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The divide over creating a new crisis with K-12 funding

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Bob Pritchard, a Republican state rep from Hinckley, serves on five different education committees, and was on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s school funding reform commission. You could say education is one of his key issues. But on the state’s 700th day without a budget, he called on schools to close.

“We have to create a crisis. And it is going to be a crisis,” he said. “I don’t want the schools not to open. But we’ve tried everything else. There’s been all kinds of lobbying groups down here, talking about higher education, talking about mental health, talking about elderly services and child care services, and it doesn’t move the needle.”

Pritchard helped develop the school funding plan (he was chief co-sponsor of the major school funding initiative that passed the House), but when it came time to vote, he didn’t. Republicans called the plan a Chicago bailout, and most voted no. But Pritchard says the plan just needs work, and there’s no way he’d vote against it.

* Chris Kaergard…

No funding for local school district by the end of the summer might finally be enough to bring an end to a state budget impasse entering its third year, a local lawmaker suggested Friday.

“I think that’s the pressure point,” state Sen. Dave Koehler said during a news conference at his Labor Temple office. “… I think that if it takes closing the schools down in September to get this crisis resolved, then that’s what it takes.”

I’m pretty sure Koehler said the same thing last year at around this same time.

* But…

Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, said what is likely to happen is passage of a stopgap spending bill that keeps state services running for six months or a year.

“We’re going to have to find a way to make sure schools open and universities get funding. The governor agreed to a stopgap-spending bill last year, and if we can’t get a full budget passed then our focus has to be on that,” Stadelman said.

…Adding… GOP Rep. Steve Andersson on Facebook…

We now need 71 votes for a budget so it’s harder, but I not giving up. I’m not going to blame the Democrats, the Republicans or the Governor. I’m simply going to keep moving forward to push for a deal.

One pressure point is funding for our schools. If our schools don’t open due to funding, the people will, I hope, rise up like never before. All people from all areas of the state need to rise up and demand a budget. And if that happens, the legislative branch and the executive branch will have to bow to that pressure and we will get a deal.

As such, I will not support a stopgap measure to fund the schools. We either get a full balanced budget now or the schools should not open.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 2:52 pm

Comments

==I’m pretty sure Koehler said the same thing last year==

I was compiling notes last week and did come across your 12/20/16 post on Koehler’s ’shut it down’ comment as well as Patterson’s response for Cullerton

Comment by COPN Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:00 pm
To Stadelman’s comment on a stopgap. Last year’s stopgap left many, including K-12 critical funds out. And, how likely is a stopgap going to carry any type of tax increase that will even bounce off, let alone put a ding in the State’s financial problems. Sure, you can keep kickin’ that ole budget can down the road, but the pavement ran out a long time ago and the mudhole is just up ahead. How “dirty” is he prepared to get???

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:12 pm
“I don’t want the schools not to open. But we’ve tried everything else.”

Um. Really? Everything?

Comment by Emily Miller Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:15 pm
Emily, it’s the same kind of trying as my 5-year-old when he agrees to eat 3 bites of the whole sandwich.

Comment by Blue Bayou Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:19 pm
===“I don’t want the schools not to open. But we’ve tried everything else.”===

I translated Mr. Pritchard’s remarks as …

“… that Rauner allows us Raunerites to do!”

That is probably the most honest Mr. Pritchard could be, just forgot the whole “Rauner owns the switches” bit.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:22 pm
How about funding bills for each agency/ office. Start with Secretary of State, Jesse received more votes than anyonelse to manage his officemlet him do his job. Same argument for other executive offices the people of Illinois elected them to manage their offices.

Then pass appropriations for the court ordered services and staff, since they are “off the table anyway.

Then figure out how much revenue and expenditures we have left.

Comment by Leadership needed Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:24 pm
OW- Much like Madigan and his minions in the House that for years kicked the can down the road. No one will stand up to him to replace him as Speaker, if you look at Madigan’s legacy as Speaker with close to $200 billion in pension and healthcare debt it is Failure at its worst for the citizens of Illinois.

Comment by Arock Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:30 pm
===Much like Madigan and his minions===

I know when you say that aloud then breathe through your mouth, it feels good, lol

in the House that for years kicked the can down the road.===

… act yet, Edgar, Ryan, Speaker Daniels, President Phillip… are they Madigan Minnions? That’s fun. You willful ignorance is noted.

===No one will stand up to him to replace him as Speaker===

If you think replacing Madigan will help Rauner “now”, that is blissfully unaware about anything that’s happened these two years. Speaks volumes to your understanding about what’s going on too.

