and consumer advocates said Wednesday.
The electric and gas utility provider recently filed an energy-efficiency plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission that fails to meet annual savings targets required under Illinois’ new clean energy law. If the company’s plan is approved, downstate residents will miss out on utility savings while Ameren takes in $36 million in incentives outlined in the new law, advocates said Wednesday as regulators prepare to rule on the company’s plan.
“It is just cynical for Ameren to argue that they’re fighting for this plan because it helps low-income customers,” said the Rev. Cindy Shepherd, central Illinois outreach director for Faith in Place, which works with religious groups across Illinois on environmental issues. “That is just not true. Ameren is fighting for this plan to line the pockets of their Missouri-based corporate parent.”
Hailed as one of the most significant pieces of state energy legislation passed in the U.S. in decades, Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act ties energy efficiency standards to performance-based incentives that financially reward utility companies for exceeding targets and imposes penalties if they fall short. The law is projected to add $700 million to the state’s economy annually between now and 2030, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Ameren Illinois serves 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers in central and southern Illinois. (Ameren Illinois)Ameren Illinois serves 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers in central and southern Illinois. (Ameren Illinois) Ameren Illinois said the law would allow the company to introduce efficiency programs and incentives that would reduce residential customers’ future bills by an average of $1.69 per month over 10 years, according to a June press release from the company. In the release, Chairman and President Richard J. Mark said customers in central and southern Illinois “are reaping the benefits of Illinois’ progressive energy policies,” and that the company was “giving more low-income families the opportunity to take advantage of energy-saving programs.”
“It’s fundamentally unfair that customers in one part of the state won’t save as much money as Chicago customers simply because Ameren refuses to abide by standards set forth in the new energy law,” [David Kolata, director of the Citizens Utility Board] said. “Ameren proposes to spend 44 percent more than ComEd for each kilowatt-hour of energy saved. That is unacceptable, and it clearly shows the company is denying its customers the full benefits of the Future Energy Jobs Act.”
[Josh Mogerman of the Natural Resources Defense Council] said the Future Energy Jobs Act will also bolster the Illinois economy, assuming power companies operate within the parameters of the new law.
The law calls on Ameren to reduce energy demand by 16 percent by 2030. Ameren’s energy efficiency plan filed with the ICC would fall short of the law’s targets by 27 percent, the coalition said.
Ameren denied the assertion it was trying to lower its target goal and said the filing was only for four years. The utility added it plans to spend $112 million, the maximum allowed under the law, during the next four years to help reduce energy usage.
“We’re focusing on assisting moderate-to-low income customers who pay for energy efficiency programs every month and deserve the opportunity to receive the benefits,” said Richard Mark, the chairman and president of Ameren Illinois.
Is one of the best new energy laws in the nation really about to unravel this quickly? […]
Ameren says it would prefer spending money on helping low-income communities. But aid to low-income communities already is an important feature of the Future Energy Jobs Act.
Ameren also claims it still intends to eventually meet the law’s full energy-efficiency target. But that’s not an excuse for trying to wiggle out of the requirements in the new law right out of the box. If the other entities that were partners in the negotiations over the Future Energy Jobs Act start trying to cut better deals for themselves, the expected benefits to consumers and the environment will be in peril.
Fresh off of awarding what’s believed to be the largest contract in state history—and as the fate of his plan for overhauling education funding hangs in the balance, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday will take questions on “Chicago Tonight.”
Rauner’s sit-down with WTTW will come after the Illinois Senate on Sunday is scheduled to vote on his amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1—a plan that rewrites how Illinois decides how to divvy up state funding for schools. […]
When asked about the governor’s race Thursday on WVON radio, Rauner said “The folks who are thinking about running, they’re all part of the problem. They’ve all been part of the problem.”
What would you like to ask the governor? Put your thoughts in the comments section below.
They don’t have many comment so far, so…
* The Question: What would you like to ask the governor? And no snark, please.
* I’m told the IEA is running this radio spot this week on stations in Chicago and other markets…
* Script…
In August, there’s always excitement as children get ready to return to school. But this year excitement has been replaced by anxiety.
Anxiety because Gov. Rauner vetoed the school funding bill. Because of Gov. Rauner, schools throughout Illinois will be forced to open with fewer teachers and with more students crowded into classrooms.
Here are the facts. Illinois schools rank among the ten best in the nation, but were dead last in state funding. Teachers have said for years that we need to reform the way we fund our public schools. Lawmakers finally passed a bipartisan plan to do that.
It’s called SB1. Gov. Rauner’s team said he supports 90 percent of SB1. But then he vetoed it.
Schools need the funding SB1 provides. Gov. Rauner was elected to help kids, not act like one.
Please call Springfield and urge your state Rep. to override Gov. Rauner’s veto of SB1. Brought to you by the Illinois Education Association. The voice of Illinois teachers.
“The root of all evil in this state is how we underfund our schools,” Kennedy said. “We have terrible educational outcomes.”
He said that “every state with good outcomes” pays for education at the state level, while property taxes pay most educational costs in Illinois.
He said the system is “damning the next generation of Illinoisans, where we have massive disinvestment in education, where we’re creating an education underclass. …”
“The reason we preserve that broken system that relies on property taxes is because our elected officials are allowed to be property-tax appeals lawyers,” he said — naming the outside business of, among perhaps a few others, House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN, D-Chicago, who also chairs the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“That shouldn’t be allowed,” Kennedy said. “We don’t let our congressmen do that. … We shouldn’t allow our state reps and our state senators (to) do it. Until we get the dirty money out of politics, we’ll never get the dirty politicians out of government, and we’ll preserve a system that’s damning the next generation of kids in Illinois. … If you’re an elected official, you shouldn’t be allowed to have an outside job that’s adverse to the interest of the body you were elected to serve. … You shouldn’t be a property-tax appeals lawyer, ’cause you’re destroying the next generation of kids in Illinois. We can’t let that happen.”
* Meanwhile a Boston Herald columnist who appears to have no love for the Kennedy family included Chris in his latest missive…
But my favorite Kennedy story of the summer involves Chris Kennedy, the 53-year-old son of (the real) Bobby Kennedy. He’s running for governor of Illinois, but his lead in the Democrat field seems to be evaporating because he is a mere millionaire running against a guy named JB Pritzker, who is a … billionaire.
So now Chris is reduced to sounding like Eddie McCormack complaining about Uncle Ted in 1962 — whining that Pritzker (Forbes net worth: $3.4 billion) is totally unqualified and trying to buy the election.
History, as they say, repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
Pritzker is from the Hyatt hotel fortune. His sister Penny was commerce secretary under Obama, and he was supposedly in line for a Cabinet position himself under President Hillary. But then Trump happened and, well, what did one of Ted’s sisters say about how Edward Moore Kennedy came to run for the Senate with absolutely no experience.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a driver’s ramming a car into a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, which killed a young woman and sent 19 other people to hospitals, “does meet the definition of domestic terrorism” under U.S. law.
President Trump’s national security adviser said Sunday that the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend “meets the definition of terrorism.”
H.R. McMaster told ABC’s “This Week” that “anytime that you commit an attack against people to incite fear, it is terrorism.”
Is the governor really that afraid of his far-right flank?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
“White supremacists are terrorizing communities and Bruce Rauner is mincing words and tiptoeing around our bigoted president,” said JB Pritzker. “The injured and dead who protested this weekend deserve better than this flagrant cowardice from Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump. If we are going to address what happened in Charlottesville then we should have the courage to call it exactly what it is: terrorism.”
…Adding… Rep. Dave McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills)…
I strongly condemn the Neo-Nazis, KKK members, white supremacists and other racists who were in Charlottesville this past weekend. These cowards are not welcome in Illinois. The act of violence in Charlottesville was definitely domestic terrorism.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
Following in the footsteps of President Donald Trump, Governor Bruce Rauner failed to call what happened in Charlottesville terrorism. It was. Not calling it so speaks volumes about where he stands. Our country and our state are in the hands of two men who embolden the hate coming from white supremacists.
