By Caitlin Rydinsky
A change to the way the state doles out school funding passed in the Senate today, but a House floor vote on the bill is not expected before session is scheduled to adjourn later this week.
Sen. Andy Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat, sponsored Senate Bill 16, which supporters say could make school funding for poor communities more equalized to wealthier communities. A Senate committee spent months evaluating the current funding formula after questions arose about drastic disparities between schools throughout the state.
The plan would put more of the money the state sends to local school districts through a filter that would weight funding more heavily toward factors such as whether students live in poverty or are bilingual learners. It would also consider the need of local districts that have less affluent property tax bases for local funding.
“Will there be winners and losers under a new funding formula? Absolutely. But those winners and losers will be based on need and resources and not what their zip code is,” said Democratic Sen. John Sullivan of Rushville. “We’ve all said that around here for years that it ought to be based on not where you live, but what resources you have, and Senate Bill 16 addresses that.”
Republicans argued that the bill opens schools to vulnerability in funding because it would not hold the state to the current per-pupil required funding level, which is known as the “foundation level.”
“Statewide, if this bill becomes law, the one objective measuring stick that we have to say, are we funding to the degree that we say we would, will be changed. It would be traumatic,” said Republican Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon. “Understand under Senate Bill 16 that number is no longer locked in statute.”
Lawmakers agreed that the state’s education funding formula needs to be changed, but Republicans questioned whether this legislation is the right way to go. Manar said when asked of the debate, “I was quite shocked at their defense of the status quo at the debate and it’s as if (Republicans) are immune or numb to the reality of what is going on in the state today. There’s no reason to pause, there’s no reason.”
Republicans said that they are wary that the process politicized, and some noted that the issue of distributing school funding has always been a difficult one to resolve. “Look at it from our standpoint as the minority party: are we headed in a direction of something political or are we really seriously trying to do something about this? I would like to do something about it. ... Everything that happens around here is political, and I think there’s a little politics involved in this. But I also think there is some sincerity in trying to come up with something better.
Manar that evaluating the issue and drafting a bill took time within the Senate, so he does not expect the House to vote on it in the few days left in the spring session. “The idea that the House is going to turn [it] around in a couple of days is not logical, nor was (the bill) designed to do that. They should take ample time to do it and make the appropriate changes and hopefully get a product in front of both houses as soon as possible.”
The legislation does not currently have a sponsor within the House, although Manar says he has worked with several Democratic representatives during the drafting of the bill. He says he will wait to see what lawmakers in the House propose after they evaluate the plan The legislation would not take effect until July of 2015 and would allow a phase in period to let schools adjust to the newly proposed funding formula.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Budget "middle road" paved with short-term fixes
By Jamey Dunn
The House passed what some have dubbed a “middle of the road” budget, which keeps many areas of state government funded at current levels.
Under current law, the state will lose nearly $2 billion in revenue next fiscal year when the income tax increase begins to roll back. The income tax rates are set step down from 5 percent for individuals to 3.75 percent and from 7 percent for corporations to 5.25 percent half way through Fiscal Year 2015. Earlier this month, the House voted to approve a nearly $38 billion budget, which would have required an extension of the current income tax rates to fund. However, House Speaker Michael Madigan later said that there were not enough votes in his chamber to extend the current rates. The House then rejected a so-called “doomsday budget plan,” with only five members voting in favor of the bill. That proposal would have made deep cuts to education and human services.
On Tuesday, the House approved with little debate a budget that would spend about $35 billion and not require an extension of the tax rate. After the bills passed, Madigan used a parliamentary procedure to block them from going directly to the Senate. Senate and House Democrats are working together on the plan in the hopes of getting it through both chambers before the regular legislative session is scheduled to adjourn at midnight on Saturday.
Debate on the bills was lacking in the House in part because lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were uncertain about the details of the budget. For example, none of the key budgeting players in the chamber were able to give a definitive answer on the total spending number for the plan. All the responses were between $35 billion and $36 billion, but nobody knew the number spot on.
The bills were worked out in House budgeting committees, but many Republicans on those committees said they were not included in negotiations. Complaints aired by Republicans on the floor were primarily about the process and not the specifics of the budget itself, which they say they got this morning. “This is not a good budgeting process when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know what you’re advancing,” said Rep. Ron Sandack, a Downers Grove Republican.
“I guess that the speed-reading classes that you’ve taken are paying off over there. Thank God. But the process has been a complete joke,” Elmhurst Republican Rep. Dennis Reboletti said to Democrats on the House floor. “You do this every year, and then you’re surprised that we’re not working with you, or that we’re angry or frustrated.” Democrats said they tried to include Republicans, but that many did not attend meetings held budgeting committees yesterday. They say that because Republicans have been unwilling to vote for budgets in recent years, they likely would not have been in favor of the plan, no matter what the process.
Those Democrats who crafted the proposal were able to keep the budget relatively flat by tapping into some well-worn creative budgeting tactics, such as delaying payment for some spending obligations, adjusting revenue estimates up and borrowing from funds outside of general spending. Democrats say that the moves freed up about $2 billion. Most of the tactics are short-term solutions or one-time sources of funding. Republicans, who had previously accused Democrats of exaggerating how painful a budget would be to try to pass an extension of the income tax rates, reacted with sarcasm to the plan unveiled today. “Magically, hundreds of millions of dollars extra have been found. Shocking. I am so surprised that now we’ve looked under the couch cushions and found a little bit of extra walking-around money to sprinkle around the budget,” Reboletti said.
But flat funding does not mean that the budget picture is rosy. The bill backlog would grow substantially and there would be layoffs under the plan, according to those who worked most closely on it. “As the year goes on, things are going to get tighter and tighter in our departments,” said Rep. Greg Harris, who chairs the House human services budgeting committee. Harris said that the budget would likely increase the state’s stack of unpaid bills by “a couple billions of dollars” and would result in “thousands” of layoffs of state workers. The backlog is expected to be about $5.6 billion by the end of the current fiscal year.
The House breaks down the budgeting process into general areas of K-12 education, human services, general services, higher education and public safety. The only of these areas that would see a funding increase would be K-12 education, which would go up $167 million over the current fiscal year. The increase would be needed to keep General State Aid to schools prorated at just under 89 percent and to pay for student assessments that are part of the state’s transition to the Common Core curriculum standards. While K-12 education will see a slight increase, Homewood Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is the chair of the House K-12 education budgeting committee, said that it is not enough to meet the need in many Illinois schools. “Is this the budget that I wanted? Absolutely not,” he said. General State Aid to schools has not been fully funded for the last three years.
Harris said that as the fiscal year wears on, state agencies would start to feel the squeeze of trying to stick to flat funding, while the cost of doing business grows. He said that services required by law our under court orders would likely start to crowd out other programs. “It’s going to be after January 1 that you see the problems beginning to add up.” Harris said that if nothing changes, the budget would be in an even worse place in Fiscal Year 2016. “Next fiscal year, we’re going to be in a terrible spot because next year we will have lost a full year’s worth of revenue.”
The House passed what some have dubbed a “middle of the road” budget, which keeps many areas of state government funded at current levels.
Under current law, the state will lose nearly $2 billion in revenue next fiscal year when the income tax increase begins to roll back. The income tax rates are set step down from 5 percent for individuals to 3.75 percent and from 7 percent for corporations to 5.25 percent half way through Fiscal Year 2015. Earlier this month, the House voted to approve a nearly $38 billion budget, which would have required an extension of the current income tax rates to fund. However, House Speaker Michael Madigan later said that there were not enough votes in his chamber to extend the current rates. The House then rejected a so-called “doomsday budget plan,” with only five members voting in favor of the bill. That proposal would have made deep cuts to education and human services.
On Tuesday, the House approved with little debate a budget that would spend about $35 billion and not require an extension of the tax rate. After the bills passed, Madigan used a parliamentary procedure to block them from going directly to the Senate. Senate and House Democrats are working together on the plan in the hopes of getting it through both chambers before the regular legislative session is scheduled to adjourn at midnight on Saturday.
Debate on the bills was lacking in the House in part because lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were uncertain about the details of the budget. For example, none of the key budgeting players in the chamber were able to give a definitive answer on the total spending number for the plan. All the responses were between $35 billion and $36 billion, but nobody knew the number spot on.
The bills were worked out in House budgeting committees, but many Republicans on those committees said they were not included in negotiations. Complaints aired by Republicans on the floor were primarily about the process and not the specifics of the budget itself, which they say they got this morning. “This is not a good budgeting process when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know what you’re advancing,” said Rep. Ron Sandack, a Downers Grove Republican.
“I guess that the speed-reading classes that you’ve taken are paying off over there. Thank God. But the process has been a complete joke,” Elmhurst Republican Rep. Dennis Reboletti said to Democrats on the House floor. “You do this every year, and then you’re surprised that we’re not working with you, or that we’re angry or frustrated.” Democrats said they tried to include Republicans, but that many did not attend meetings held budgeting committees yesterday. They say that because Republicans have been unwilling to vote for budgets in recent years, they likely would not have been in favor of the plan, no matter what the process.
Those Democrats who crafted the proposal were able to keep the budget relatively flat by tapping into some well-worn creative budgeting tactics, such as delaying payment for some spending obligations, adjusting revenue estimates up and borrowing from funds outside of general spending. Democrats say that the moves freed up about $2 billion. Most of the tactics are short-term solutions or one-time sources of funding. Republicans, who had previously accused Democrats of exaggerating how painful a budget would be to try to pass an extension of the income tax rates, reacted with sarcasm to the plan unveiled today. “Magically, hundreds of millions of dollars extra have been found. Shocking. I am so surprised that now we’ve looked under the couch cushions and found a little bit of extra walking-around money to sprinkle around the budget,” Reboletti said.
But flat funding does not mean that the budget picture is rosy. The bill backlog would grow substantially and there would be layoffs under the plan, according to those who worked most closely on it. “As the year goes on, things are going to get tighter and tighter in our departments,” said Rep. Greg Harris, who chairs the House human services budgeting committee. Harris said that the budget would likely increase the state’s stack of unpaid bills by “a couple billions of dollars” and would result in “thousands” of layoffs of state workers. The backlog is expected to be about $5.6 billion by the end of the current fiscal year.
The House breaks down the budgeting process into general areas of K-12 education, human services, general services, higher education and public safety. The only of these areas that would see a funding increase would be K-12 education, which would go up $167 million over the current fiscal year. The increase would be needed to keep General State Aid to schools prorated at just under 89 percent and to pay for student assessments that are part of the state’s transition to the Common Core curriculum standards. While K-12 education will see a slight increase, Homewood Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is the chair of the House K-12 education budgeting committee, said that it is not enough to meet the need in many Illinois schools. “Is this the budget that I wanted? Absolutely not,” he said. General State Aid to schools has not been fully funded for the last three years.
