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Rauner ends crisis he created by cutting a deal with people he appointed

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Illinois

* From a late Friday afternoon Rauner administration press release…

A compromise negotiated this week has paved the way for more Illinois schools to participate in the Invest in Kids scholarship tax-credit program, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner announced today. The move leaves the General Assembly clear to act swiftly to fully implement the requested cleanups to the state’s historic funding law. […]

The compromise announced today allows ISBE to notify IDOR in real time as new schools become recognized, eliminating the lag time that prevented schools from participating in this program.

Earlier this month, the governor used his amendatory veto power to address an issue that prevented a number of schools from participating in invest in kids; they had not achieved “recognition” status by the Illinois State Board of Education in time.

* The Tribune’s Kim Geiger explains…

But it’s an election year, and Rauner is running as Illinois’ education governor, with the funding formula bill as his signature achievement. His State of the State speech is Wednesday.

So the governor “negotiated” a “compromise” with his own education agency.

As it turns out, changing the funding formula bill wasn’t necessary to achieve the governor’s objective of making more schools eligible for the new tax credit program. All that was needed was for the State Board of Education, whose members are appointed by the governor, to start accepting applications for the tax credit program on a rolling basis throughout the school year. ISBE agreed to do that, and thus the “compromise” was struck.

To the degree that members of the General Assembly have any role to play in the deal, Rauner now wants them to re-pass the legislation he vetoed. Or, as the governor put it in his announcement, “the move leaves the General Assembly clear to act swiftly to fully implement” the bill it already passed once. (It could do that by overriding his veto.)

* Speaking of the governor’s State of the State…

Kent Redfield, retired professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said he expects Rauner will talk about education funding, early childhood education and criminal justice reform as accomplishments during the speech.

“Everything gets dicey beyond that,” he said. “He’s certainly not going to take a victory lap in terms we normally think of that.”

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:17 am

Comments

Good thing those legislative “Superstars” like Ms. Bourne and Mr. Barickman were there to help us really grasp what’s going on.

So pathetic.

Come April when they are campaigning with Rauner, all will be forgotten, because they both know, think for one’s self isn’t their thing, but being silent when the Governor blows up they’d thing, that requires real hiding.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:24 am
Put this post’s headline on ice for end-of-year awards.

It’s going to be hard to top for hilarity.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:25 am
Rauner ends crisis he created by cutting a deal with people he appointed …

… and then asks legislators to re-pass legislation he vetoed.

This alone ranks pretty high on the ineptitude scale. It’s Trumpian, actually, in its pointlessness.

Comment by Macbeth Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:28 am
Rauner is coming across as someone who uses a Magic 8 Ball to decide whether he should veto or not veto. And then, when the veto suddenly doesn’t work in his favor, he wants the ILGA to bail him out so he can take credit for being the “Education Governor”. The SOS is going to be a fact-checking goldmine.

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:29 am
Rauner just undercut the Senate Republicans who spent most of last week developing a message against the trailer bill and arguing schools were better off without the changes only to have the governor now call for it to be passed quickly, again.

It’s getting crowded under that bus.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:43 am
Remember that Rauner is not in charge.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:47 am
Rauner presumably could’ve cut the deal with the SBE before he vetoed the bill he now wants re-passed. So his veto wasn’t necessary to achieve his objective.

Comment by anon2 Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 9:52 am
This sounds a lot like the solution I suggested on Capitolfax when this “crisis” first arose.

How does one go about getting paid for one’s consulting services?

Comment by Thomas Paine Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:12 am
Under any other governor, finding an administrative fix to this problem would simply be considered good administration. Not a negotiated settlement. Veto = clueless. Press release = cluelesser.

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:20 am
=early childhood education=

You can go to the bank on this…Ounce of Prevention will reap a windfall of state funding this year. The deadline for competitive bidding for early childhood money just passed.

The rest of his talking points are laughable, and of course making so that unrecognized schools can get money is wrong as well.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:22 am
Rich,
That just may be the most incisive headline of the Rauner era. Says it all right there.

Comment by Ben Gazzara Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:30 am
A supernova occurs during the end of a superstar’s life, whose dramatic and catastrophic destruction is marked by one final titanic explosion.

Let’s hope we make it until January 21, 2019 before the biggest of the superstars has his supernova.

Comment by Henry Francis Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:37 am
== So the governor “negotiated” a “compromise” with his own education agency. ==

You know what? The average voter doesn’t care about all this insider move stuff.

If Rauner runs enough ads touting getting more school funding over the General Assembly’s objection, all Rauner’s supporters will hear is Rauner successfully shaking up Springfield. And he will take a victory lap for it …

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 10:52 am
Rauner adminstration = F Troop

Wait, that’s an insult to F Troop.

Comment by Sir Reel Monday, Jan 29, 18 @ 12:03 pm