Sen. Daniel Biss…
“My grandmother was a holocaust survivor. I grew up with the weight of that legacy, and with an understanding of how evil can take root in our communities when we aren’t vigilant. The terrorism in Charlottesville follows a tradition of white supremacy, tracing back to the Nazi ideology that tore my family apart just two generations ago.
“Most importantly, I learned that all of us have an obligation to name this evil clearly and to fight it, and that those who do not give aid and comfort to our enemy.
“This morning we learned Bruce Rauner refuses to call the attacks in Charlottesville what they truly are—terrorism carried out by white supremacists. Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner is an incompetent billionaire unwilling to name and confront hatred because his re-election strategy relies on appealing to right wing radicals. All Illinoisans should remember this moment, when Rauner refused to stand up to white supremacists because of politics.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Gov. Rauner…
“The deadly violence in Charlottesville this weekend is abhorrent and absolutely an act of domestic terrorism. Racism, hatred and violence have no place in our society. The individuals responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
CMS still hasn’t released the audio of the morning presser.
*** UPDATE 6 *** DGA…
“Citizens look to their governors for strength and understanding in trying times, and they need to know their governor will clearly denounce hateful and racist actions and not shy away from calling terrorism what it is. Today, Bruce Rauner failed as governor.”
“This morning, Governor Bruce Rauner refused to call the actions of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville terrorism. Rauner clarified his remarks hours later only after being shamed into it. This is an unacceptable failure to lead by Governor Bruce Rauner. Like many members of his party, Rauner should have forcefully denounced this horrific violence as terrorism from the start. Instead he stuck to political talking points.”
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that will remove the statutes of limitation for sexual abuse crimes.
Rauner signed the measure Friday.
Sponsor state Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort says the legislation puts in place “best practices for dealing with sexual assault cases statewide and puts a system in place that will encourage survivors to come forward and receive justice when they are ready.”
Statutes of limitation restrict the time when authorities can charge someone after a crime occurs.
* It’s kinda weird that Rauner wouldn’t try to do a press pop on this. After all, the chief proponent was Scott Cross, the brother of the former Illinois House Republican Leader who was raped as a boy by former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert. This story has national importance, but he didn’t even mention it during his Fox News Channel interview and there was nothing out of the governor’s office except this mention in a long list of bill actions taken Friday…
Bill No.: SB 0189
An Act Concerning Criminal Law
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
* And lest you think that the governor didn’t want to step on his SB1 message, he sent out this press release during yesterday’s floor debate…
Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced that the Hand of Fate Brewing Company of Petersburg Illinois won the Illinois Bicentennial Craft Beer Competition at the Illinois State Fair.
Hand of Fate will create the recipe and brew the Official Illinois Bicentennial Craft Beer, which will be available across the state during the Bicentennial Celebration in 2018.
* So, what could it be? Sen. Hastings, who is mentioned above, is one the public faces of the anti-Rauner “Do Your Job, Inc.” but he was just a co-sponsor, and not even a hyphenated co-sponsor.
It’s no secret that the governor has no love for Attorney General Lisa Madigan (and that feeling most definitely goes both ways), and AG Madigan has been leading this statute change from the beginning, so perhaps that is a more accurate answer? From her press release…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced Illinois has now eliminated the statutes of limitations for felony criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse crimes against children. Senate Bill 189, initiated by Madigan, was passed by the General Assembly unanimously and signed into law by the governor Friday.
Sponsored by Sen. Scott Bennett and Rep. Michelle Mussman, the legislation eliminates Illinois’ criminal statutes of limitations for all felony child sexual abuse and child sexual assault crimes that can allow predators to go unpunished. The law, effective immediately, applies to future felony child sex crime cases as well as current criminal cases in which the previous statute of limitations has not expired.
“Sex crimes against children are a horribly tragic violation of trust that can take a lifetime to recover from,” Madigan said. “This new law will ensure that survivors are provided with the time they need to heal and seek justice.”
Prior the new law, Illinois’ statutes required that the most egregious sexual offenses against children must be reported and prosecuted within 20 years of the survivor turning 18 years old. Two exceptions existed for cases in which the crimes were committed on or after Jan. 1, 2014 and either corroborating physical evidence exists or a mandated reporter failed to report the abuse. The then-law restricting a survivor’s ability to come forward prevented former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert from being prosecuted for allegations of abuse against minors while he was an Illinois high school coach decades ago. Scott Cross, a survivor of Hastert’s abuse, joined Attorney General Madigan in advocating for today’s change in the law, recounting his experience before lawmakers and urging them to pass Senate Bill 189.
“Dennis Hastert used his authority and position as a role model to violate the trust of the youth in his care - in the most unimaginable way possible. And despite the lives ruined and decades of pain and suffering the survivors continue to deal with, he will never be held accountable,” Scott Cross said. “I am thankful that Illinois law will now allow survivors of these horrific crimes to come forward in their own time, and get justice – no matter how overdue.”
As more child survivors of abuse and sexual assault have come forward to describe the difficult process that they have endured in reporting, states across the country have eliminated statutes of limitations for these crimes. Nationwide, 36 other states and the federal government have removed criminal statutes of limitations for some or all sexual offenses against children.
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column is now being published by the Bloomington Pantagraph…
Chicago has vast property wealth and the largest population by far in Illinois. But it also has a large amount of that property wealth locked up in tax increment financing districts.
According to figures released last week by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Chicago has over half of the $12.4 billion in statewide equalized assessed valuation locked up in TIF districts. About 8.6 percent of the city’s total equalized assessed valuation is in a TIF district, well above the statewide average of 3.95 percent, but only the seventh-highest percentage in the state (29 percent of Clinton County’s EAV is in TIF districts, making it the leader going away).
And partly because Chicago is by far the largest city covered under state tax cap laws, the city’s public schools were able to claim $125 million in state adjustment benefits in Fiscal Year 2016 for districts with property tax caps, according to numbers crunched by the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois. But the way the laws are written, that $125 million was most of the $141 million claimed by all school districts in Illinois. The total amount was expected to drop by more than half during Fiscal Year 2017.
When valuations go up, so does the subsidy. In 2010, CPS’ subsidy was almost $444 million to account for “lost” revenue due to the tax caps. Elgin’s school district was second that year, at $18.3 million, but it wasn’t even in the top 15 last year.
The governor’s amendatory veto of SB1, the school funding reform bill, would slash state funding to school districts that are within TIF districts and covered under property tax caps. That seems counter-intuitive for this governor, who has railed against high local property taxes since first announcing for office. While he denied it last week, it’s clear he wants to force local school districts to raise their property taxes to avoid state funding cuts.
Why would he do that? Chicago Public Schools funding, obviously. The governor has often put CPS in the middle of his Statehouse wars. One of the events that motivated him to run for higher office was the successful Chicago Teachers Union strike, which angered him to no end. And he’s clearly looking for leverage in the wake of the budget and tax hike veto overrides.
That’s not to say the Democrats aren’t playing the same sort of game. They added even more money to SB1 for CPS when the bill finally reached the House and then jammed it through on a mostly partisan roll call.
The Illinois State Board of Education said it had finished its numbers crunching of Rauner’s amendatory veto last week, but then found some data mistakes, so as of this writing we don’t know what the numbers are, but you can bet that CPS will take a big hit.
The bigger question is how many suburban and downstate districts will be slammed by this amendatory veto. Ford County, which is within Sen. Jason Barickman’s district, has the second highest percentage of assessed valuation in a TIF district in the state, over 10 percent of its EAV. Barickman, R-Bloomington, is the lead Senate Republican negotiator on education funding reform. Politically, this could be quite problematic.