Harris said that as the fiscal year wears on, state agencies would start to feel the squeeze of trying to stick to flat funding, while the cost of doing business grows. He said that services required by law our under court orders would likely start to crowd out other programs. “It’s going to be after January 1 that you see the problems beginning to add up.” Harris said that if nothing changes, the budget would be in an even worse place in Fiscal Year 2016. “Next fiscal year, we’re going to be in a terrible spot because next year we will have lost a full year’s worth of revenue.”
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Statehouse roundup
By Jamey Dunn
There was plenty going on at the Statehouse today, and it’s only the first week of April. A House committee approved a bill to reform Chicago’s pension system for city workers; a group of Democratic senators filed legislation that would make sweeping changes to the way the state funds schools; and the Senate voted in favor of allowing children with epilepsy to use medical marijuana. Here’s a rundown of what happened:
Chicago pension changes
Two days after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel presented his proposal to stabilize the city’s pension systems for workers, a House committee approved the plan. It would ask workers to contribute more to the system and would reduce their cost of living increases. The city would increase local property taxes to bring in an additional $250 million in property taxes. The legislation is intended to cut the city’s unfunded pension liability of $19.5 billion in half over 40 years. The General Assembly must approve the plan because the city’s systems are governed by state law.
While Emanuel says he has union support for his plan, not all labor organizations are on board. John Cameron, political director for AFSCME Council 31, called the plan “clearly and indisputably unconstitutional.” Senate Bill 1992 seemed to be set up to move quickly thought the legislature today. House Speaker Michael Madigan popped his amendments onto the bill shortly before the hearing, and the Senate held its own hearing shortly after the House panel voted. But the House adjourned before taking a vote. Republican leaders said that they could not support the proposal because they had not had time to digest its contents, and they said that they would rather see a plan that included the city’s retirement systems for police, firefighters and teachers, too. “We careen from one crisis to the next,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “Absent a long term plan, I couldn’t advise our caucus to be in favor of this.” But supporters said that the city is talks with with those groups, too. “You can say we’ve piecemealed, but they’re different entities,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul. “This is about solving a very serious problem that impacts the city of Chicago. ... This is a product of negotiations. It’s been indicated that other negotiations are ongoing and things don’t just come to a point of resolution magically at the same time.”
Medical marijuana for epilepsy
The Senate approved SB 2636, which would allow children with epilepsy access to marijuana as a treatment under the state’s medical cannabis pilot program. Some families have found that a liquid form of the drug helps control the disease in children with frequent seizures. Parents say marijuana oil has helped their children, who may have hundreds or thousands of seizures a day, to cut the number down to just a few. Last month, an Arizona judge ruled that two parents in the state could continue treating their son with the drug. Parents of epileptic children are pushing for legislation similar to SB 2636 in other states.
Campus smoking ban
The House approved SB 2202, which would ban smoking on public college campuses. The measure would apply to all university property and would let universities decide what the penalty would be for those who violate the ban. Opponents to the proposal argued that smoking policy decisions should be left to university trustees.
Education funding
After a committee spent more than a year scrutinizing the way the state distributes funds to schools, Democratic lawmakers unveiled a proposal to revamp the education funding formula today. Bunker Hill Democratic Sen. Andy Manar, who chaired the committee, said that currently only about 44 percent of the state education spending is doled out based on local need. He said SB 16 would change that so financial need would come into play when distributing about 90 percent of funds. The proposal would also eliminate the individual block grant that is given to Chicago schools, something Republicans on the committee have supported. The plan would also require more spending transparency at the district level. Maywood Democratic Sen. Kimberly Lightford said that the debate around school funding has to move away from focusing on which districts would be funding “winners” and which would lose out on funds. “We all win. We all win. All the school districts win when dollars are going to the areas that need it the most,” she said.
Manar agreed. “The idea that we can have a few premier school districts in the state that exceed every expectation ... and have an incredible number that lag behind and call that a win in the state system is not a win in my book.” Both said that they were introducing the bill now as a jumping point for debate. “We could have waited until the last week of may negotiated behind closed doors, popped a bill out and then had a vote. That’s not the way to do this,” Manar said. “I’m hopeful that we will have a bipartisan set of cosponsors on this bill.”
Republicans in the Senate said that they had not been invited to today’s press conference and that they had not seen the 400-page bill until it was filed last night. “We welcome the discussion of fair education funding. We believe Illinois school children deserve every opportunity for a quality education — in every school in Illinois,” said a statement from Senate Republicans. “Our 2013 look at school funding found Illinois’ current funding formulas to be outdated, skewed to benefit Chicago and not performing as designed by law. We are reviewing the legislation just filed. At first blush — we have dozens of questions and comments to contribute to the discussion as it is reviewed in the Senate and perhaps the House of Representatives. We want educators, superintendents, schools boards and other education professionals to have that opportunity as well.”
Constitutional amendment for victims’ rights
Skokie Democratic Rep. Lou Lang has been pushing for years to get rights for crime victims enshrined into the state’s Constitution. The House today approved his constitutional amendment to do just that. The amendment is part of a crowded field of efforts to get changes to the document before voters. House Speaker Michael Madigan is sponsoring two amendments. One would prevent discrimination against voters in the state and another would charge a 3 percent income tax surcharge on income over $1 million. The revenue from the additional tax would be used to fund education. Both of Madigan’s amendments have been approved by House committees. There are also two separate pushes to put amendments on the ballot through a citizens initiative. One, which is spearheaded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, would impose term limits on legislators. The other, which is backed by a well-funded committee, would change the way the state draws its legislative maps by taking the task out of the hands of lawmakers.
There was plenty going on at the Statehouse today, and it’s only the first week of April. A House committee approved a bill to reform Chicago’s pension system for city workers; a group of Democratic senators filed legislation that would make sweeping changes to the way the state funds schools; and the Senate voted in favor of allowing children with epilepsy to use medical marijuana. Here’s a rundown of what happened:
Chicago pension changes
Two days after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel presented his proposal to stabilize the city’s pension systems for workers, a House committee approved the plan. It would ask workers to contribute more to the system and would reduce their cost of living increases. The city would increase local property taxes to bring in an additional $250 million in property taxes. The legislation is intended to cut the city’s unfunded pension liability of $19.5 billion in half over 40 years. The General Assembly must approve the plan because the city’s systems are governed by state law.
While Emanuel says he has union support for his plan, not all labor organizations are on board. John Cameron, political director for AFSCME Council 31, called the plan “clearly and indisputably unconstitutional.” Senate Bill 1992 seemed to be set up to move quickly thought the legislature today. House Speaker Michael Madigan popped his amendments onto the bill shortly before the hearing, and the Senate held its own hearing shortly after the House panel voted. But the House adjourned before taking a vote. Republican leaders said that they could not support the proposal because they had not had time to digest its contents, and they said that they would rather see a plan that included the city’s retirement systems for police, firefighters and teachers, too. “We careen from one crisis to the next,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “Absent a long term plan, I couldn’t advise our caucus to be in favor of this.” But supporters said that the city is talks with with those groups, too. “You can say we’ve piecemealed, but they’re different entities,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul. “This is about solving a very serious problem that impacts the city of Chicago. ... This is a product of negotiations. It’s been indicated that other negotiations are ongoing and things don’t just come to a point of resolution magically at the same time.”
Medical marijuana for epilepsy
The Senate approved SB 2636, which would allow children with epilepsy access to marijuana as a treatment under the state’s medical cannabis pilot program. Some families have found that a liquid form of the drug helps control the disease in children with frequent seizures. Parents say marijuana oil has helped their children, who may have hundreds or thousands of seizures a day, to cut the number down to just a few. Last month, an Arizona judge ruled that two parents in the state could continue treating their son with the drug. Parents of epileptic children are pushing for legislation similar to SB 2636 in other states.
Campus smoking ban
The House approved SB 2202, which would ban smoking on public college campuses. The measure would apply to all university property and would let universities decide what the penalty would be for those who violate the ban. Opponents to the proposal argued that smoking policy decisions should be left to university trustees.
Education funding
After a committee spent more than a year scrutinizing the way the state distributes funds to schools, Democratic lawmakers unveiled a proposal to revamp the education funding formula today. Bunker Hill Democratic Sen. Andy Manar, who chaired the committee, said that currently only about 44 percent of the state education spending is doled out based on local need. He said SB 16 would change that so financial need would come into play when distributing about 90 percent of funds. The proposal would also eliminate the individual block grant that is given to Chicago schools, something Republicans on the committee have supported. The plan would also require more spending transparency at the district level. Maywood Democratic Sen. Kimberly Lightford said that the debate around school funding has to move away from focusing on which districts would be funding “winners” and which would lose out on funds. “We all win. We all win. All the school districts win when dollars are going to the areas that need it the most,” she said.
Manar agreed. “The idea that we can have a few premier school districts in the state that exceed every expectation ... and have an incredible number that lag behind and call that a win in the state system is not a win in my book.” Both said that they were introducing the bill now as a jumping point for debate. “We could have waited until the last week of may negotiated behind closed doors, popped a bill out and then had a vote. That’s not the way to do this,” Manar said. “I’m hopeful that we will have a bipartisan set of cosponsors on this bill.”
Republicans in the Senate said that they had not been invited to today’s press conference and that they had not seen the 400-page bill until it was filed last night. “We welcome the discussion of fair education funding. We believe Illinois school children deserve every opportunity for a quality education — in every school in Illinois,” said a statement from Senate Republicans. “Our 2013 look at school funding found Illinois’ current funding formulas to be outdated, skewed to benefit Chicago and not performing as designed by law. We are reviewing the legislation just filed. At first blush — we have dozens of questions and comments to contribute to the discussion as it is reviewed in the Senate and perhaps the House of Representatives. We want educators, superintendents, schools boards and other education professionals to have that opportunity as well.”