===if you look at Madigan’s legacy as Speaker===

.. and Rauner, according to Crain’s “by nearly every measure, Illinois is worse since Rauner became governor”… how do you reconcile that? lol

===with close to $200 billion in pension and healthcare debt it is Failure at its worst for the citizens of Illinois.===

You being too hard on Rauner. The billions Rauner has personally racked up in inaction and “Pat Quinn failed” as its framing, you are really hard on Rauner the Failure.

I feel for you, I really do, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:38 pm
=the people will, I hope, rise up like never before=

So, to grow a spine you need the people to “rise up”?

You know the solution, you know that you need to work together, you know there needs to be bi-partisan compromise- but to act you need a revolt? These folks are incredibly weak. It is as if he does not know he is talking about himself and is unaware he can simply act.

@Arock- but, but, but…..Madigan. Really well thought out and to the point of the thread. Easy there big fella, all of the breathless pearl-clutching is hard on the jewelry.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:41 pm
Outrageous. Unbelievably shameful anyone would consider schools failing to open an acceptable tactic.

If current damage cant move them, school shuttering wont either.

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:48 pm
“We have to create a crisis.” Rep. Bob Pritchard

If that is what you believe has to happen for you to do your job, perhaps, for the sake of your constituents, you should seek employment elsewhere.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:48 pm
Which do you prefer, a school shut down this year, a school shut down in a gubernatorial election year, or no budget until after the next election? There may hypothetically be other options, but those seem most realistic.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 3:54 pm
Andersson’s had a confounding session.

Comment by Lance Mannion Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:01 pm
Nothing moves, watch. Stadelman is right and Anderson may not vote but end of day Rauner will push to get K-12 open. If he wanted that to cause chaos, doing it in an off year election cycle would have been the better move. No schools open is a far worse crime on regular folks than Pritzker and Blago.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:02 pm
I’m weirdly ok with that being used as leverage to get a solution. Without one, we’re gonna be what, $25BB in the whole in January ‘19? It’s unsustainable. It obviously isn’t ideal, but if governor gaslight and the tops can’t and won’t agree, then forcing the issue might be the only solution. No solution and more hostages go down.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:26 pm
There is a crisis that could occur much sooner than schools not opening in the fall. Add that is if IDOT does not get a budget by July 1st all construction projects will have to shut down. Construction projects that have been shut down and we’re no work is occurring will still cause traffic backups and be a sooner visible sign of a crisis dance schools not opening in the middle of August.

I would expect that if the current stalemate continues contractors will be instructed to start shutting down projects ahead of the July 1st deadline.

Comment by Huh? Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:35 pm
=I’m weirdly ok with that being used as leverage to get a solution.=

Could you have ever imagine yourself saying that three or four years ago? And yet here we are, what is the change since then?

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:38 pm
.. and Rauner, according to Crain’s “by nearly every measure, Illinois is worse since Rauner became governor”… how do you reconcile that? lol

That was months ago. The only change Crain’s needs to make now is to drop the word ‘nearly’.

Comment by don the legend Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:40 pm
== Then figure out how much revenue and expenditures we have left. ==

None.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:47 pm
Gov. Needs to be shut down to break the impasse. It happened in Pennsylvania in 2015.

Comment by doggonit Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:52 pm
== “We have to create a crisis.” Rep. Bob Pritchard ==

And then there was the unsaid part. More accurately: “We have to create a crisis … so the taxpayers understand there is no other choice than raising taxes. If there is no crisis, then the voters will take revenge on us and we want to keep our job.””

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 4:53 pm
Ya know how I feel today? Frustrated, just like the Governor does.

It’s the Democrats that don’t want Schools to open. All they want is a huge tax hike. That’s why all they did in the senate was pass tax hikes. It’s why Madigan and the “majority party” just spent the year - week after week - passing tax hikes. That’s all the Democrats do, pass tax hikes.

They don’t want real bidness reforms, just tax hikes. They didn’t even consider anything but tax hikes.

Now they want tax hikes so they can close schools. They want to close schools when they get a tax hike because that’s what they really want is a tax hike.

Squirrel! Look, that squirrel wants tax hikes. That’s all squirrels want…not even acorns, they want tax hikes.

Squirrels hate business. They only like tax hikes.

I’m just a guy on the outside of the whole corrupt political system - just me, my money, my dictation of how Republicans are going to behave and my squirrel…who is t really my squirrel, unless you like squirrels, but not tax hike squirrels.

Comment by Carhartt Union Negotiating Team Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:02 pm
Do people remember the list of schools with cash on hand? School will start on time in many places. For those schools with less than a year cash on hand will they issue tax anticipation warrants to stay open? The state doesn’t control schools, your school board does. Will board members use their own children as leverage? I doubt it. The crisis will grow but most schools will open and bonds will be issued to keep them open and the public will pay the burden again.