These sorts of negotiations take years to complete. First, you have to convince people to open a nasty can of worms — which isn’t easy because so many folks have vested interests in the status quo and have cut little deals over the years to sweeten their own pots. Then you have to convince everybody to create a whole new can of worms. And then you have to actually do it. It isn’t easy.
Education funding reform has taken at least four years to get this far. Barickman has suggested that perhaps TIF districts created in the future could trigger a change to state aid. But even that could be a heavy lift at this late stage, with schools about to open.
Fiddling now with TIF and property tax caps could require a rewrite of the whole bill to achieve the bipartisan goals that were laid down at the outset of this monstrous task.
A last-minute amendatory veto isn’t the right way to go. If the governor wanted this stuff, he had over two years to bring it to the bargaining table. And the same goes for the House’s last-minute add-ons from the end of May.
What they should probably do is back up and run a bill that’s as close to the Senate-approved version as possible.
The column was written on Friday, well over a day before the ISBE numbers came out.
During a news conference before the vote, Rauner said he’s open to a negotiated settlement.
“If (lawmakers) won’t accept the changes, then let’s get a compromise quickly,” Rauner said. “I’m open to compromise on any issue.”
Some Senate Republicans also said a negotiated settlement could be reached, but said Democrats have to go further in reaching a compromise. However, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, one of the negotiators on a possible school funding compromise, said it is Republicans who were preventing a compromise.
“Every meeting we’ve had, you’ve brought a new initiative to the table,” Lightford said. “You keep asking for things and not wanting to negotiate on anything else.”
* So, where is Beth Purvis these days? She led the school funding reform negotiations one behalf of Gov. Rauner for more than two years, but hasn’t been heard from since he issued his amendatory veto, which undid much of her work. Hmm. Maybe I just answered my own question…
Before the vote, Rauner also said he hoped lawmakers could achieve compromise. In a 30-minute press conference, he repeated his claim that Senate Bill 1 is a “Chicago bailout” cooked up by Democrats to favor Chicago Public Schools at the expense of downstate districts.
One theme he never mentioned was the work of his own bipartisan, bicameral school funding reform commission, which met for close to 100 hours over a period of six months in an effort to find agreement on school funding. That commission, led by Rauner’s education czar, Beth Purvis, didn’t envision some of the more radical changes the governor made to SB1, such as calculating the value of property controlled by TIF districts or PTELL caps as though the TIF or PTELL designation didn’t exist. More than 500 school districts would see their property resources rise in value, thus diminishing their share of state aid, if Rauner’s amendatory veto survives.
“I am here to find solutions, compromises that work that are fair and balanced,” Rauner said. “Everything could be on the table but we don’t have the luxury of waiting.”
“I still, again, think that is within reach. I think there’s a clear path on how to do that, as long as folks stay disciplined and they keep their eye on the ball, I think that can get done,” [Sen. Andy Manar] said. “If it cannot get done, the House should override the veto, just like the Senate did today.”
But State Senator Kimberly Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, says negotiations have been derailed by Republicans bringing in new requests that aren’t mentioned in Senate Bill 1 (the school funding plan) or Rauner’s veto — requests like tax credit scholarships for private schools, mandate relief, and “management rights,” which Manar rephrased as “the diminishment of collective bargaining rights for teachers.” Lightford said Republicans presented those demands and didn’t take questions about them.
“If you guys really want to get something done, we could! We could,” Lightford said. “You give, we give. You take, we take. You give again, we give again. That’s how it goes in negotiations.”
The House now has 15 days to try to overturn the governor’s veto. The House is scheduled to be in session Wednesday and will hold a hearing on education funding. It’s unclear if they will take up the veto then, or wait to let more pressure build. Neither lawmakers nor the governor has shown much of an appetite the previous two years to play political chicken over school funding for too long, given the potential for a huge backlash from parents.
An override will take 71 votes, but there are just 67 House Democrats, meaning some Republicans would have to buck their governor. If the override fails, or is not called for a vote in the House, lawmakers would be left to negotiate a new plan as schools wait for funding.
The Illinois House has 15 days to act on an override, but the Senate on Sunday also passed a backup bill should the House fail. That, however, would restart the clock on solving the school funding mess.
That “backup bill” was explained to subscribers this morning. It’s identical to the bill Rauner vetoed.
* From a memo sent to House Republicans this morning…
August 14, 2017
Dear House Republican Member:
I’m pleased to announce that Eleni Demertzis will be joining House Republican staff as my new spokesperson effective Wednesday, August 16. She will be based out of our offices in Chicago.
Some of you may remember Eleni from when she was on House Republican communications staff in 2011 and 2012, but she most recently worked as a Press Secretary for Governor Rauner. Prior to her work in the administration, Eleni served as a Press Secretary for then-U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and as Communications Manager in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Eleni’s professionalism and experience working with media from all corners of the state will be an asset to me and to the communications efforts for our entire caucus. I’m excited to have her on board.
Please join me in welcoming Eleni back to House Republican staff.
Sincerely,
Jim Durkin
House Republican Leader
That’s an interesting hire. Demertzis was a fierce Rauner defender who left on her own accord during the infamous staff purge.
Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that an exemption from the Code for purchases of care shall continue except as otherwise provided. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act, any contract the Department of Healthcare and Family Services enters into with a managed care organization shall be procured in accordance with the Illinois Procurement Code. Effective immediately.
The bill passed with 38 “Yes” votes, two more than needed to override. The House, however, passed the bill with just 65 votes, six short of what it would take to override an expected veto.
The legislation was filed in the wake of Gov. Rauner’s move to get around the Procurement Code to award billions of dollars in new Medicaid managed care contracts. Some background is here.
* Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorne Woods), one of the school funding reform negotiators…
“Today’s override of the Governor’s veto was an unnecessary partisan act,” said McConchie. “I firmly believe we could have come to a bi-partisan agreement on school funding reform had negotiations been carried out in good faith.
“As one of the negotiators, I came to the table fully prepared to come to an agreement on how we can better fund our schools. However, good faith discussions never happened. In fact, the bill’s sponsor admitted in the press that he was never really negotiating with us. Instead the Democrats have decided to pursue a path of bailing out Chicago at any cost. It is now up to the House to reject this partisan, regionalistic politics.”
* Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
We encourage Illinois state representatives of both parties to listen to students, parents, teachers and school officials in their districts and vote to override Governor Rauner’s veto of equitable school funding, as state senators of both parties just did. After the House votes to override, our office can begin sending schools the General State Aid they are owed.
* JB Pritzker…
“Today’s action by the Senate is a step towards getting the school funding our students, parents, and teachers across the state deserve,” said JB Pritzker. “Bruce Rauner’s reckless veto left our state’s 852 public school districts without a way to get state funding and even though Rauner agreed with 90 percent of SB 1, he chose to use school funding as leverage to score a political win. Bruce Rauner’s damage is done and he’s proven once again that he is incapable of governing without throwing our state into a crisis.”
* Sen. Daniel Biss…
“There’s no question that overriding Rauner’s veto was the right thing to do. The better questions are how we got here in the first place—to August without school funding and to a billionaire governor with the arrogance to threaten our schools.
“We took a step forward on fixing an immediate problem today. But like the state’s budget, our education funding system will continue to be a problem until we address the underlying rot: a broken tax system that benefits the millionaires, while punishing the middle class.”
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel…
Governor Rauner’s education funding veto brought together rural, suburban and urban educators and legislators in bipartisan opposition to the governor and in support of today’s veto override. This diverse group of educators and leaders knows the Senate’s education bill is right for Illinois children and the governor’s veto is flat wrong. I want to thank Senate President Cullerton and the state Senators who voted on behalf of students and educators. The Senate’s vote is a bipartisan rejection of the governor’s divisive politics and of his repeated attempts to pit children with different backgrounds and from different parts of the state against one another.
* Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago)…
“The governor attempted to remove equity for Chicago from Senate Bill 1 in his amendatory veto and force Chicago Public Schools’ students to pay for a pension problem they did not create. To be truly equitable, school funding reform must recognize the fact that Chicago is the only school district in the state that is responsible for its own pension payments. Senate Bill 1 corrects this inequality and provides pension parity for Chicago Public Schools.
“Today I voted with my colleagues in the Senate to override the governor’s veto and bring Illinois students—both in Chicago and throughout the state—one step closer to a fair school funding formula for the first time in decades. It is time for all Illinois students to have access to a quality education, regardless of where they live.”
* Sen. Tom Rooney (R-Rolling Meadows)…
“We’re supposed to be overhauling our education system to provide equity for all our students and schools. Instead, we’re recrafting a system that preserves the same practice of redirecting state dollars toward one district and burying special deals among the spreadsheets. That’s not equity, that’s disingenuous and ineffective,” said Rooney. “Today’s vote demonstrated that the interest of one district outweighs the needs of the remaining suburban and downstate students. My only hope is that moving forward the House recognizes the importance of fair funding, puts the needs of all students ahead of political agendas and embraces equity as the only path forward for education funding in Illinois.”
I’m sure there will be more.
* Sen. Chris Nybo (R-Elmhurst)…
“I could not support the school funding plan presented in the Senate today, because it does not equitably address funding for all Illinois students. It should not matter where a child is born; every single student has an equal right to earn a quality education. The Governor’s Amendatory Veto made changes to the school funding bill that were both fair and equitable to all 852 school districts in Illinois, and does not unfairly tip the scale toward Chicago schools at the expense of every other school district-like has been done in years past. Senate Bill 1 was not the product of bipartisan negotiations, and that is extremely unfortunate because I truly believe good-faith negotiations and bipartisan progress were possible.”
* Senate President John Cullerton…
“Our students, parents, teachers and taxpayers have waited too long for a needed overhaul of how the state funds public schools. With this bipartisan vote, the Senate moved our state one step closer to getting rid of the worst funding system in the nation. I hope the House will be able to do the same and finally bring the reform Illinois public schools need.”
* During his closing remarks, Sen. Andy Manar addressed this statement by Gov. Rauner during his appearance on the Fox News Channel on Friday…
We passed a good school funding bill on a bipartisan basis that I championed.
But the Democrats and the majority in the House inserted a poison pill, a pension bail out for the city of Chicago, hundreds of millions of dollars every year diverted away from classrooms in the suburbs and down state, so I had to amendtory veto that bill and we’re going to get it fixed so it’s fair and more equitable for everybody.
“Can anybody explain that to me?” Manar asked.
Rauner certainly didn’t have anything to do with the passage of SB1 out of the Senate. Just the opposite. He pulled votes off.
Manar also noted that anyone could have filed a motion to accept the governor’s AV, but nobody did. He said the Senate President was involved in negotiations until late in the evening and early this morning, which is why he waited until the last moment to file an override motion.
…Adding… The Senate Republicans are pushing back hard against the claim that they could’ve filed a motion to accept the AV. They point to Senate Rules (9-3) which don’t appear to allow that. However, Sen. Manar said today that he checked with the parliamentarian, who said it has historically been allowed.
* And Sen. Kimberly Lightford, who was one of the official negotiators on a compromise, claimed the Republicans weren’t interested in any such thing…
KL: You bring new initiatives to every meeting. How do you negotiate without answering questions? Let's tell the real truth here.
* You may recall this unusual letter sent earlier this month by the two Republican legislative leaders to Attorney General Lisa Madigan…
In conclusion, we are concerned that the General Assembly may jeopardize the date on which SB1 may constitutionally become effective if the General Assembly pursues an outright veto override motion. It appears that the decision to delay SB1’s passage until July 31, 2017, may prevent the General Assembly from making an SB1 veto effective before June 1, 2018. If that is the case, the evidence-based funding formula established by SB1 may only be used this August to distribute school funding to schools across the state if the legislature adopts the Governor’s amendatory veto by a three-fifths vote.
AG Madigan issued her response today. Click here to read it. Essentially, she says that the effective date would be the date that the governor’s AV is overridden or the date that the governor certifies that the GA has accepted his recommendations for change.
It’s déjà vu and with uncertainty surrounding the future of school funding in Illinois, Do Your Job, Inc. is debuting a new ad asking legislators to override Governor Rauner.
The ad continues the plea of the education community, reformers, and editorial boards across the state who believe “when you get 90 percent, declare victory.” Much like the state’s budget crisis, it is now up to legislators to do the right thing for the state despite the disastrous decisions made by Governor Rauner. […]
Déjà vu will begin running on digital platforms today.
Do Your Job, Inc. is led by IL Sen. Michael E. Hastings of South Suburban Cook County, IL Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
It’s déjà vu.
After losing the budget fight, Governor Rauner is targeting our schools.
Principals, teachers and parents statewide support SB1 for fairer funding across the whole state but Rauner has vetoed SB1 creating chaos and another crisis.
Without the funding bill schools will close.
Rauner won’t compromise.
Republicans and Democrats have to fund our schools without him.
Sound familiar?
Tell your legislator override Rauner. Fund our schools.
Gov. Bruce Rauner took to Fox News Channel on Friday for what was billed as his first national television interview — and it backfired badly.
Leading a parade of bad reviews was right-wing commentator/provocateur Ann Coulter, who told her 1.6 million Twitter followers that Rauner “either is retarded or playing retard.”
“His answer to every Q is, “Our system is broken.” Fascinating!” Coulter tweeted during the governor’s interview with FOX News host Bret Baier.
Notwithstanding her completely inappropriate and offensive slur, Coulter was on point in calling out Rauner for his evasive answers.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to reform the school funding formula would send more money to the neediest school districts in Illinois, according to an analysis released today by the Illinois State Board of Education.
ISBE’s analysis found that 97.5 percent of the 852 school districts in Illinois receive more state funding under the governor’s plan compared to Senate Bill 1, as written. Under the governor’s plan, no school district would receive less funding this upcoming school year than it received last year.
“This is what equity and fairness in education funding looks like,” Gov. Rauner said. “Improving Illinois’ education system has been my top priority as governor. I made these changes to Senate Bill 1 because that legislation fails to ensure fairness and equity for all children across Illinois. My changes guarantee that some of our state’s neediest districts will receive significantly more funding.”
But, if you click here and open the spreadsheet, then click the “ISBE analysis” tab and scroll all the way to the bottom, you’ll see that Chicago Public Schools, with about 20 percent of the state’s students, would gain just $28.7 million over last fiscal year. That’s only about a 2 percent gain for CPS, but according to the governor’s spreadsheet, Rauner’s plan provides for a ten percent overall funding increase to all schools (column C compared to column D).
Even so, something doesn’t appear right. I need more time to compare Rauner’s original spreadsheet (click here) to his newest spreadsheet (click here). Feel free to e-mail me your own thoughts.
* And make extra sure to keep this in mind…
.@GovRauner has released analysis ($) of his AV. Keep in mind these numbers are for 2 yrs only. Everything changes in July, 2020.
Yep, and when it does, things get much worse for CPS and lots of other schools.
…Adding… This is what I was referring to above about some confusing numbers…
Chicago Public Schools would receive $463 million less in funding under Gov. Bruce Rauner’s school funding plan than the measure approved by the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly.
That’s according to an analysis released Saturday afternoon by the Illinois State Board of Education. The district-by-district breakdown was made public a day before the Illinois Senate will reconvene in Springfield to consider an override of Rauner’s amendatory veto of the school funding legislation.
The governor’s original spreadsheet claimed SB1 increases funding for CPS by $293 million. His plan would, he claimed at the time, increase CPS funding by $148 million. His new spreadsheet claims SB1 increases CPS funding by over $490 million, while his AV would increase it by $28 million.
