The Illinois Education Association (IEA) is proud of its work that helped kill Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to shift the cost of pensions from the state to local school and community college districts and universities.
Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced a resolution last year that stated the pension cost shift is “financially wrong” and would harm local school districts and taxpayers.
McSweeney approached the IEA for help in talking to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build support for his measure because of IEA’s history of bipartisanship. Together, they were able to get 66 House members to sign on to the resolution in a show of force that effectively kills the Rauner pension cost shift.
“The pension cost shift would result in a massive increase in property taxes and would jeopardize education funding. I’m proud of the bipartisan coalition of 65 House members, and working with the IEA, to oppose this cost shift and do what’s right for the taxpayers and students of this state,” said McSweeney.
The resolution reads: “States the opinion of the Illinois House of Representatives that the proposed educational pension cost shift from the State of Illinois to local school districts, community colleges, and institutions of higher education is financially wrong.”
“If the state quits paying its portion of pension benefits and pushes it off to the local school districts, it strangles local school funding and harms students,” said IEA President Kathi Griffin. “We need to be looking for ways to provide more funding for our students, not taking money away from them to pay for state obligations.”
For decades, the IEA has been fighting for changes to the way Illinois schools are funded to create a more equitable formula that ensures a quality education for all students regardless of where they live. This summer the legislature passed a new school funding formula.
“It’s interesting that now you have the governor talking about shifting pension costs to local school districts and community colleges. While at the same time, Rauner continually tries to take credit for passing the historic school funding reform bill, even though he originally vetoed the bill,” Griffin said. “You can’t give with one hand and take away with the other. Rauner is not a friend of education. Our kids deserve more than this.”
That is one odd coupling right there, kids. Politics, bedfellows, etc.
…Adding… I had this one saved up to post and then forgot to do it. Busy day…
NEIU tells #SenateApprop that @GovRauner’s proposal to shift pension costs to univ could “shut off the lights and close the doors”.
* The Democratic-controlled House and Senate pass a bunch of gun bills and right on cure, here’s the DGA…
Today, the Democratic Governors Association launched a new digital ad campaign holding Governor Bruce Rauner accountable for his failure to lead on gun safety. As Governor, Rauner has failed to take on the NRA or fight for bold reforms that will keep families safe. The DGA’s ad campaign will call on Rauner to show leadership on the issue of gun safety.
“Illinoisans are fed up with Bruce Rauner’s failure to show leadership on gun safety,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The nation reels from one shooting after another, and in three years Rauner’s refused to take on the NRA and take charge in Illinois. Illinois families need the Governor to stop making excuses and start leading on gun safety.
The DGA confirms this buy will be in the “high six figures.”
Illinois has had enough. Enough with assault weapons. Enough with guns in the hands of the mentally ill.
And enough with Gov. Rauner letting the NRA call the shots and saying [Rauner appears on camera] ‘I am not in charge.”‘
Tell Rauner, enough excuses. Lead on gun safety.
*** UPDATE *** RGA’s response…
“The DGA knows full well that Governor Rauner is working hard to ensure that guns stay out of the wrong hands. This is the DGA desperately spending J.B. Pritzker’s cash to distract from shocking revelations that their favored candidate is a corrupt political insider with longtime ties to Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich.” – Republican Governors Association Spokesman Steven Yaffe
* I haven’t seen this covered any where else and I’m on deadline for Crain’s so I don’t have much time for a post, but here’s yesterday’s veto message…
February 28, 2018
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 768 from the 100th General Assembly, which would eliminate a route for charter school applicants and operators to appeal denial or closure decisions made by their local school boards.
This legislation would deny charter school applicants and operators the right to appeal local school board decisions through the Charter School Commission, instead sending every appeal to the judicial system. Furthermore, it would strip the Charter School Commission of responsibilities that are rightfully under its jurisdiction as a check on local school board decisions. The Commission has only approved 6 out of 48 appeals since its inception in 2011, and has a track record of careful consideration of what is best for students within local contexts, as it is statutorily bound to do. Further, the decisions of the Commission are already judicially reviewable. Current law provides applicants a second venue before turning to the courts.