Constitutional amendment for victims’ rights
Skokie Democratic Rep. Lou Lang has been pushing for years to get rights for crime victims enshrined into the state’s Constitution. The House today approved his constitutional amendment to do just that. The amendment is part of a crowded field of efforts to get changes to the document before voters. House Speaker Michael Madigan is sponsoring two amendments. One would prevent discrimination against voters in the state and another would charge a 3 percent income tax surcharge on income over $1 million. The revenue from the additional tax would be used to fund education. Both of Madigan’s amendments have been approved by House committees. There are also two separate pushes to put amendments on the ballot through a citizens initiative. One, which is spearheaded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, would impose term limits on legislators. The other, which is backed by a well-funded committee, would change the way the state draws its legislative maps by taking the task out of the hands of lawmakers.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Quinn calls for making temporary income tax increase permanent
By Jamey Dunn with Caitlin Rydinsky contributing
Gov. Pat Quinn called on lawmakers to make the temporary income tax increase permanent during his budget speech today.
“The truth is, while we've taken some difficult steps to balance the budget, the issue of expiring revenue this year is a real challenge that will require another hard choice,” Quinn said in his speech to lawmakers today. Quinn presented a budget that he says reflects the severity of cuts that would be needed if the current income tax rates, which are 5 percent for individuals and 7 percent for corporations, were allowed to step down in 2015. Under current law, the rates would go to 3.75 for individuals and 5.25 for corporations half way through next fiscal year. The reduction would take more than $1.5 billion in revenues with it. Quinn also presented an alternative budget that would include revenue from extending the tax rates, and it is this second plan that the governor advocates for. “Our plan is specific, concrete and responsible. It balances the budget and doesn't shirk our responsibility to our veterans, to our children, to our working families and to our most vulnerable citizens,” he said.
Quinn offered property tax relief and an incremental doubling of the Earned Income Tax Credit as potential sweetener that might help the income tax proposal go down with voters. Homeowners would lose their current property tax credit and it would be replaced with a flat $500 refund for each owner occupied property. Quinn’s budget office estimates that such tax relief would cost $1.3 billion annually. The current credit costs about $600 million. While some homeowners currently get a tax credit that is larger than $500, Quinn’s staff said that 92 percent homeowners would be better off under his proposal. Quinn’s plan would also increase the EITC from 10 percent of the federal credit to 20 percent at a rate of 2.5 percentage points per year. The increase would cost more than $200 million annually once it reaches 20 percent. Quinn and his staff are packaging his pitch to make the tax increase permanent as a reform of the state’s tax system. His proposal also included a five-year budget “blueprint” that calls for spending caps, a rainy day fund and cutting the state’s bill payment cycle down to 30 days.
The governor's Republican opponents say he is going back on the promise of a temporary tax increase. “Pat Quinn first promised the working people of Illinois he wouldn’t raise taxes by 67 percent. He broke that promise, taking away nearly a week's worth of pay for Illinois families. Then he promised his tax hike would be temporary. Today he broke that promise too and is doubling down on his failed policies,” Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner said in a prepared statement. “After five years of Pat Quinn’s failed leadership, we have record tax hikes, outrageously high unemployment, massive cuts in education and there’s still a giant budget mess in Springfield. It’s now or never to save Illinois. We can balance the budget without more tax increases, if we create a growth economy, and restructure and reform our broken government. That’s what I’ll do as governor.”
They claim that Quinn and other Democrats are trying to make the fiscal situation look worse than it truly is to justify keeping the current tax rates. So what people need to remember at the end of the day [is], it’s still a tax increase. Your income tax is going to go up from where it should have been come January 1,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She said that Quinn’s property tax relief plan is not all it's cracked up to be because it would eliminate the current property tax credit that homeowners already receive. So they would not get $500 in addition to their current break, but in place of it.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said after Quinn’s speech, “the Democrats who run this building do not tell the truth about taxes and spending.” He said that spending has increased in recent years. Quinn’s staff is quick to point out that the governor never made any promises about whether he would seek an extension of the tax increase. They say that Quinn has signed budgets with billions of dollars of cuts to discretionary spending, but overall spending totals have increased some years because fixed costs, such as the required payments into the pension systems, have gone up. His campaign issued a statement this morning claiming that Rauner’s “budget plan” would result in devastating cuts to education. Rauner has yet to give details on his vision for the budget, other than saying he wants to the tax increase to roll back and that he is not prepared to take the possibility of taxing retirement income off the table. Quinn said today that he would not support taxing retirement income or charging a sales tax on many “basic” services, such as haircuts.
In his speech, the governor tried to walk a fine line between highlighting the improvements he says have happened during his time in office and making the case that the budget situation is still unstable enough to justify hanging on to the current tax rates. “Illinoia is in stronger financial position now then we were five years ago because of the hard choices we have made,” Quinn said today. Time will tell if this strategy will resonate with voters. Not surprisingly, a recent poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois Carbondale found that 60 percent of voters oppose making the tax rates permanent. However, the majority of respondents liked major state services and were opposed to cutting them. Voters were also opposed to taxing retirement income or increasing sales taxes. The only new revenue source that more than half of those polled supported was expanding gambling.
Democratic lawmakers said today that they do not think voters are really aware of the progress that has been made in terms of the state's budget. “I think voters do not grasp how much progress has been made. It’s unfortunate to me that one budget address will not necessarily emblazon that in people’s minds,” said Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who was one of the key players on recently passed changes to the state’s pensions systems. But she said that while voters may not be as aware of some of the things, such as pension reform and cuts to Medicaid costs, that have been done to help the state climb out of its budget hole, the bond rating agencies that determine the state’s credit rating do seem to have taken notice. “We are getting there. It took us a long time to get in, and I always said it’s going to take us a long time to get out.” Nekritz noted that the property tax relief in Quinn’s plan has the potential to be very popular with voters. “The number one thing I hear from constituents back home is (complaints about) their property taxes.”
The chairmen of House budgeting committees, which are considering deep cuts for their areas of the budget, said they were glad Quinn came out strongly for more revenue. “I have always not shied away from the revenue conversation so I am encourage that the governor wants to look at ways to bring new revenue or additional revenue to the state,” said Lewistown Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is chairman of the House education budgeting committee. He said that K-12 education is currently facing a $900 million cut. Davis said he supports the concept of coupling tax relief for low-income workers and homeowners with a call for new revenue.
Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who is chairman of the House revenue committee, said that he does not think that an extension of the tax rates has enough support to pass in his chamber at this point. “That’s going to be a difficult issue. That was a tough vote before. So I think a lot of people will keep an open mind to it but that’s a long way from happening right now.” He said that lawmakers should be open-minded about Quinn’s ideas. “He threw it out there, and I give him credit for putting ideas out there. So now the legislature will move forward.”
Quinn’s proposal has the backing of the legislative leaders in his party. “I would commend the governor for his political courage and honesty,” House Speaker Michael Madigan told Illinois Public Television’s Jak Tichenor, host of Illinois Lawmakers. Madigan said that he “demanded” property tax relief be included in a proposal to make the tax rates permanent. “I plan to support the governor’s position on the extension of the income tax increase,” said Madigan. “If we wish to continue to provide the level of services which we’ve become accustomed to for education and other purposes, then the income tax increase should be extended.” However, Madigan said he still supports his own “tax on millionaires” to fund education. The proposal is a constitutional amendment that would place a 3 percent surcharge on any income over $1 million. Madigan said he expects that the tax issue will be “resolved” before the spring legislative session ends.
Bradley said that his committee plans to move ahead with Madigan’s millionaire tax proposal “right away.”
“I think the governor made a really bold stand basically saying ‘we’re going to keep the taxes the way they are, but we’re going to give back a whole bunch of money in property tax relief,’” Senate President John Cullerton told Tichenor. He said the proposal takes the state’s high property tax rates into consideration while also deferring “draconian cuts.” Cullerton said he did not expect Republican support, which he called “unfortunate.”
Judging from the reaction to Quinn's speech from across the aisle, Cullerton’s prediction seems dead on. “The governor is more interested in making the argument that if there is not another massive tax increase that school children would be thrown into mobile homes and would be dying in the streets. That’s the governor’s arguments here. It’s an argument of hysteria. I think the governor, his first job is not to run for governor and create a campaign based on class envy, it’s to govern,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Republican from Mattoon. He said that Quinn should do a line-by-line review of the budget to find savings. “I think he is going to discover in his own budget there are a lot of areas that he could save money and in then the words he speaks on lower income and middle income Illinoisans can actually come to prevision. Because he will find out he doesn’t have to take more money from families.”
Gov. Pat Quinn called on lawmakers to make the temporary income tax increase permanent during his budget speech today.
“The truth is, while we've taken some difficult steps to balance the budget, the issue of expiring revenue this year is a real challenge that will require another hard choice,” Quinn said in his speech to lawmakers today. Quinn presented a budget that he says reflects the severity of cuts that would be needed if the current income tax rates, which are 5 percent for individuals and 7 percent for corporations, were allowed to step down in 2015. Under current law, the rates would go to 3.75 for individuals and 5.25 for corporations half way through next fiscal year. The reduction would take more than $1.5 billion in revenues with it. Quinn also presented an alternative budget that would include revenue from extending the tax rates, and it is this second plan that the governor advocates for. “Our plan is specific, concrete and responsible. It balances the budget and doesn't shirk our responsibility to our veterans, to our children, to our working families and to our most vulnerable citizens,” he said.
Quinn offered property tax relief and an incremental doubling of the Earned Income Tax Credit as potential sweetener that might help the income tax proposal go down with voters. Homeowners would lose their current property tax credit and it would be replaced with a flat $500 refund for each owner occupied property. Quinn’s budget office estimates that such tax relief would cost $1.3 billion annually. The current credit costs about $600 million. While some homeowners currently get a tax credit that is larger than $500, Quinn’s staff said that 92 percent homeowners would be better off under his proposal. Quinn’s plan would also increase the EITC from 10 percent of the federal credit to 20 percent at a rate of 2.5 percentage points per year. The increase would cost more than $200 million annually once it reaches 20 percent. Quinn and his staff are packaging his pitch to make the tax increase permanent as a reform of the state’s tax system. His proposal also included a five-year budget “blueprint” that calls for spending caps, a rainy day fund and cutting the state’s bill payment cycle down to 30 days.
The governor's Republican opponents say he is going back on the promise of a temporary tax increase. “Pat Quinn first promised the working people of Illinois he wouldn’t raise taxes by 67 percent. He broke that promise, taking away nearly a week's worth of pay for Illinois families. Then he promised his tax hike would be temporary. Today he broke that promise too and is doubling down on his failed policies,” Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner said in a prepared statement. “After five years of Pat Quinn’s failed leadership, we have record tax hikes, outrageously high unemployment, massive cuts in education and there’s still a giant budget mess in Springfield. It’s now or never to save Illinois. We can balance the budget without more tax increases, if we create a growth economy, and restructure and reform our broken government. That’s what I’ll do as governor.”