Odd.
…Adding More… The full ISBE report is now online. Click here.
The data indicate CPS would receive $463 million less than under the Democrats’ bill, but Rauner’s office contends it’s only $241 million less because the governor supports picking up $221 million in pension costs for the district. That money has not been approved yet, however.
The governor’s office is trying to count that $221 million twice: Once for all schools and the second time for CPS pensions. Math is apparently quite difficult for the governor.
* The Senate convenes Sunday at 2 o’clock, so I’ll crank up the blog an hour or so before that happens. They’ll probably caucus shortly thereafter and start voting after 3 and maybe as late as 5. We’ll see.
Meanwhile I’ve had several requests for an Oscar the Puppy pic this week. The little guy is fascinated with the parrot who lives at the local car wash…
Plaintiffs are individuals with developmental disabilities living at home or in intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled (“ICF-DD”) who want to live in community integrated living arrangements (“CILAs) or other community settings. The intervenors are individuals with developmental disabilities living in ICF-DDs and want to remain in those facilities. Plaintiffs and intervenors assert that the State is in violation of the Consent Decree by failing to provide resources of sufficient quality, scope, and variety to provide developmentally disabled individuals with community-integrated care to the highest degree possible. The plaintiffs and intervenors must demonstrate a violation of the court order by clear and convincing evidence.
Since the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel. Zimring, “[s]tates are required to provide community-based treatment for persons with mental disabilities when the State’s treatment professionals determine that such placement is appropriate, the affected persons do not oppose such treatment, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the resources available to the State and the needs of others with mental disabilities.” 527 U.S. 581, 607 (1999). In Section 4 of the 2011 Consent Decree at issue here, Illinois committed to providing these services.
Plaintiffs and intervenors presented evidence in the form of a report by economist, Elizabeth T. Powers, declarations from ICF-DD and CILA providers, and representatives of developmentally disabled individuals impacted by the Consent Decree. The State pays private organizations with state and federal money to provide CILA and ICF-DD services. In Illinois, approximately 11,000 individuals with developmental disabilities live in CILAs and 5,000 in ICF-DDs. The evidence presented demonstrates that the actual costs of operating CILA and ICF-DD facilities has increased substantially since the entry of the Consent Decree and wages for Direct Support Professionals (“DSPs”) has stagnated causing a staffing crisis that is inhibiting care and negatively impacting the individuals protected by the Consent Decree.
Defendants assert that the provision of services has not been reduced by the State and thus the State contends that it remains in substantial compliance. Further, defendants assert that the FY 2018 budget allocates an additional $53.4 million to these services. Plaintiffs’ economist, Powers, advises that a 25% wage increase for DSPs would reduce turnover by a third. Defendants contend that such an increase is not financially feasible considering the State is facing $14 billion in bills that are in arrears after the two year budget impasse.
Relying on O.B. v. Norwood, 838 F.3d 837 (7th Cir. 2016), defendants argue that this Court is does not have the authority to order an increase in wages. This Court agrees. In that case, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stated that “if the shortage is of nurses willing to work at the reimbursement rates set by HFS, we could not order the agency to eliminate the shortage by raising those rates.” O.B., 838 F.3d at 842. Plaintiffs and intervenors seemed to recognize this limitation, albeit reluctantly, asserting instead that the relief they are seeking is a plan from defendants to bring the State into compliance with the Consent Decree.
At the hearing, the Court also heard from the Court Monitor, who reports that defendants are not in substantial compliance with the Consent Decree. The Monitor reports that budget impasse of the preceding two years has resulted in a tangible reduction of services to plaintiffs and intervenors due to the rising costs and frozen funding. Moreover, the State has not presented any plan for compliance beyond a $0.75 hourly wage increase for DSPs for FY2018 (from the allocation of $53.4 million in the new budget). […]
Accordingly, this Court finds that defendants are not in compliance with the Consent Decree by failing to provide the resources of sufficient quality, scope, and variety based on the ample evidence presented to the Court that individuals protected by the decree have experienced a reduction of services and have suffered substantially as a result. The dire financial situation of the State of Illinois and the attendant competing demands for resources are not lost on the Court. The Court directs that State to devise a plan to address the issues causing the reduction in services and to bring the State into substantial compliance.
So, no specific actions ordered, but a demand issued that the General Assembly and the governor come up with a plan. Not gonna be cheap. I’ll open comments when I reopen the blog on Sunday.
…Adding… Press release…
Disability consultant Ed McManus applauded the ruling. McManus operates a Wilmette-based consulting firm representing 30 provider agencies around the state.
“The State agreed six years ago to provide good services to our vulnerable people with developmental disabilities, but it has failed to do so,” McManus said. “The plaintiffs’ lawyers were able to show the court how serious the situation is—there is a severe staff shortage because providers can’t afford to pay workers decent wages. Hopefully the State will start to meet their obligations.”
It looks like Illinois is finally getting back its most important job-creating incentives tool.
More than three months after Edge program—Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credits—expired, caught up in the partisan warfare over the state budget, lawmakers on Aug. 13 are set to take final action to restore the program. And I’m told that everybody involved, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, is on board.
Scheduled for a vote in the Senate is a measure sponsored by Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Chicago, that would somewhat reduce the value of the payroll tax credit and focus the program more on helping bring new jobs to impoverished area, but still put the development tool back in the state’s toolbox. […]
Sources tell me Rauner, who’d wanted changes in the old policy, is now happy enough that he’ll sign the bill.
In fact, Bush said the GOP governor got everything he wanted except a clause allowing recipients to sell or transfer Edge credits to someone else. “We certainly can work that out at a later time,” she said.
I’m not a huge fan of the program. It essentially allows companies to pocket their workers’ state payroll tax. But when you’re as sorry as this state is at economic development, you gotta do what you gotta do. And it has worked in the past.
Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, one of several Democrats vying for his party’s nomination to run for Illinois governor against incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner, doesn’t think the drug war was a failure.
“The war on drugs was a success,” he said in a speech on criminal justice reform given last month. “Because the war on drugs was never actually on drugs. It was against black people.”
Pawar used that address to explain the true history of the modern drug war, which President Nixon utilized to crack down on the anti-war left and African-Americans.
As part of his campaign, he’s vowing to end Illinois’s participation in that drug war through a battery of policies: making minor possession of controlled substances no longer a felony, legalizing and taxing marijuana, expanding addiction treatment, establishing a truth and reconciliation commission to air police-community grievances, and, most radically, using his commutation powers as governor to simply commute the sentences of nonviolent low-level drug offenders.
* The Question: Do you support the concept of a governor commuting sentences for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Here's @GovRauner, who previously advocated for a soda tax, decrying the tax's impact on food stamps, which he's currently plotting to cut https://t.co/A8Rn6e6lI6
Advocates for human services are worried that Gov. Bruce Rauner is planning to eliminate food stamps for as many as a quarter-million low-income Illinois residents.
And according to some advocates, Illinois Department of Human Services workers report that the state has begun using new administrative measures to throw eligible food stamp recipients off the rolls.
At issue is a large category of recipients in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, called “able-bodied adults without dependents.” Various estimates put their number as high as 240,000.
Under Clinton-era welfare reform, they were limited to three months of SNAP benefits every three years. But states with limited job availability could apply for waivers to that restriction, and Illinois has had a waiver since the beginning.
Rauner favored dropping the waiver in previous years, but was talked out of it by moderate voices in his administration, advocates say. But those moderates have been replaced by staunch reactionaries from the Illinois Policy Institute, who have echoed conservative talking points against people who they believe should be gainfully employed.
All you gotta do is click here to see how obsessed the Illinois Policy Institute has been on the SNAP issue over the years. And if you click here, you’ll see the group advocating for exactly the change that Rauner is now implementing.
* Chicago Magazine interviewed the Illinois Policy Institute’s John Tillman…
How did it happen that you lost so many of your people to the state government?
