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It’s no wonder why Governor Blagojevich refused to fill the EFAB for so many months. Reports like this don’t do much for his image as the “education governor.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An education funding panel on Monday called for a 29 percent increase in the state’s basic level of spending for each Illinois student, a move that would cost $2.3 billion a year.

The Education Funding Advisory Board recommended a per-pupil spending level of $6,405, up from $4,964. The board said it followed funding mechanisms worked out by predecessors on the board to determine the amount the state should spend on each student.

Board member Art Berman, a former state senator, called the action “proper, courageous and necessary.” […]

Gov. Rod Blagojevich earlier this year proposed only a $140 million increase for education because of a tight budget. But last week he announced that he would favor increasing gambling in the state to provide $300 million more.

His plan would boost the per-pupil “foundation level” — the guaranteed minimum state spending on each student — by $240, to $5,204, still well below the board’s recommendation.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 2:51 pm

Comments

Poor senator Berman, Blago’s people used him like an old girlfriend when they wanted their education bill passed last year.

He even told the Senate that Blago would do funding reform, after he got control of ISBE.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 3:10 pm
Wouldn’t the amount per pupil change if the gov’s pension bill were to pass? How much of the per pupil cost is due to the pension costs local schools pass on to the State?

Comment by Tom Joad Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 3:18 pm
I admire the pharm. who refused to fill the prescription. If only there were funds in the S.B.A. than she could apply for a grant or loan open her own pharmacy. Have a sign at the door and fill only the prescriptons that she wants. They need to check the ones she has filled and make sure the medicine was correct and not substituted . By the way how did she know how the medicine was being used.

Comment by Snowwhite22 Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 3:47 pm
The governor can’t responsibly do school funding reform, if that is what it is, to the tune of a couple of billion a year. The state funds many services, and education needs to get in line with the rest, especially since
there is no evidence that
throwing money at education improves student performance.

What we taxpayers will be funding, whatever the sum turns out to be,
is an increase in exorbitant salaries and Shangri-la pensions for teachers and administrators, many of whom are earning far more than they could earn in a non-unionized, competitive environment.
In many Cook County school districts, a substantial percentage of the teaching faculty makes $100,00 a year regardless of how well they perform or how well their students perform. When they retire, their pensions will be 75% or $75,000 or more. All across the state millions of working citizens who haven’t a hope of a defined benefit pension are paying for lavish educator pensions while at the same time trying to save a little money for their own retirement.

It will be interesting to see if the guv can stand up to the pressure from teachers unions and associated education pressure groups.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 3:52 pm
Rod used to be pro-vouchers
Look at his state rep record

Rod has no real issues or visions
he is a spineless jellyfish

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 4:11 pm
According to the budget book (consider the source) ISBE was supposed to get about $8.2 billion before the “slots for schools” was announced last week. Not included in that number is Downstate TRS, which asked for $1.06 billion and Rod “reformed” down to just under $600 million.
Based on TRS’s actuarial reports, most of the rising cost of TRS is not these pay bumps (which is really a sneaky trick the supt’s and school boards have done to the State-the cost of this should come right of the top of

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 8:17 pm
oops, continuing the 8:17 thought: the cost of all the State pension funds is going up and up because the State hasn’t been paying enough in to begin with for years. The liability just keeps growing every year, and the reforms don’t address this at all. The pay bumps and the goofy State early out program add to, but are not the cause of, this mess.
Don’t know how all that adds up in the per-pupil equation, but take it to the bank that the cost of pay bumps is chump change compared to the cost of the IOU caused by spending the money that should have gone to the pensions on such worthy purposes as Build Illinois…Hey Rich, that wold be a great QOTD..”what has been the biggest State waste of money in the past 10-15 years? No, make it 20, have to get Thompson in there.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 8:37 pm
Even if we gacve 100% of the state budget to education, they’d need more.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 05 @ 10:36 pm
The school unions and administrators never complained that their pensions were underfunded. They were afraid that if more money went to the pensions, then they would get less to spend. Now they act like they always objected to the pension underfunding. It is revisionist history to say the least.

Comment by Tom Joad Tuesday, Apr 5, 05 @ 4:08 pm