They claim that Quinn and other Democrats are trying to make the fiscal situation look worse than it truly is to justify keeping the current tax rates. So what people need to remember at the end of the day [is], it’s still a tax increase. Your income tax is going to go up from where it should have been come January 1,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She said that Quinn’s property tax relief plan is not all it's cracked up to be because it would eliminate the current property tax credit that homeowners already receive. So they would not get $500 in addition to their current break, but in place of it.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said after Quinn’s speech, “the Democrats who run this building do not tell the truth about taxes and spending.” He said that spending has increased in recent years. Quinn’s staff is quick to point out that the governor never made any promises about whether he would seek an extension of the tax increase. They say that Quinn has signed budgets with billions of dollars of cuts to discretionary spending, but overall spending totals have increased some years because fixed costs, such as the required payments into the pension systems, have gone up. His campaign issued a statement this morning claiming that Rauner’s “budget plan” would result in devastating cuts to education. Rauner has yet to give details on his vision for the budget, other than saying he wants to the tax increase to roll back and that he is not prepared to take the possibility of taxing retirement income off the table. Quinn said today that he would not support taxing retirement income or charging a sales tax on many “basic” services, such as haircuts.
In his speech, the governor tried to walk a fine line between highlighting the improvements he says have happened during his time in office and making the case that the budget situation is still unstable enough to justify hanging on to the current tax rates. “Illinoia is in stronger financial position now then we were five years ago because of the hard choices we have made,” Quinn said today. Time will tell if this strategy will resonate with voters. Not surprisingly, a recent poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois Carbondale found that 60 percent of voters oppose making the tax rates permanent. However, the majority of respondents liked major state services and were opposed to cutting them. Voters were also opposed to taxing retirement income or increasing sales taxes. The only new revenue source that more than half of those polled supported was expanding gambling.
Democratic lawmakers said today that they do not think voters are really aware of the progress that has been made in terms of the state's budget. “I think voters do not grasp how much progress has been made. It’s unfortunate to me that one budget address will not necessarily emblazon that in people’s minds,” said Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who was one of the key players on recently passed changes to the state’s pensions systems. But she said that while voters may not be as aware of some of the things, such as pension reform and cuts to Medicaid costs, that have been done to help the state climb out of its budget hole, the bond rating agencies that determine the state’s credit rating do seem to have taken notice. “We are getting there. It took us a long time to get in, and I always said it’s going to take us a long time to get out.” Nekritz noted that the property tax relief in Quinn’s plan has the potential to be very popular with voters. “The number one thing I hear from constituents back home is (complaints about) their property taxes.”
The chairmen of House budgeting committees, which are considering deep cuts for their areas of the budget, said they were glad Quinn came out strongly for more revenue. “I have always not shied away from the revenue conversation so I am encourage that the governor wants to look at ways to bring new revenue or additional revenue to the state,” said Lewistown Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is chairman of the House education budgeting committee. He said that K-12 education is currently facing a $900 million cut. Davis said he supports the concept of coupling tax relief for low-income workers and homeowners with a call for new revenue.
Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who is chairman of the House revenue committee, said that he does not think that an extension of the tax rates has enough support to pass in his chamber at this point. “That’s going to be a difficult issue. That was a tough vote before. So I think a lot of people will keep an open mind to it but that’s a long way from happening right now.” He said that lawmakers should be open-minded about Quinn’s ideas. “He threw it out there, and I give him credit for putting ideas out there. So now the legislature will move forward.”
Quinn’s proposal has the backing of the legislative leaders in his party. “I would commend the governor for his political courage and honesty,” House Speaker Michael Madigan told Illinois Public Television’s Jak Tichenor, host of Illinois Lawmakers. Madigan said that he “demanded” property tax relief be included in a proposal to make the tax rates permanent. “I plan to support the governor’s position on the extension of the income tax increase,” said Madigan. “If we wish to continue to provide the level of services which we’ve become accustomed to for education and other purposes, then the income tax increase should be extended.” However, Madigan said he still supports his own “tax on millionaires” to fund education. The proposal is a constitutional amendment that would place a 3 percent surcharge on any income over $1 million. Madigan said he expects that the tax issue will be “resolved” before the spring legislative session ends.
Bradley said that his committee plans to move ahead with Madigan’s millionaire tax proposal “right away.”
“I think the governor made a really bold stand basically saying ‘we’re going to keep the taxes the way they are, but we’re going to give back a whole bunch of money in property tax relief,’” Senate President John Cullerton told Tichenor. He said the proposal takes the state’s high property tax rates into consideration while also deferring “draconian cuts.” Cullerton said he did not expect Republican support, which he called “unfortunate.”
Judging from the reaction to Quinn's speech from across the aisle, Cullerton’s prediction seems dead on. “The governor is more interested in making the argument that if there is not another massive tax increase that school children would be thrown into mobile homes and would be dying in the streets. That’s the governor’s arguments here. It’s an argument of hysteria. I think the governor, his first job is not to run for governor and create a campaign based on class envy, it’s to govern,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Republican from Mattoon. He said that Quinn should do a line-by-line review of the budget to find savings. “I think he is going to discover in his own budget there are a lot of areas that he could save money and in then the words he speaks on lower income and middle income Illinoisans can actually come to prevision. Because he will find out he doesn’t have to take more money from families.”
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Madigan proposes millionaire tax for education
By Jamey Dunn and Caitlin Rydinsky
House Speaker Michael Madigan proposed today a constitutional amendment to impose a higher tax on millionaires, which would bring in an additional $1 billion for school funding.
Under the proposal, Illinoisans would pay an additional 3 percentage points surcharge on any income they made over $1 million. The revenue generated, which Madigan estimates could be $1 billion, would be given to each district throughout the state based on the number of students. He estimates that schools would get an additional $550 per pupil. “Over the last several years, every area of Illinois has experienced school closures, teacher layoffs, and classroom cuts due to reduced education funding that has been forced by a crowding out of state revenues,” Madigan said in a written statement. “This is not a complete solution to our education funding issues, but it is a fair and equitable way to reverse a decline brought on by the national economic problems and will help address a number of spending pressures that vary among school districts.”
If both chambers approve the plan by May 5, voters will have the deciding factor of whether millionaires’ should be taxed the additional amount during this November election. Illinoisans’ may also see an amendment to add term limits for lawmakers placed on the ballot from the efforts of Republican governor candidate and multi-millionaire businessman Bruce Rauner. In addition to running for governor, Rauner has launched a campaign to get term limits on the ballot by collecting signatures through a citizens’ initiative. There is also a push to get an amendment on the ballot to change the way the state draws its legislative districts. If either proposal gets the needed signatures, they would likely also have to survive a court challenge to make it to the ballot.
If Madigan’s plan appears on the November ballot and gains the necessary support from voters, schools could expect to see additional funds in 2015, he said. “Given the drastic cuts to education in recent years, and the threat of cutting nearly $1 billion more in this year’s budget, we are encouraged by the speaker’s proposal to invest more money in public education for our children,” Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a written statement.
For the last three years, the state has failed to meet the per pupil funding level required by law of $6,119. Illinois’ temporary income tax increase is scheduled decrease in 2015 from 5 percent to 3.75 for individuals. The lost revenue means that lawmakers are looking at a tough task as they try to craft next fiscal year’s budget. Early projections indicate that almost $1 billion could be cut from schools. Meanwhile, the Illinois State Board of Education requested a funding increase of $1.08 billion for next fiscal year. The bulk of the request, $879 million, would be needed to meet foundation level funding.
Opponents to the amendment say it is nothing more than a political move meant to polarize voters in an election year. They also suspect it is a distraction from what they believe Madigan’s real intent is—to make the temporary income tax increase permanent. Madigan has not taken a stance on what the state should do about the income tax increase; he says the two topics are not linked. “That’s a separate issue. This is separate from the question of whether the income tax increase would be extended. It’s not related.” Madigan said that his plan is not meant to fill in the gaps of potential cuts. “I think that what we are doing here is calling upon people in Illinois that are well equipped to provide support for education which is available to everybody in the state,” he said.
Conservative groups say that the proposal would drive wealth people out of the state. They also note that it could hurt small businesses that file their taxes as individuals. “With the second highest unemployment rate in the nation, one would think the Democrat[ic] leaders of Illinois would want to grow jobs for our families. Unfortunately, yet again they choose to pursue policies that will push more jobs out of the Land of Lincoln by punishing job creators,” David From, the Illinois state director of Americans for Prosperity, said in a written statement. Madigan, who acknowledged that there are some years in which he would earn enough to have to pay the surcharge, said of millionaires in the state: “If they’re in Illinois today, they’re probably so much in love with Illinois that they’re not going to leave, and they’ll be grateful for this opportunity to support lower (grade level) education.” Madigan estimates that in 2011, there were 13,675 millionaires in Illinois.
Rauner ‘s campaign shot back with a statement highlighting his personal giving to schools and education reform efforts. “Bruce is happy to pay more to support education—in fact he's been doing that personally for decades, but he doesn’t support what looks like a first step towards empowering Mike Madigan and [Gov.] Pat Quinn to raise taxes on the middle class, small businesses and family farms,” said a prepared statement from campaign manager Chip Englander.
House Speaker Michael Madigan proposed today a constitutional amendment to impose a higher tax on millionaires, which would bring in an additional $1 billion for school funding.
Under the proposal, Illinoisans would pay an additional 3 percentage points surcharge on any income they made over $1 million. The revenue generated, which Madigan estimates could be $1 billion, would be given to each district throughout the state based on the number of students. He estimates that schools would get an additional $550 per pupil. “Over the last several years, every area of Illinois has experienced school closures, teacher layoffs, and classroom cuts due to reduced education funding that has been forced by a crowding out of state revenues,” Madigan said in a written statement. “This is not a complete solution to our education funding issues, but it is a fair and equitable way to reverse a decline brought on by the national economic problems and will help address a number of spending pressures that vary among school districts.”
If both chambers approve the plan by May 5, voters will have the deciding factor of whether millionaires’ should be taxed the additional amount during this November election. Illinoisans’ may also see an amendment to add term limits for lawmakers placed on the ballot from the efforts of Republican governor candidate and multi-millionaire businessman Bruce Rauner. In addition to running for governor, Rauner has launched a campaign to get term limits on the ballot by collecting signatures through a citizens’ initiative. There is also a push to get an amendment on the ballot to change the way the state draws its legislative districts. If either proposal gets the needed signatures, they would likely also have to survive a court challenge to make it to the ballot.