I don’t prefer the term “lost.” I think the state of Illinois is lucky to have these incredibly talented people. These are very difficult jobs, and I think this whole uproar about the staff shakeup is way over the top. Gubernatorial administrations have had turnover from the beginning of time. Perfectly normal. The people who are in there now will one day be out. The governor is advancing his vision and his mission and the staff’s job is to advance the governor’s agenda, not the other way around.
I’ve been covering this state government since 1990 (oy) and I have never once seen such an abrupt staff change that didn’t have anything to do with the end of a term. This is just not normal. The only comparable event was after Rod Blagojevich was arrested.
And as far as the staff advancing the governor’s mission goes, it sure looks like the governor is changing directions with his new staff in place. Like for instance, on school funding reform (click here), refinancing the debt owed to vendors and providers (click here) and food stamp eligibility (click here).
The people who left IPI to go to the Rauner administration generally have no government experience. Is that a problem?
The idea that you have to literally work in government as a government employee to have government experience is false. Every one of these people have been involved in the legislative process as advocates, have been involved in negotiating and talking to legislators and promoting legislation. More importantly, those who are experienced in government have driven the state into the ground. And I think it’s time for a change.
* This is a good time to clear the air on some things. I have a ton of respect for what Tillman has been able to accomplish. He took a small wonky group and turned it into one of the most feared organizations in this state. The fact that his group has been able to connect with so many people should be a model for everyone else (although, I’m not at all a fan of their methods, including the way they seem to enjoy ginning up anger and hate).
And while I take strong issue with their insistence that their fantasy state budgets are realistic, or that “right to work” is a good thing, or that the crushing impasse was really no big deal, I do happen to agree with them on several other points, like criminal justice reform or ridiculous over-regulation of food trucks, etc.
That’s really the genius of the group. The Policy Institute completely stays away from traditional social issues and focuses solely on fiscal and economic issues. That confuses the heck out of liberals who don’t pay close attention to this stuff. The Institute isn’t officially pro-gun, or pro-life or anti-gay, so they don’t look like extremists to most eyes. And they hate taxes. Everybody hates taxes, including lots of Cook County liberals screaming about the new pop tax right now. And liberals are overjoyed with conservative support for criminal justice reform.
But now that they’ve linked up so tightly with a hugely unpopular governor, things might change for them, and not for the better. The governor’s new Policy Institute staff is hampering, even hurting him, but the governor’s not so great reputation is also now splashing on the Institute. If he fails, they’re really gonna be hurt by that.
* Interesting how they’re trying to de-emphasize the Cook endorsement…
Today, JB Pritzker was endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party and 23 Democratic county chairs from across the state. The chairs represent every region of the state, showing support from the Northern, Western, Central, Metro East, and Southern regions of Illinois.
The county chairs supporting JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton’s statewide campaign include the chairs of Adams, Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Christian, Greene, Hamilton, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Kane, Macon, Massac, McLean, Menard, Richland, Saline, Sangamon, Shelby, St. Clair, Tazewell, Union, and Williamson counties.
“Today, I’m proud to receive the endorsement of Democrats from Cook County and county chairs from across the state,” said JB Pritzker. “As governor, I will stand with Illinois working families as we fight for our shared Democratic values. It is time for Democrats to unite against Bruce Rauner. After holding the state budget hostage for over two years, this failed governor has proven that the damage is done and that he is unfit to lead our state. Juliana and I are proud to be running a statewide, grassroots campaign that will defeat Rauner in 2018 and support candidates up and down the ticket. We look forward to meeting Illinoisans in every county and getting our state back on track.”
“After more than two years of destruction to Illinois caused by Bruce Rauner’s ideological war on the middle class, Democrats must nominate a candidate in 2018 who will put the interests of working families first,” said Calhoun County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Herkert. “JB is best suited to not only defeat Bruce Rauner, but to reverse the severe damage he has caused our state.”
“The 2018 elections will be crucial for Illinois’ middle class families,” said Adams County Democratic Party Chairman Keith Neiwohner. “It is vital that voters elect to the office of governor a person possessing the qualities of independence, integrity, and honesty to oversee the state government. With so much at stake, the Democratic Party must have candidates with strong records of fighting for the middle class. JB’s candidacy will be an asset to all families in Illinois.”
“Governor Rauner’s anti-working class agenda has devastated communities across Illinois, and has been particularly harmful to the men and women of Sangamon County,” said Sangamon County Democratic Party Chairman Doris Turner. “I believe that because of JB’s experience and vision he is the best person to serve as the next governor of Illinois, and I believe that JB’s supporters and his organization make him the candidate who can beat Bruce Rauner in the upcoming general election. I look forward to working with JB to fight for working-class, Democratic values, and I am fully committed to helping elect JB Pritzker to be Illinois’ next governor.”
MORE Insider Support for Pritzker
Pritzker Gets Endorsement of Most Crooked Organization in IL Politics
No group in Illinois politics reeks of crooked insider dealing more than the Cook County Democratic Party.
Just last month, the Chicago Tribune exposed how Mike Madigan-ally Joe Berrios, the Cook County Assessor and Chair of the Cook County Democratic Party, runs what is essentially a property tax racket – giving the wealthy huge tax breaks at the expense of low-income Cook county residents.
The billionaire has gotten nearly a quarter million dollars back in property tax breaks and refunds from Joe Berrios, taking money from Chicago Public Schools and other city services by claiming that a $3.7 million Chicago mansion is “uninhabitable”.
It’s no surprise that Joe Berrios would endorse J.B. Pritzker – they’re two crooked Chicago insiders cut from the same cloth.
After all, billionaire J.B. Pritzker has proven he’s willing to play along with Berrios’ property tax schemes and profit from Cook County’s unjust property tax system.
Whew.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Sen. Daniel Biss…
“Today’s endorsement, while not surprising, was a vote for more of the same. More backroom deals and more closed door coronations to replace one billionaire with another. For far too long, families like mine have felt the pain of a system rigged against us, and we’re ready to choose something new. Today’s vote doesn’t change that.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
“Today I asked the Cook County Democratic Party for an open primary to bring our state and our Party into the 21st century and let the voters decide the outcome of this election. It turns out the Cook County Democratic Party is more interested in preserving the status quo. So, in the backroom of a restaurant, they anointed their choice for governor.
Democracy only works when everyone can participate in the process. I will never stop fighting until our state government is working for the people. I will run a campaign that will take this decision about Illinois’ future from the backroom to voting booths across our state, and Democratic primary voters in Illinois will send a message that they want radical change.”
It is still very early in the race for Governor of Illinois and it is one that will require endurance. It is only August 11th. I will continue to work hard everyday and remind the people of this great state that they have a choice. There is a downstate candidate that knows what hard work is and is not afraid of challenges. Cook counties endorsement was not a surprise and we will move forward as planned.
* Related…
* Sun-Times: J.B. Pritzker gets Cook County Democrats’ endorsement for governor
As school districts across the state issue uncertain budgets in the shadow of Governor Rauner’s veto of historic education funding reform, today CPS published a budget that will maintain critical investments that are helping students reach new academic heights.
“Every district in Illinois is facing unnecessary – and unconscionable – uncertainty about how much funding they will receive from the State, thanks to Governor Rauner’s veto of a historical education funding reform bill,” said CPS CEO Forrest Claypool. “Despite this uncertainty, CPS schools will open on time and stay open – a statement that, unfortunately, many other districts cannot make. Let no one forget the single most important part of this debate: ensuring that all students have the resources to get the education they deserve. That is at the heart of this debate. And it is at the heart of all our work.”
Today, CPS is releasing a $5.7 billion budget framework that outlines how the district will move forward to ensure that Chicago’s children can continue their blazing academic progress. When the dust has cleared in Springfield, like many other districts, CPS will release a budget that incorporates any changes or revisions required, if necessary at that time.