Comment by Reality Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:02 pm
===Could you have ever imagine yourself saying that three or four years ago?===

I couldn’t have imagined saying it 12 months ago, let alone three or four years ago. I guess what’s changed for me is the stark realization that the governor will truly let the state burn for generations to get what he wants. Madigan is no saint in this and shoulders plenty of blame now and in the future, but I think the governor is getting what he wants and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone so cravenly cynical and cold as he is. Squeeze the beast is real.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:06 pm
Create a crisis and close the schools?

My respect for Rep. Pritchard has declined immensely.

Comment by winners and losers Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:18 pm
The problem here is that the crisis isn’t hitting enough people immediately to move the needle politically.

The legislature and the gov. don’t care about those being hurt. I don’t see anything short of massive distress to many citizens (school closing) as enough to change the calculus for our legislators.

If something else will bring this crisis to an end before the 2018 election, I can’t fathom what it is, can you?

Comment by Taxation = Civilization Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:28 pm
Public Service Announcement:

“For those who may have been hibernating, we are already in crisis. ”

Thank you and please have a pleasant afternoon. /s

Comment by PSA Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 5:39 pm
For crying out loud, Pritchard and Andersson, find your inner mensch.

Instead of wishing for a rebellion, lead one, if you know it’s the right thing to do.

Find another eight or so GOP House members, and you can dictate terms to the Senate, the House Dems and Rauner and end this deliberate travesty.

Read your Constitution: you’re in the legislative branch. You don’t work for Boss Rauner and you dont have to cower in fear of the Frat Boys. Unless you choose to. Because you want to remain a Mushroom, above all else.

Respect yourself, and get on with it, already.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:00 pm
Wordslinger x2

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:04 pm
The “Gang of 6″ in the US Senate made it difficult for both parties to ignore their influence.

It’s up to the autonomous caucuses to find conmon ground to move to end the “impasse”.

The impasse is not hitting the right color button to show support for an agreed to compromise.

Either it’s up to members to press on, or continue phony lip service that runs counter to the voting switch realities.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:33 pm
Willie, way back in the day it was the Crazy 8 in the Illinois Senate, DeMuzio and Netsch among them, who established themselves as the tippers among competing factions.

I can’t do links on this gadget, but google Illinois Issues Crazy Eight and you’ll get the picture.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:47 pm
- Wordslinger -

Here’s some in the Crazy Eight you cite.

http://bit.ly/2sLpq7p

Thanks for the institutional knowledge. Thank you.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:51 pm
=Find another eight or so GOP House members, and you can dictate terms to the Senate, the House Dems and Rauner and end this deliberate travesty.=

Exactly. There are plenty of hostages in this travesty. Prichard and Andersson would lead you to believe they’re among them. They are not.

Comment by Pundent Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:52 pm
That was a 1976 Illinois Issues article, 40 years ago, and it’s that type of memory, - Wordslinger -, I know I could learn from, institutionally especially. Really appreciate you sharing it.

I’d hope members would/will be interested to see as well.

That is some serious recall. Wow..

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 6:58 pm
@wordslinger I was thinking the same thing. We need a handful of GOP members to get fed up enough and possibly grow a pair and break from the Governor, whose star is fading. They might want to consider the idea that the Governor just might be dragging some of them down to defeat in 2018 too. Between Trump and Rauner, the GOP brand isn’t looking so hot these days. Sure, there are the 30% of the electorate, the hard core Conservatives who will probably say “you go Bruce” until the very end but he won’t get reelected without a budget.

Comment by The Dude Abides Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 7:09 pm
Thanks for the teamwork on the link OW and Word. I have amassed quite a collection of links from this page that really help me get a sense of the history of politics in this state. i didn’t start following until 5 or so years ago so this is one of maybe 2 or 3 sites I can find useful information on this stuff

Comment by JohnnyPyleDriver Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 7:17 pm
- JohnnyPyleDriver -

You’re welcome, I did the easy part. The only thing that was stopping - Wordslinger - was the hardware in use.

I’m always learning here. So many sharing so willingly their knowledge, including Rich, who brings it all together besides dropping knowledge daily.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 7:53 pm
- Emily Miller -

As always, whenever you “surface” from doing the work you do, thank you for that hard work for Illinois.

Oswego Willy

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 5, 17 @ 8:18 pm
The reason everyday people haven’t gone to Springfield to lobby is because we don’t have time to babysit you for jobs you were elected to do.

If you wanted to add insult to injury, then I guess you politicians would shut down schools, and tamper with kids’ (kids!) educations. I guess you would have parents have to take their kids to daycare a little longer (or miss work).

Pathetic! Illinois politicians never cease to amaze anyone.

Comment by Peoria Citizen Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:55 am

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