If Madigan’s plan appears on the November ballot and gains the necessary support from voters, schools could expect to see additional funds in 2015, he said. “Given the drastic cuts to education in recent years, and the threat of cutting nearly $1 billion more in this year’s budget, we are encouraged by the speaker’s proposal to invest more money in public education for our children,” Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a written statement.
For the last three years, the state has failed to meet the per pupil funding level required by law of $6,119. Illinois’ temporary income tax increase is scheduled decrease in 2015 from 5 percent to 3.75 for individuals. The lost revenue means that lawmakers are looking at a tough task as they try to craft next fiscal year’s budget. Early projections indicate that almost $1 billion could be cut from schools. Meanwhile, the Illinois State Board of Education requested a funding increase of $1.08 billion for next fiscal year. The bulk of the request, $879 million, would be needed to meet foundation level funding.
Opponents to the amendment say it is nothing more than a political move meant to polarize voters in an election year. They also suspect it is a distraction from what they believe Madigan’s real intent is—to make the temporary income tax increase permanent. Madigan has not taken a stance on what the state should do about the income tax increase; he says the two topics are not linked. “That’s a separate issue. This is separate from the question of whether the income tax increase would be extended. It’s not related.” Madigan said that his plan is not meant to fill in the gaps of potential cuts. “I think that what we are doing here is calling upon people in Illinois that are well equipped to provide support for education which is available to everybody in the state,” he said.
Conservative groups say that the proposal would drive wealth people out of the state. They also note that it could hurt small businesses that file their taxes as individuals. “With the second highest unemployment rate in the nation, one would think the Democrat[ic] leaders of Illinois would want to grow jobs for our families. Unfortunately, yet again they choose to pursue policies that will push more jobs out of the Land of Lincoln by punishing job creators,” David From, the Illinois state director of Americans for Prosperity, said in a written statement. Madigan, who acknowledged that there are some years in which he would earn enough to have to pay the surcharge, said of millionaires in the state: “If they’re in Illinois today, they’re probably so much in love with Illinois that they’re not going to leave, and they’ll be grateful for this opportunity to support lower (grade level) education.” Madigan estimates that in 2011, there were 13,675 millionaires in Illinois.
Rauner ‘s campaign shot back with a statement highlighting his personal giving to schools and education reform efforts. “Bruce is happy to pay more to support education—in fact he's been doing that personally for decades, but he doesn’t support what looks like a first step towards empowering Mike Madigan and [Gov.] Pat Quinn to raise taxes on the middle class, small businesses and family farms,” said a prepared statement from campaign manager Chip Englander.
Monday, February 03, 2014
Senate panel releases plans to revamp education funding
By Jamey Dunn
After months of hearings, a bipartisan group of Illinois senators has presented its proposal to revamp the way the state divvies up its education funding.
The state’s education funding formula, which was last tweaked in the late 1990s, has long been viewed as opaque and complicated. “The law in the school code, I think it’s about 35 pages of very small text. So it’s going to be a challenge to literally start from scratch to come up with a new law that governs the formula, but that’s what we’re going to try to do in the next month,” said Democratic Sen. Andy Manar, who is chairman of the Senate Education Funding Advisory Committee. He said the panel is proposing a more streamlined plan that would put much of state education spending through a process that emphasizes financial equity among districts. General state aid, poverty grants, most special education funding, transportation grants, Chicago block grants and other spending that is doled out by category would be funneled through a single formula that focuses on the fiscal needs of each district “This is the single greatest step we could take as a state government to address inequity,” he said. “Put more of the money that we appropriate in the state budget, regardless of how much we appropriate, through the need-based lens,” he said.
The General Assembly voted in the summer to create the advisory committee. The group presented its ideas to lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn in the form of a report, which lays out 10 goals for education funding. The goals as stated in the report are:
The group plans to emphasize equity with a focus on more sunlight in education budgeting at both the state and local levels and an assessment of costly requirements placed on schools by law. “We had significant discussion about the cost of mandates to local school districts and how we can better address those costs on the legislative level,” said Manar, who is from Bunker Hill.
The way the state distributes education funding is seen as a “third-rail” in Illinois politics because one district’s definition of equity can seem unfair to another district that is losing out on state funding under any change to the formula. The issue is often framed as a regional dispute that pits suburban schools, Chicago schools and rural and downstate schools against one another for resources.
Manar said the committee agreed on much of the plan it has proposed, but he said it would be an “overstatement” to say that there was unanimous support of every bullet point. “Believe it or not, we didn’t get into the us-versus-them ... discussion, which typically these conversations devolve into very quickly,” he said. “You could see all of the different grant programs that exist today in law that don’t go through the need lens and the equality lens, and you could say, ‘There’s special deals for just about every part of the state.’” The Illinois State Board of Education has requested $1 billion in additional spending in its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2015.The agency asked for $879 million more in general state aid spending.
For the last three years, the state has failed to meet the $6,119-per-student foundation level. The committee report opposed that move and called for the foundation level to eventually be funded at the $8,672-per-pupil level recommended by the Education Funding Advisory Board. But Manar said the group focused “almost exclusively” on “how money is distributed rather than how much is distributed.” It seems the panel is trying to focus on the potentially possible. With the temporary state income tax increase set to begin stepping down during the second half of Fiscal Year 2015, a large increase to state education spending appears highly unlikely. In fact, additional cuts, or at least another year of the foundation level falling short, seem probable.
“We believe that while we could have a rigorous debate about the levels [at which] we fund schools, we’re never going to have that debate until we get the distribution formula right,” Manar said. “And that means people can agree that it’s attached to priorities, that it addresses where the needs are in the state and that it is something that we can all believe is working again for the state.”
After months of hearings, a bipartisan group of Illinois senators has presented its proposal to revamp the way the state divvies up its education funding.
The state’s education funding formula, which was last tweaked in the late 1990s, has long been viewed as opaque and complicated. “The law in the school code, I think it’s about 35 pages of very small text. So it’s going to be a challenge to literally start from scratch to come up with a new law that governs the formula, but that’s what we’re going to try to do in the next month,” said Democratic Sen. Andy Manar, who is chairman of the Senate Education Funding Advisory Committee. He said the panel is proposing a more streamlined plan that would put much of state education spending through a process that emphasizes financial equity among districts. General state aid, poverty grants, most special education funding, transportation grants, Chicago block grants and other spending that is doled out by category would be funneled through a single formula that focuses on the fiscal needs of each district “This is the single greatest step we could take as a state government to address inequity,” he said. “Put more of the money that we appropriate in the state budget, regardless of how much we appropriate, through the need-based lens,” he said.
The General Assembly voted in the summer to create the advisory committee. The group presented its ideas to lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn in the form of a report, which lays out 10 goals for education funding. The goals as stated in the report are:
- Make use of a single funding formula.
- Provide additional funding to at-risk, special education and English-language learner students through the single formula.
- Hold districts and students to higher standards.
- Require districts to provide greater clarity on how funds are expended.
- Guarantee that all districts receive a fair amount of minimum funding from the state.
- Ensure that districts retain the same level of funding as under the current funding system for a period of time once a new funding system is adopted.
- Include an accurate reflection of a district’s ability to fund education programs within the district.
- Equalize taxing ability between dual districts and unit districts.
- Review the financial burden placed on school districts through instructional and non-instructional mandates.
- Provide additional transparency regarding the distribution of education funding.
The group plans to emphasize equity with a focus on more sunlight in education budgeting at both the state and local levels and an assessment of costly requirements placed on schools by law. “We had significant discussion about the cost of mandates to local school districts and how we can better address those costs on the legislative level,” said Manar, who is from Bunker Hill.
The way the state distributes education funding is seen as a “third-rail” in Illinois politics because one district’s definition of equity can seem unfair to another district that is losing out on state funding under any change to the formula. The issue is often framed as a regional dispute that pits suburban schools, Chicago schools and rural and downstate schools against one another for resources.
Manar said the committee agreed on much of the plan it has proposed, but he said it would be an “overstatement” to say that there was unanimous support of every bullet point. “Believe it or not, we didn’t get into the us-versus-them ... discussion, which typically these conversations devolve into very quickly,” he said. “You could see all of the different grant programs that exist today in law that don’t go through the need lens and the equality lens, and you could say, ‘There’s special deals for just about every part of the state.’” The Illinois State Board of Education has requested $1 billion in additional spending in its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2015.The agency asked for $879 million more in general state aid spending.
For the last three years, the state has failed to meet the $6,119-per-student foundation level. The committee report opposed that move and called for the foundation level to eventually be funded at the $8,672-per-pupil level recommended by the Education Funding Advisory Board. But Manar said the group focused “almost exclusively” on “how money is distributed rather than how much is distributed.” It seems the panel is trying to focus on the potentially possible. With the temporary state income tax increase set to begin stepping down during the second half of Fiscal Year 2015, a large increase to state education spending appears highly unlikely. In fact, additional cuts, or at least another year of the foundation level falling short, seem probable.
“We believe that while we could have a rigorous debate about the levels [at which] we fund schools, we’re never going to have that debate until we get the distribution formula right,” Manar said. “And that means people can agree that it’s attached to priorities, that it addresses where the needs are in the state and that it is something that we can all believe is working again for the state.”
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
ISBE backs off special education changes
By Caitlin Rydinsky
The State Board of Education has abandoned its efforts to make controversial changes to statewide special education policy.
The board was considering, for the second time, a proposal to eliminate restrictions on the number of special education students that can be placed in general education courses. The current rule allows no more than 30 percent of the classroom to be students in special education programs, except those who receive speech services. The board was also looking into eliminating caps on the number of students in special education classes. That number is currently based on the level of accommodation needed by students and is generally capped at 15 students.
The so-called 70/30 rule was set in a court order, which stopped applying to ISBE in 2012. Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Board of Education, said the board was revisiting the rule to try to give special education students access to more classes, such as advanced math and foreign language courses. She said ISBE has a responsibility to ensure that such students “gain a free and appropriate education with no restrictions to their education.”
Last school year, 251,114 Illinois students had an individual learning plan to accommodate special needs. Of those students, 134,381, or 53.5 percent, spent more than 80 percent of the day in general education classes. “This is where (the State Board of Education) wants to see improvement,” Fergus said in a written statement. “However, if you are looking at the national average for the category of students with IEP (Individualized Education Program) spending 80 percent or greater of their day in the general education setting, you will find that Illinois is well below the national average of 62.8 percent.”