This budget assumes that the State will enact education funding reform along the lines of Senate Bill 1, which is the only evidence-based funding model that has won approval from the General Assembly. Under this model, 268 districts would receive more money per pupil than Chicago. CPS would receive $300 million in additional funding in FY18, despite the fact that independent fact checkers say that if Chicago students were treated equally, CPS should receive $500 million.
This budget also assumes that CPS will receive an additional $269 million in local resources to address its remaining budget gap, and is working with the City of Chicago to identify potential sources.
Indeed, 855 districts’ budgets are in limbo and many districts are in jeopardy because Governor Rauner refuses to acknowledge that his politically motivated claims about a CPS bailout are categorically false, as proven time and again by independent fact checkers.
This budget will build on management reforms and efficiencies that have saved hundreds of millions of dollars and allowed more resources to be directed to classrooms, where they matter most. Over the past two years, this administration has made significant strides in managerial and administrative efficiencies, creating structural budget savings of $145 million, including closing roughly a quarter of the positions in Central Office.
In addition, in FY18, CPS will continue its previously announced capital projects, as well as investing $139 million more to make critical facility repairs.
The proposed FY18 budget will be made available for public comment the week of Aug. 21, when the district will hold four meetings to discuss the budget and proposed capital plans. Capital hearings will be held Aug. 21 at three locations from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration begins at 5 p.m., and locations will be announced shortly. Budget Hearings will be held Aug. 23 at CPS, 42 W. Madison. Hearings will be held at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m.
The final budget is expected to be presented to the Board for a vote at its August meeting, which is scheduled for August 28.
For additional information on the FY18 budget, an extensive budget book is attached to this release. The same information will be available at www.cps.edu/budget later today.
There was no “extensive budget book” attached, however.
A change slipped into this year’s budget, coupled with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed changes to a school funding bill, could add another major financial challenge for area school districts.
As part of the spending plan in July, lawmakers approved shifting the state’s portion of pension costs for all future teachers to local school districts. And as part of his amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, Rauner removed language that would take those added costs into account when determining districts’ financial positions — data that’s used to determine how much they receive in state aid. […]
“We’re talking about millions of dollars — additional millions of dollars — in pension costs,” Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said at a news conference Wednesday to urge local lawmakers to reject Rauner’s proposed changes. “That would be very difficult.” […]
Canton District 66 Superintendent Rolf Sivertsen said he didn’t have an immediate calculation of the cost to his district, but estimated that the effect would run into the millions of dollars. […]
“If there is no levy with it, it’ll be financial ruin, and the governor will own that,” Sivertsen said. […]
If the governor’s amendatory veto is approved, efforts to move toward more adequate and equitable school funding will be “obsolete the very day that Tier 3 is created,” Michael Jacoby, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, wrote in an emailed response.
* This morning, I received a tip that I should file another Freedom of Information Act request with the Illinois State Board of Education for e-mails between ISBE and the Illinois Department of Revenue because there might be another one. The previous response is here.
Here’s what ISBE sent me this morning. It’s an e-mail from Education Superintendent Tony Smith to Department of Revenue Director Connie Beard sent on Tuesday night, after I submitted the FOIA. Gov. Rauner’s education czar Beth Purvis is copied as is Smith’s assistant…
From: Tony Smith
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 6:24 PM
To: Connie Beard
Cc: Dr. Beth Purvis; Kimberly Clark
Subject: Governor Rauner’s AV to SB1
Hello Director Beard,
I’m writing to you directly to request your help. The State Board of Education is in the process of finalizing a model of Governor Rauner’s Amendatory Veto to SB 1. We completed and sent a version on Monday afternoon and then we received an email this morning informing us the data we received from the Department of Revenue was not accurate. We have to create a new file. We are unable to complete the file requested by the Governor until we receive confirmation from the Department of Revenue that the changes to CPS TIF data reported today to ISBE staff do not affect the data for any other district.
As you know policy makers urgently need this information to make informed decisions on school funding. Please let me know if there is anything you need from ISBE to facilitate getting the data as soon as possible.
Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Sincerely,
Tony
Since my FOIA included e-mails up to and including today, and the response was sent to me at about 10:30 this morning, has ISBE ever heard back from Revenue? I checked with ISBE’s spokesperson and was told “I don’t have the answer for that.” I checked in with IDOR and haven’t yet heard back. I’ll update if they respond.
But, you know, no pressure or anything. The Senate isn’t scheduled to vote on the governor’s AV until Sunday. Tons of time, right?
I’ve also filed another FOIA for ISBE correspondence with the governor’s office.
Burr Ridge doctor Robert Marshall just announced he's running for gov, 9th candidate. Wants to legalize marijuana and gambling in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/QMiolNBolL
* Marshall was a Burr Ridge trustee from 1989-1993, ran for Congress as a Republican in 1998 and lost to Bill Lipinski in the general, then ran for US Senate as a Democrat in 2010 and got 6 percent of the vote and ran for Congress as a Democrat last year in Peter Roskam’s district but got stomped by Amanda Howland in the primary.
What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?
Dividing the State of Illinois into extra states, specifically 4 separate independent states. We should do this to increase our political power at the Federal level and in the Electoral College.
Ending the so called “War on Drugs”. Marijuana should be legalized on a nationwide basis. State and local municipalities can choose to opt out of this program if they so choose. Treatment programs should be expanded for drug addicts.
Decrease Medicare age to 62 and also start a dental program for seniors comparable to the Medicare program.
Increase the minimum wage to $15.00, require two weeks of paid leave.
EDITORIAL: Thank you, Wisconsin, for the beautiful gift
Friends in the Wisconsin Legislature, we beg you: Sign that bad deal with Foxconn.
It’s the neighborly thing to do.
Best we can tell, it’s a crap shoot as to whether luring the giant electronics company to Wisconsin would work out well for you, given the billions of dollars in tax breaks your governor has promised, but it would be terrific for Illinois. It would cost our state nothing, yet up to half of the new jobs could go to our residents, while O’Hare Airport would get the new international travel business.
The best thing that ever happened to Illinois might be losing Foxconn to you, Wisconsin. Much appreciated.
Truth be told, this whole sad spectacle of Midwestern states fighting each other for economic development, each trying to outdo the other in prostrating itself before some international conglomerate, is foolish, and the Foxconn deal is proof. If Illinois and Wisconsin had joined forces from the beginning to bring this manufacturing plant to the region — maybe even pulling in Indiana as a partner — the final deal with the Taiwan company might have been less of a give-away, and the risks would have been shared.
To be a player in the global economy, size matters. Working together, the Midwest is better positioned to leverage its strengths, including a highly trained work force, superb universities and a central location. But because Illinois, Wisconsin and the rest of the old Rust Belt states fail to do so, big companies like Foxconn play them off each other. The result is the kind of questionable deal Gov. Scott Walker has cut for Wisconsin.
The Sun-Times is right on all points. And our governor should’ve led the charge for a regional deal. It’s high time that Great Lakes states stop fighting each other and start working together.
Concern about the political effects of a deeply unpopular county pop tax — on top of recent state and city tax increases — on Thursday hung over the first day of Cook County Democrats’ endorsement session for next year’s primary election.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle took the podium to make the first pitch of the day, asking the party she vice-chairs for an endorsement for re-election next year. The beverage tax that she broke a tie vote to approve in November has been collected for just more than a week, but state Rep. Luis Arroyo asked her whether she would repeal it.
“My answer is no,” Preckwinkle responded. “We had a choice last fall, either raise revenue, or make 1,100 cuts in personnel and lay off 1,100 people, and I thought then, I think now, that would severely impact the quality of services.” […]
Preckwinkle afterward avoided addressing potential political fallout of the tax and instead defended its passage. Other Democrats expressed worries, though, that the controversial drink tax could combine with a state income tax hike and increases in city property taxes to sow the seeds for a potential voter tax revolt against Democrats in November 2018.