The Charter School Commission is more well-equipped to facilitate the appeals process than local courts, and should continue to be empowered with the charge of ensuring that all Illinois children have access to a high-quality education.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 768, entitled “AN ACT concerning education”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Removes provisions allowing the State Charter School Commission to reverse a school board’s decision to deny, revoke, or not renew a charter; makes related changes. Provides that if a charter school applicant submits a proposal to a school board outside of the process adopted by that school board for receiving charter school proposals on an annual basis, the applicant shall not have any right to submit its proposal to the State Charter School Commission as otherwise authorized. In a provision concerning a charter school proposed to be jointly authorized by 2 or more school districts and the school boards unanimously denying the charter school proposal with a statement that the school boards are not opposed to the charter school, but that they yield to the Commission in light of the complexities of joint administration, allows the charter applicant to submit the proposal to the Commission and requires the Commission to follow the same process and be subject to the same timelines for review as a school board. Allows the Commission to approve an application for a charter if certain conditions are met. Provide that the Commission may condition approval of an application on the acceptance of funding in an amount less than requested. Provides that final decisions of the Commission are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. Provides that if the Commission approves an application for a charter school, then the Commission shall act as the authorized chartering entity. Provides that if the Commission is the authorized chartering entity, then the Commission shall execute a charter agreement (instead of approve the charter agreement). Provides that the Commission has no authority to approve a charter school proposal that has been denied by a school board. Effective immediately.
State Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) released the following statement in response to the governor’s veto of her measure Senate Bill 768, which allows local school boards to make the final decision when issuing, denying or revoking charter school licenses:
“Governor Rauner wants to deny local officials the right to decide who educates their communities. By vetoing this bipartisan measure, Rauner keeps charter school permitting decision-making at the state level, where he can more easily influence outcomes and force communities to support charter schools that they may not need or want. School boards across the state know what is best for those that they serve and should have the final word on issuing, denying or revoking a charter school permit.”
* You really gotta hand it to this guy. He just doesn’t care about how he looks to the populace…
With less than three weeks until election day, Democratic Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios went to court in an effort to keep the spigot flowing on campaign contributions from property tax appeal lawyers whose livelihoods can depend on the decisions his office makes.
On Wednesday, Berrios’ lawyers asked Circuit Court Judge Sanjay Tailor to void county ethics rules that place limits on campaign contributions to elected officials and candidates from those who seek “official action” from the county. Berrios’ team argued the county rules violate the state constitution because only the Illinois legislature has authority to set campaign contribution limits.
The county, however, maintained that it has the power to set its own, more-restrictive limits on campaign cash to avoid quid pro quo politics.
While the optics of the situation won’t exactly win the old-school Berrios praise from good government groups, a look at where Berrios’ campaign cash is coming from shows that property appeals lawyers remain a vital source of contributions. Since October, Berrios has collected more than $276,000 from those attorneys — about four-fifths of what he’s received in individual contributions during that time.
* Meanwhile…
Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago, candidates call on Commissioners to act immediately to Reduce Homeowners Property Taxes
WHO: Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago, along with Fritz Kaegi and other Our Revolution Illinois endorsed candidates, will hold a press conference Thursday at 11am, prior to the Finance Committee meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
WHAT: Commissioners are summoning Berrios to testify before the Finance Committee on the heels of a scathing report by the Civic Consulting Alliance—commissioned by Berrios himself—showing deep inequity in the way he values residential properties in Cook County. Further, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that the 50 highest priced commercial property sales in Cook County, whose total value is $17.1 billion, were only valued at $7.8 billion—46% of their actual value.
Our Revolution Illinois will offer specifics ways the Cook County Board can act immediately to start to correct some of the inequities and provide much needed property tax relief for homeowners.
…Adding… Rauner campaign…
As Berrios Takes Advantage of Middle Class Illinoisans, Pritzker Stays Silent
On Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that Cook County Commissioner and close Madigan ally Joe Berrios is going to court to fight limits on campaign contributions from “those who seek ‘official action’ from the county.” Berrios’ actions are clearly a conflict of interest, and yet another example of how corrupt and broken the property tax system is in Cook County: he receives help getting elected from Madigan, and in return, Madigan receives favorable reductions in value for clients of his tax reassessment firm.
From the Tribune:
The practice also was highlighted in “The Tax Divide,” a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois series that concluded Berrios’ assessment practices favored the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Tax appeals, which have flourished under Berrios, only make the system less fair, the series concluded and a recent independent study commissioned by county officials confirmed.
In addition, how Berrios’ case plays out — and is perceived by the public — also could have implications well beyond the down-ballot campaign for assessor. Some of the state’s most powerful politicians, including House Speaker Michael Madigan and 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, are lawyers whose firms make money handling property tax appeals. Berrios, chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, is a key Madigan ally.
Pritzker, who has personally benefitted from property tax breaks from Berrios’ office, continues to be unwilling to stand up to entrenched political interests, to the detriment of hardworking Illinois families