But educators, organizations representing teachers and students, and parents vocally opposed the change. The board opted not to take up the issue at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday. Illinois Education Association President Cinda Klickna, said, it was “very good (the State Board of Education) listened to experts, parents and educators that this won’t be a good idea.” Continuing that the “proposal was not geared to students in our view, but how to save money,” Klickna said she believes there are other ways to resolve the issue if there are districts that are having problems with class sizes. She suggested using the waiver process, which can exempt schools from mandates such as physical education and driver’s education requirements.
However, Anne Garcia, a parent of a child with Down syndrome, said the policy should stay as it is now and not vary by district. She said that if a student moves from one district to another, he or she would have a hard time adapting to the different classroom settings. Having the special education and general education class sizes managed by the state prevents such variations. “I don’t think what forced them to go down this route has gone away. I hope they find another way to protect students and teachers if the issue arises again,” said Garcia who is also the family support coordinator for the National Association for Down Syndrome.
State Superintendent Christopher Koch, who was a special education teacher, said he still supports the change. But for now, the rule will remain in place. “The board will not be taking action on rules governing special education class size and composition. … I still believe our current rules are overreaching and do not always allow for optimal placements, however, at this time we will focus on providing districts with the flexibility available through existing processes and procedures to ensure all students have access to challenging curriculum so they’re prepared for college and careers,” he said within a Weekly Message on the State Board of Education’s website.
This week would have been the board’s last opportunity to vote to change the rule at this time. Without a vote, the proposal will have to go through the ruling making process again. Fergus said the ISBE would work on “giving districts flexibility.” One option it will consider is simplifying the waiver application process.
The State Board of Education has abandoned its efforts to make controversial changes to statewide special education policy.
The board was considering, for the second time, a proposal to eliminate restrictions on the number of special education students that can be placed in general education courses. The current rule allows no more than 30 percent of the classroom to be students in special education programs, except those who receive speech services. The board was also looking into eliminating caps on the number of students in special education classes. That number is currently based on the level of accommodation needed by students and is generally capped at 15 students.
The so-called 70/30 rule was set in a court order, which stopped applying to ISBE in 2012. Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Board of Education, said the board was revisiting the rule to try to give special education students access to more classes, such as advanced math and foreign language courses. She said ISBE has a responsibility to ensure that such students “gain a free and appropriate education with no restrictions to their education.”
Last school year, 251,114 Illinois students had an individual learning plan to accommodate special needs. Of those students, 134,381, or 53.5 percent, spent more than 80 percent of the day in general education classes. “This is where (the State Board of Education) wants to see improvement,” Fergus said in a written statement. “However, if you are looking at the national average for the category of students with IEP (Individualized Education Program) spending 80 percent or greater of their day in the general education setting, you will find that Illinois is well below the national average of 62.8 percent.”
But educators, organizations representing teachers and students, and parents vocally opposed the change. The board opted not to take up the issue at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday. Illinois Education Association President Cinda Klickna, said, it was “very good (the State Board of Education) listened to experts, parents and educators that this won’t be a good idea.” Continuing that the “proposal was not geared to students in our view, but how to save money,” Klickna said she believes there are other ways to resolve the issue if there are districts that are having problems with class sizes. She suggested using the waiver process, which can exempt schools from mandates such as physical education and driver’s education requirements.
However, Anne Garcia, a parent of a child with Down syndrome, said the policy should stay as it is now and not vary by district. She said that if a student moves from one district to another, he or she would have a hard time adapting to the different classroom settings. Having the special education and general education class sizes managed by the state prevents such variations. “I don’t think what forced them to go down this route has gone away. I hope they find another way to protect students and teachers if the issue arises again,” said Garcia who is also the family support coordinator for the National Association for Down Syndrome.
State Superintendent Christopher Koch, who was a special education teacher, said he still supports the change. But for now, the rule will remain in place. “The board will not be taking action on rules governing special education class size and composition. … I still believe our current rules are overreaching and do not always allow for optimal placements, however, at this time we will focus on providing districts with the flexibility available through existing processes and procedures to ensure all students have access to challenging curriculum so they’re prepared for college and careers,” he said within a Weekly Message on the State Board of Education’s website.
This week would have been the board’s last opportunity to vote to change the rule at this time. Without a vote, the proposal will have to go through the ruling making process again. Fergus said the ISBE would work on “giving districts flexibility.” One option it will consider is simplifying the waiver application process.
Friday, November 08, 2013
Quinn picks school reformer Vallas as running mate
By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn announced an unexpected pick for his running mate today — former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas.
Vallas is known as an expert at turning around failing school districts, but along with his managerial choices has come controversy. His firings of teachers and support of charter schools and alternative teaching programs, such as Teach for America, could raise some eyebrows among Quinn’s union supporters. He was superintendent of New Orleans schools as the district tried to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and also served as the head of Philadelphia schools. Vallas made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2001, when he was defeated in the Democratic primary by now incarcerated former-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“I’ve known Paul Vallas for 30 years, and he’s never been shy about fighting for education, reform and opportunities for working people,” Quinn said in a news release officially announcing his choice for lieutenant governor. “We have made great progress these last few years, but serious challenges remain, and our mission is not yet accomplished. Paul is an independent problem solver with a proven record of reform. He will be a strong lieutenant governor for the common good.”
Quinn’s decision to tap Vallas as his running mate comes as a surprise, as many assumed the governor would appeal to his liberal base and might also pick a candidate who was a racial minority. Chicago Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul and Stephanie Neely, Chicago city treasurer, were both rumored to be on Quinn’s short list. “It really doesn’t add anything to the ticket electorally. You can’t talk about him as [a draw for] downstate or Chicago or Hispanic voters or African-American voters or suburban voters,” said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield. But Redfield said he remembers Vallas, a key budget staffer in the General Assembly in the 1970s, as “a serious person who cares about policy.” This is the first time that gubernatorial candidates have picked their lieutenant governor candidates under a new law. In the past, primary winners were paired up to run in the general election.
Redfield said while Vallas may not fit the demographic profile many were expecting, he does have a background that could be useful on the campaign trail. “I don’t view it as a negative. It doesn’t expand the electorate in terms of a particular group of voters. It doesn’t solidify the base in terms of a particular group of voters. But it’s certainly a qualified person,” he said.
Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, agreed that Vallas brings some leadership credentials to the ticket. “He’s got serious executive experience,” he said. “It shows that [Quinn] can get somebody on his ticket that’s got a little bit of heft.” Mooney said the pick may reveal more about which Republican candidate Quinn most thinks he will face. He pointed out that the governor might want to tout his running mate’s executive experience in contrast with a less-experienced candidate — such as Republican candidate Bruce Rauner’s choice, Evelyn Sanguinetti. Both Rauner and the Wheaton City Council member are working to cultivate the image of political outsiders. And Mooney notes that any issue union members might have with Vallas would likely be overshadowed by their concerns about Rauner, who was one of a group of deep-pocketed business leaders backing recent education reforms in the state. “The unions are not going to have a problem with Quinn when faced with Rauner.”
But whether Vallas’ experience would be put to use if he were elected is another matter. Quinn is known for keeping his inner circle tight and not seeking outside help on issues. “It’s a question of, will the governor use him and how does it mesh with Quinn’s governing style?” Redfield said. The lieutenant governor’s position has been infamous in Illinois history for being relatively powerless and at times boring. “That position has been a source of frustration for most people who have held it,” he said. “There’s certainly a question of, why did this make sense to Paul Vallas?” Given his record of trying to revive troubled school districts, perhaps he is drawn to a state with so many problems, Redfield said. “If you want a challenge, this is certainly that place to come.” He added that a win would allow Vallas to return to Illinois politics with an eye toward running for a different office down the road. Current Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is challenging Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
“I am honored to join forces with the strongest reform governor in the country,” Vallas said in a news release. “Since taking the oath of office, Governor Pat Quinn has rescued the state of Illinois from the verge of fiscal and ethical disaster following decades of bipartisan corruption. This governor has been getting big things done since he got here. Unlike his predecessors, Governor Quinn tackled the hard issues and has made the right decisions to get Illinois back on track.”
The fact that Vallas is battling for his job in Bridgeport, Conn., is likely a factor. An activist, along with parents of students, sued to have him removed because they say he did not meet the certification requirements for the job. A judge ordered Vallas to step down in June, but the case is pending before the state’s supreme court.
Quinn’s choice of Vallas is certainly causing a lot of waves among political observers today. “If you made a list of 100 people that he might pick, he would not have been on most people’s list of 100,” Redfield said. “It shakes things up. Adds a little drama” to what has been an uneventful governor’s race so far, Mooney says. But Redfield noted that most people outside of Chicago probably have no idea who Vallas is and care little about lieutenant governor candidates in general. Mooney said that lieutenant governor candidates are unlikely to sway voters one way or the other when they are considering their pick for governor.
Gov. Pat Quinn announced an unexpected pick for his running mate today — former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas.
Vallas is known as an expert at turning around failing school districts, but along with his managerial choices has come controversy. His firings of teachers and support of charter schools and alternative teaching programs, such as Teach for America, could raise some eyebrows among Quinn’s union supporters. He was superintendent of New Orleans schools as the district tried to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and also served as the head of Philadelphia schools. Vallas made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2001, when he was defeated in the Democratic primary by now incarcerated former-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“I’ve known Paul Vallas for 30 years, and he’s never been shy about fighting for education, reform and opportunities for working people,” Quinn said in a news release officially announcing his choice for lieutenant governor. “We have made great progress these last few years, but serious challenges remain, and our mission is not yet accomplished. Paul is an independent problem solver with a proven record of reform. He will be a strong lieutenant governor for the common good.”
Quinn’s decision to tap Vallas as his running mate comes as a surprise, as many assumed the governor would appeal to his liberal base and might also pick a candidate who was a racial minority. Chicago Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul and Stephanie Neely, Chicago city treasurer, were both rumored to be on Quinn’s short list. “It really doesn’t add anything to the ticket electorally. You can’t talk about him as [a draw for] downstate or Chicago or Hispanic voters or African-American voters or suburban voters,” said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield. But Redfield said he remembers Vallas, a key budget staffer in the General Assembly in the 1970s, as “a serious person who cares about policy.” This is the first time that gubernatorial candidates have picked their lieutenant governor candidates under a new law. In the past, primary winners were paired up to run in the general election.
Redfield said while Vallas may not fit the demographic profile many were expecting, he does have a background that could be useful on the campaign trail. “I don’t view it as a negative. It doesn’t expand the electorate in terms of a particular group of voters. It doesn’t solidify the base in terms of a particular group of voters. But it’s certainly a qualified person,” he said.
Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, agreed that Vallas brings some leadership credentials to the ticket. “He’s got serious executive experience,” he said. “It shows that [Quinn] can get somebody on his ticket that’s got a little bit of heft.” Mooney said the pick may reveal more about which Republican candidate Quinn most thinks he will face. He pointed out that the governor might want to tout his running mate’s executive experience in contrast with a less-experienced candidate — such as Republican candidate Bruce Rauner’s choice, Evelyn Sanguinetti. Both Rauner and the Wheaton City Council member are working to cultivate the image of political outsiders. And Mooney notes that any issue union members might have with Vallas would likely be overshadowed by their concerns about Rauner, who was one of a group of deep-pocketed business leaders backing recent education reforms in the state. “The unions are not going to have a problem with Quinn when faced with Rauner.”
But whether Vallas’ experience would be put to use if he were elected is another matter. Quinn is known for keeping his inner circle tight and not seeking outside help on issues. “It’s a question of, will the governor use him and how does it mesh with Quinn’s governing style?” Redfield said. The lieutenant governor’s position has been infamous in Illinois history for being relatively powerless and at times boring. “That position has been a source of frustration for most people who have held it,” he said. “There’s certainly a question of, why did this make sense to Paul Vallas?” Given his record of trying to revive troubled school districts, perhaps he is drawn to a state with so many problems, Redfield said. “If you want a challenge, this is certainly that place to come.” He added that a win would allow Vallas to return to Illinois politics with an eye toward running for a different office down the road. Current Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is challenging Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
“I am honored to join forces with the strongest reform governor in the country,” Vallas said in a news release. “Since taking the oath of office, Governor Pat Quinn has rescued the state of Illinois from the verge of fiscal and ethical disaster following decades of bipartisan corruption. This governor has been getting big things done since he got here. Unlike his predecessors, Governor Quinn tackled the hard issues and has made the right decisions to get Illinois back on track.”
The fact that Vallas is battling for his job in Bridgeport, Conn., is likely a factor. An activist, along with parents of students, sued to have him removed because they say he did not meet the certification requirements for the job. A judge ordered Vallas to step down in June, but the case is pending before the state’s supreme court.
Quinn’s choice of Vallas is certainly causing a lot of waves among political observers today. “If you made a list of 100 people that he might pick, he would not have been on most people’s list of 100,” Redfield said. “It shakes things up. Adds a little drama” to what has been an uneventful governor’s race so far, Mooney says. But Redfield noted that most people outside of Chicago probably have no idea who Vallas is and care little about lieutenant governor candidates in general. Mooney said that lieutenant governor candidates are unlikely to sway voters one way or the other when they are considering their pick for governor.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
State Board of Education puts new face on school data
By Jamey Dunn
The Illinois State Board of Education released an updated version of its annual school date reports, which officials say will give parents a more holistic view of Illinois schools.
The board released its Illinois Report Cards for the state’s school districts today. ISBE used about $600,000 in federal funding from the Race to the Top program to redesign the report cards in an effort to make them more user-friendly. The new version of the report cards does not focus only on test scores, it also includes school conditions, school budget information and the college readiness of students. “In previous years, the school report card focused on student performance on state standardized tests. While this data is important, we all know that test scores alone do not provide a full picture of student learning or a school's climate and learning conditions,” said a video about the data on ISBE’s website.
The interactive report cards provide test scores as well as other information, including average class size, per-student spending and teacher retention rates. Parents can find information about courses and extracurricular activities offered and a link to a survey of students and teachers about their schools. The report cards also provide student demographic data. The information released today indicates that almost 50 percent of students in the state are classified as low-income, and 2 percent are homeless. Nearly half of all students are minorities, with a growing number of Hispanic students contributing to the robust minority student population.
“The data we’re releasing today provide a better picture of student and school growth than ever before,” Christopher Koch, the state superintendent, said in a written statement. “We’re no longer providing just a snapshot of student performance but offering something more akin to a video of ongoing progress toward ensuring that every public school student in Illinois is prepared to succeed in college and careers.”
The report cards come after the state placed more rigorous standards on student testing as part of adopting the Common Core curriculum. Under the new requirements, the percentage of students who received a passing grade or better on a statewide standardized test went from 81.2 in 2012 to 61.9 in 2013. “This year’s performance on state tests can’t be viewed in isolation but as part of an unprecedented amount of change and higher expectations that educators, families and policy makers have taken on to better prepare students for the world that awaits them after high school,” state board Chairman Gery J. Chico said in a prepared statement. “I know that it’s a lot of new expectations, and it’s difficult to see school scores decline, but we needed to give families a better indication earlier on of college and career readiness. Students are still learning, and hopefully, in new and more engaging ways under the Common Core Learning Standards, which emphasize that students not only master content but can demonstrate their understanding, along with critical thinking, problem-solving, writing and other important skills.” According to ISBE’s data, only 45.7 of the 2013 high school graduating class is prepared for college coursework based on their ACT scores.
While those stats seem jarring, ISBE is in the process of transition from one major education policy to another. New testing associated with the Common Core program is scheduled to begin by the end of the 2014-2015 school year. However, the state continues to wait for a waiver for No Child Left Behind standards from the federal government. Congress has yet to pass an update to the law, which has been roundly criticized in the years since its implementation for setting unrealistic standards that schools must meet to avoid being dubbed failures. President Barack Obama's administration has opted to grant waivers from the program requirements to states willing to make certain education reforms. According to the ISBE, the U.S. Department of Education is asking Illinois to implement new teacher evaluations that use student performance — measured by test scores — as a key component for evaluating teachers. Illinois law does not call for the new evaluations to be in place statewide until the 2016-2017 school year.
The Illinois State Board of Education released an updated version of its annual school date reports, which officials say will give parents a more holistic view of Illinois schools.
The board released its Illinois Report Cards for the state’s school districts today. ISBE used about $600,000 in federal funding from the Race to the Top program to redesign the report cards in an effort to make them more user-friendly. The new version of the report cards does not focus only on test scores, it also includes school conditions, school budget information and the college readiness of students. “In previous years, the school report card focused on student performance on state standardized tests. While this data is important, we all know that test scores alone do not provide a full picture of student learning or a school's climate and learning conditions,” said a video about the data on ISBE’s website.
The interactive report cards provide test scores as well as other information, including average class size, per-student spending and teacher retention rates. Parents can find information about courses and extracurricular activities offered and a link to a survey of students and teachers about their schools. The report cards also provide student demographic data. The information released today indicates that almost 50 percent of students in the state are classified as low-income, and 2 percent are homeless. Nearly half of all students are minorities, with a growing number of Hispanic students contributing to the robust minority student population.
“The data we’re releasing today provide a better picture of student and school growth than ever before,” Christopher Koch, the state superintendent, said in a written statement. “We’re no longer providing just a snapshot of student performance but offering something more akin to a video of ongoing progress toward ensuring that every public school student in Illinois is prepared to succeed in college and careers.”
The report cards come after the state placed more rigorous standards on student testing as part of adopting the Common Core curriculum. Under the new requirements, the percentage of students who received a passing grade or better on a statewide standardized test went from 81.2 in 2012 to 61.9 in 2013. “This year’s performance on state tests can’t be viewed in isolation but as part of an unprecedented amount of change and higher expectations that educators, families and policy makers have taken on to better prepare students for the world that awaits them after high school,” state board Chairman Gery J. Chico said in a prepared statement. “I know that it’s a lot of new expectations, and it’s difficult to see school scores decline, but we needed to give families a better indication earlier on of college and career readiness. Students are still learning, and hopefully, in new and more engaging ways under the Common Core Learning Standards, which emphasize that students not only master content but can demonstrate their understanding, along with critical thinking, problem-solving, writing and other important skills.” According to ISBE’s data, only 45.7 of the 2013 high school graduating class is prepared for college coursework based on their ACT scores.
While those stats seem jarring, ISBE is in the process of transition from one major education policy to another. New testing associated with the Common Core program is scheduled to begin by the end of the 2014-2015 school year. However, the state continues to wait for a waiver for No Child Left Behind standards from the federal government. Congress has yet to pass an update to the law, which has been roundly criticized in the years since its implementation for setting unrealistic standards that schools must meet to avoid being dubbed failures. President Barack Obama's administration has opted to grant waivers from the program requirements to states willing to make certain education reforms. According to the ISBE, the U.S. Department of Education is asking Illinois to implement new teacher evaluations that use student performance — measured by test scores — as a key component for evaluating teachers. Illinois law does not call for the new evaluations to be in place statewide until the 2016-2017 school year.
Monday, July 01, 2013
Quinn signs school safety bill, says he will act on carry bill 'shortly'
By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed legislation that requires Illinois schools to conduct safety drills to prepare for the possibility of a shooting.
The December shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed, began a push in Illinois to ensure that schools are considering security as part of their safety plans. Senate Bill 1625 requires schools to add a drill for a “shooting incident” to their annual safety drills, which currently include evacuations and severe weather preparation. “Unfortunately, today we must prepare not only for acts of nature but acts of violence,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Jacqueline Collins, who sponsored the bill. Local law enforcement will be involved in the shooting drills.
“I think all of us were horrified by a terrible tragedy that occurred in our country at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn.,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in Oak Park today. “It was a horrific tragedy that we need to take notice of and do something about.” After the Sandy Hook shooting, Quinn held a school safety summit that included law enforcement officials, education representatives and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. SB 1625 was a product of those discussions. “It’s very sad that we have to have a drill, but I think it is necessary,” said Illinois Education Association president Cinda Klickna, who participated in the summit. Klickna said many schools already have a plan in place for acts of violence. “Sometimes, there are schools that actually have a walk through [for police and emergency responders] so that everybody knows what the school looks like. ... The more that there is that conversation and understanding of that school setting, the better off you are.” She said, however, that some districts have a plan on file but have not conducted drills. The measure does allow flexibility for local districts to work with police and craft their own responses. “It’s a local enterprise between local law enforcement and the local school district,” Quinn said.
Klickna said the new law would bring some consistency across the state by ensuring that each school has a drill that teachers, staff and first responders have practiced. “I think if I were still in the classroom, I would really want to know what I was supposed to do,” she said. “Let’s just hope that we never really have to use the plan, but it’s always better to have a plan.”