Northwest Side Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 38th, said he expects some backlash against the pop tax “down the road in the election next year.” People complaining to him about the tax “are blaming Preckwinkle and the Democrats,” he said, adding that the income tax increase would compound the problem.
Rauner told WVON that it’s “another terrible instance. These politicians just keep taxing. They’re putting taxes on the people of Illinois. This terrible sugar tax is outrageous. Toni Preckwinkle should have never done it” and that “the whole system is broken. This is just more of the problems of these politicians thinking taxes are the answer. Taxing and spending is a disaster and the sugar tax has to be fixed.”
The Republican governor had previously flirted with a state soda tax as part of a potential budget compromise, and backed a GOP proposal that relied on a state income tax increase similar to the one that became law in July over his objections.
He did more than just flirt with the idea. He pushed the Senate hard behind the scenes for months to approve a sugary drink tax.
On Thursday, state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, filed a resolution asking the General Assembly to urge the Cook County Board to immediately repeal the tax because of its negative impact on the “already over-taxed residents” of Cook County. […]
Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, is the resolution’s chief co-sponsor, making it a bipartisan effort.
* Related…
* Feds, McDonald’s, 7-Eleven Aim to Pop Illinois Soda Tax: Meanwhile, a growing number of class actions are being filed against retailers. At least two lawsuits contend that large retailers collect the tax on products exempted from taxation.
* Crain’s Chicago Business: Here’s our 2 cents on Preckwinkle’s penny-an-ounce pop tax: If Preckwinkle were reinforcing the barricades for a good cause—namely, paying down debt after reining in costs—we might cheer her on, as we have after she trimmed the notoriously bloated county government, rolled out needed criminal justice reforms and realized efficiencies in hospital operations. But over the years, the no-nonsense reformer has morphed into someone reminiscent of the Strogers, whose multigenerational reign over Cook County helped create the bloat, malaise and waste that she so effectively campaigned against in 2010.
* Feds, state lawmaker attack Cook County soda tax, its implementation: On Thursday, state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, filed a resolution asking the General Assembly to urge the Cook County Board to immediately repeal the tax because of its negative impact on the “already over-taxed residents” of Cook County.
When it comes to hiring women to top posts within Pritzker’s businesses, however, the billionaire is, well, lacking.
A look at some of the upper-echelon positions in Pritzker-run firms shows a complete absence of women.
Pritzker Group Private Capital’s web site lists nine individuals with the titles “managing partner”, “investment partner” or “venture partner.” All are male. The investment team lists 22 people in total. Just one, a paralegal, is female. And of 15 senior advisers listed, just one is a woman.
Pritzker Group Venture Capital’s web site lists eight individuals with the titles “founder,” “managing partner”, “partner” or “venture partner.” Again, all are male. There is one woman listed as vice president and another as senior associate.
Asked about the dearth of women in top jobs at Pritzker firms, a spokeswoman referenced an industry-wide problem.
A study of women in venture capital reported in Techcrunch indicates that women make up just 7 percent of partners in the top 100 firms. That’s a low percentage, but Pritzker’s record of having no female partners still manages to fall below it.
When it comes to backing women founders, Chicago venture funds Pritzker Group and Lightbank lead the country.
That’s the word from Jeremy Stanley, the top data scientist at Instacart, who analyzed 700 venture fundings between 2009 and 2013 as reported to the Crunchbase database. Stanley went looking for the firms most supportive of female founders in the wake of a recent scandal in which a San Francisco venture capitalist was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward women founders.
Pritzker Group Venture Capital finished first. The firm, started by J.B. Pritzker and his brother, Tony, has backed companies such as Chicago-based Eved, GiveForward, Built In and Sittercity, as well as Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. in Santa Monica, Calif. […]
Says Matt McCall, a partner at Pritzker Group: You can’t have 43 percent of business school classes be made up of women and have them account for only 10 percent of companies funded. “I’ve been saying for a while that this is the era of the female entrepreneur.”
* On to the next smallish oppo dump…
MMPI under Kennedy had predominantly male leadership, of the 12 people at SVP level or higher in 2010, nine were male.
You know, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t know who the nominee’s gonna be on the Republican side. Look, I’m a Democrat and, I think, you know, I tend to lean toward voting for the President [Barack Obama]. But I think this is gonna be a long campaign, we’re gonna learn a lot during this campaign. And ultimately, I think, you know, as in every election, it’s gonna be a choice between two people and two parties that you’re not a hundred percent behind either one. You just have to pick sort of the best of a mediocre, you know, set of choices. [Emphasis added.]
* WGN TV asked him about that yesterday. His response…
Well, actually I supported President Obama in ‘08 and ‘012, um, and, you know, it was just a theoretical remark. President Obama chose me to help lead the White House summit on early childhood for him in 2014, uh, at which he and I attended… [Emphasis added.]
The full interview, which is otherwise pretty positive, is here.
* The Tribune’s Kristen McQueary has defended Gov. Rauner time and time again over the past two and a half years. She even said not long ago that she sometimes “felt as an editorial writer that I was telling stories that his people should’ve been telling.”
When Illinois legislators return to Springfield to address school funding reform, they should override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the bill or pass a new version with a veto-proof majority.
In summary: Rauner botched this one.
The governor has not made, and cannot seem to make, a compelling case for the breadth and scope of his changes to a bill that represented a decade of research on a broken school funding formula. Instead he has delivered only mixed messages and tumult.
Rather than use a scalpel on the bill as he and his education secretary, Beth Purvis, signaled he would do, Rauner used a cleaver. […]
Continually, Rauner’s focus seems to be at the wrong end: protecting wealthy school districts from losing what they have instead of advocating for low-income school districts and what they need.
A group of parents from across Illinois are taking the fight for fair education funding to court and suing to ensure state education dollars are distributed under a reformed funding formula as required by state law.
“Last month, I came to Springfield to call for fair education funding, and while legislators did their job, our schools are still being held hostage to political games,” said Mary Beth Linse, a speech pathologist and parent from Ingleside who is among the plaintiffs in the case. “Every student, every school and every community needs fair funding. We want to make sure the state keeps its promise and enacts reforms that will give all students the opportunity for a great education.”
Linse is joined as a plaintiff in the case by Amy McNeil, parent of two special-needs students from Carterville, and Lisa Kulisek, a parent of two Chicago Public School students. The parents are asking a court to take steps that will ensure no funds are distributed under the current, broken funding formula, giving lawmakers more time to implement funding reform as required under the state budget. While legislators have passed reforms to the state’s funding formula that provide fair funding for every school in the state without picking winners and losers, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto has blocked implementation of reforms.
“The reforms our children need made it all the way to the governor’s desk, and it would be a disservice to them if the broken funding formula were allowed to remain in place despite the clear intent of the General Assembly,” McNeil said. “The law of our state says it’s time to fix the broken funding formula, so we are asking the courts to uphold that law.”
“We would like to force the governor and the General Assembly to do their job and work together to approve an evidence based model that provides adequate funding for Illinois’ schools,” Kulisek said. “Our children, and particularly poor children, deserve a quality education and should not be pawns in a political game.”
(1) Compel the comptroller to pay the remaining FY17 money owed school districts for mandated categorical grants. The comptroller paid out $429 million today, but over $500 million still hasn’t been distributed. And in the event the Illinois State Board of Education submits vouchers for FY18, the plaintiffs want the judge to require the comptroller to pay the remaining FY17 dollars before paying anything for FY18.
(2) Prohibit the Illinois State Board of Education from attempting to distribute school funding using a model other than an evidence-based model established by state statute. There are apparently some rumors going around that the governor and ISBE are contemplating either creating their own method to distribute funds or attempting to distribute funds using the old formula (we talked about a possible lawsuit on this very topic earlier this week.)