Quinn has cited the Sandy Hook shooting several times this year in his calls for gun control measures, such as a ban on assault weapons and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Parents of Sandy Hook victims came to Springfield to lobby for a high-capacity magazine ban, but the bill fell short in the Senate. Some Statehouse observers predict that Quinn will use his veto pen to write one or both provisions into a concealed carry bill that lawmakers approved on the last day of their spring session. A federal court overturned the state’s ban on concealed carry and gave lawmakers until July 9 to approve legislation regulating the carry of firearms in the state. Quinn would not give any details today, but he said he would act on the bill soon. “It’s imminent. I’ll act on that very shortly, so stay tuned.”
Quinn also set July 9 as the deadline for lawmakers to return to Springfield to take up pension reform legislation. A committee that is working to produce a compromise met last week and has another hearing scheduled on Wednesday. If Quinn vetoes the carry bill, legislators could act on his veto next week.
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed legislation that requires Illinois schools to conduct safety drills to prepare for the possibility of a shooting.
The December shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed, began a push in Illinois to ensure that schools are considering security as part of their safety plans. Senate Bill 1625 requires schools to add a drill for a “shooting incident” to their annual safety drills, which currently include evacuations and severe weather preparation. “Unfortunately, today we must prepare not only for acts of nature but acts of violence,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Jacqueline Collins, who sponsored the bill. Local law enforcement will be involved in the shooting drills.
“I think all of us were horrified by a terrible tragedy that occurred in our country at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn.,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in Oak Park today. “It was a horrific tragedy that we need to take notice of and do something about.” After the Sandy Hook shooting, Quinn held a school safety summit that included law enforcement officials, education representatives and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. SB 1625 was a product of those discussions. “It’s very sad that we have to have a drill, but I think it is necessary,” said Illinois Education Association president Cinda Klickna, who participated in the summit. Klickna said many schools already have a plan in place for acts of violence. “Sometimes, there are schools that actually have a walk through [for police and emergency responders] so that everybody knows what the school looks like. ... The more that there is that conversation and understanding of that school setting, the better off you are.” She said, however, that some districts have a plan on file but have not conducted drills. The measure does allow flexibility for local districts to work with police and craft their own responses. “It’s a local enterprise between local law enforcement and the local school district,” Quinn said.
Klickna said the new law would bring some consistency across the state by ensuring that each school has a drill that teachers, staff and first responders have practiced. “I think if I were still in the classroom, I would really want to know what I was supposed to do,” she said. “Let’s just hope that we never really have to use the plan, but it’s always better to have a plan.”
Quinn has cited the Sandy Hook shooting several times this year in his calls for gun control measures, such as a ban on assault weapons and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Parents of Sandy Hook victims came to Springfield to lobby for a high-capacity magazine ban, but the bill fell short in the Senate. Some Statehouse observers predict that Quinn will use his veto pen to write one or both provisions into a concealed carry bill that lawmakers approved on the last day of their spring session. A federal court overturned the state’s ban on concealed carry and gave lawmakers until July 9 to approve legislation regulating the carry of firearms in the state. Quinn would not give any details today, but he said he would act on the bill soon. “It’s imminent. I’ll act on that very shortly, so stay tuned.”
Quinn also set July 9 as the deadline for lawmakers to return to Springfield to take up pension reform legislation. A committee that is working to produce a compromise met last week and has another hearing scheduled on Wednesday. If Quinn vetoes the carry bill, legislators could act on his veto next week.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Final state budget bills sent to governor
By Meredith Colias and Jamey Dunn
The Illinois Senate today approved the last two budget bills that the House sent over. Republicans echoed the same compliant they have had about the other pieces of the budget for Fiscal Year 2014, which was crafted by Democrats from both chambers.
House Bill 214 is general services spending, the General Assembly’s budget and the constitutional officers' budgets. HB 215 is public safety and transportation spending, Illinois Department of Corrections budget, capital construction spending for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' budget. “It’s a responsible budget. We live within our means; we fund key programs; we’re paying down our bills,” said Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski.
Sen. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican, called the budget incomplete because it does not contain funds earmarked to pay back wages owed to state workers. “There’s a $140 million hole in this budget out of the gate,” he said.
“We’ll have to come back in the fall for a supplemental” spending bill to cover the back pay,” said Lake Barrington Republican Sen. Dan Duffy. “We should stay down here as long as we have to — all night and all summer if we have to — to come up with a balanced budget to pay down our bills.”
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 2555 and SB 2556, which contain the funding for K-12 and higher education, passed the House on the final day of the spring session and now go to the governor. K-12 education funding has been cut severely since 2009, and Homewood Democratic Rep. William Davis said that he was pleased that unexpected tax revenues allowed general state aid to be held flat for the next fiscal year because the state has an obligation to fund education. “We have to put our money where our mouths are,” said Davis, who chairs the House education budgeting committee.
Even though the K-12 education budget for Fiscal Year 2014 includes more than $6.6 billion in funding, school districts will still have to make due with an 89 percent proration for general state aid and a 64 percent proration for transportation. Funding for bilingual education and early childhood education will remain flat. Republicans criticized smaller parts of the more than $1.9 billion higher education budget, such as $600,000 for a Quad Cities manufacturing center at Western Illinois University. “If you are going to vote for this budget, I get it. But I am not going to support a budget that is a sham,” Macomb Republican Rep. Norine Hammond said.
The dismal state of funding for universities has forced many to delay maintenance, institute hiring freezes and look for other ways to supplement their budgets, including raising tuition. Rep. Chad Hays, a Republican from Catlin, said he is concerned that tuition increases are pricing Illinois schools out of range for average people. “Public education is getting elbowed off the table,” Hays said. “We are pricing the average family out of the higher education arena. The state can't be everything to everyone. We have to figure out where our priorities are.”
The Illinois Senate today approved the last two budget bills that the House sent over. Republicans echoed the same compliant they have had about the other pieces of the budget for Fiscal Year 2014, which was crafted by Democrats from both chambers.
House Bill 214 is general services spending, the General Assembly’s budget and the constitutional officers' budgets. HB 215 is public safety and transportation spending, Illinois Department of Corrections budget, capital construction spending for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' budget. “It’s a responsible budget. We live within our means; we fund key programs; we’re paying down our bills,” said Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski.
Sen. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican, called the budget incomplete because it does not contain funds earmarked to pay back wages owed to state workers. “There’s a $140 million hole in this budget out of the gate,” he said.
“We’ll have to come back in the fall for a supplemental” spending bill to cover the back pay,” said Lake Barrington Republican Sen. Dan Duffy. “We should stay down here as long as we have to — all night and all summer if we have to — to come up with a balanced budget to pay down our bills.”
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 2555 and SB 2556, which contain the funding for K-12 and higher education, passed the House on the final day of the spring session and now go to the governor. K-12 education funding has been cut severely since 2009, and Homewood Democratic Rep. William Davis said that he was pleased that unexpected tax revenues allowed general state aid to be held flat for the next fiscal year because the state has an obligation to fund education. “We have to put our money where our mouths are,” said Davis, who chairs the House education budgeting committee.
Even though the K-12 education budget for Fiscal Year 2014 includes more than $6.6 billion in funding, school districts will still have to make due with an 89 percent proration for general state aid and a 64 percent proration for transportation. Funding for bilingual education and early childhood education will remain flat. Republicans criticized smaller parts of the more than $1.9 billion higher education budget, such as $600,000 for a Quad Cities manufacturing center at Western Illinois University. “If you are going to vote for this budget, I get it. But I am not going to support a budget that is a sham,” Macomb Republican Rep. Norine Hammond said.
The dismal state of funding for universities has forced many to delay maintenance, institute hiring freezes and look for other ways to supplement their budgets, including raising tuition. Rep. Chad Hays, a Republican from Catlin, said he is concerned that tuition increases are pricing Illinois schools out of range for average people. “Public education is getting elbowed off the table,” Hays said. “We are pricing the average family out of the higher education arena. The state can't be everything to everyone. We have to figure out where our priorities are.”
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Quinn to sign bill lowering required school enrollment age
By Meredith Colias
Children will soon be required to start school earlier under a bill that passed the Illinois Senate today.
Senate Bill 1307 would push the required starting age for children one year earlier. Currently, children must start school in Illinois by age 7. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, they would be required to enroll by age 6. A spokesman for Gov. Pat Quinn said he would sign the bill, calling it “investment in their future” for schoolchildren.
Parents would have the choice to enroll their children in public school, parochial school or home school. Chicago Democrat Sen. Kimberly Lightford sponsored the bill and said starting children earlier would give them a better chance to excel in school. “We value early childhood education in this state. The earlier they learn,” the better chance they have to succeed later in life, she said. Lightford said the change was not meant to be a one size fits all solution for children. If incoming students were more advanced than the kindergarten level, they could be allowed to start first grade by age 6.
Okawville Republican Rep. David Luechtefeld said the state should not restrict parents’ ability to decide when it is best to start their kids in school. As a former educator, he said he often advised parents to hold their children back if they thought they did not have the maturity yet to spend the day in school. “Holding a kid back is not all bad,” he said. Early childhood education advocates for lower-income children cite the benefits of enrolling them earlier in school. Parents are their children's first teachers and can lay the groundwork for their child's academic success well before their child gets to school. Many lower-income parents work long hours and may lack the resources to prepare their kids properly for school. “I understand that, I really do,” Luechtefeld said. “That is a concern. It's looking at it from a different perspective.” He said good parents should be able to use their good judgment. “I just want to give parents that opportunity,” he said.
Children will soon be required to start school earlier under a bill that passed the Illinois Senate today.
Senate Bill 1307 would push the required starting age for children one year earlier. Currently, children must start school in Illinois by age 7. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, they would be required to enroll by age 6. A spokesman for Gov. Pat Quinn said he would sign the bill, calling it “investment in their future” for schoolchildren.
Parents would have the choice to enroll their children in public school, parochial school or home school. Chicago Democrat Sen. Kimberly Lightford sponsored the bill and said starting children earlier would give them a better chance to excel in school. “We value early childhood education in this state. The earlier they learn,” the better chance they have to succeed later in life, she said. Lightford said the change was not meant to be a one size fits all solution for children. If incoming students were more advanced than the kindergarten level, they could be allowed to start first grade by age 6.
Okawville Republican Rep. David Luechtefeld said the state should not restrict parents’ ability to decide when it is best to start their kids in school. As a former educator, he said he often advised parents to hold their children back if they thought they did not have the maturity yet to spend the day in school. “Holding a kid back is not all bad,” he said. Early childhood education advocates for lower-income children cite the benefits of enrolling them earlier in school. Parents are their children's first teachers and can lay the groundwork for their child's academic success well before their child gets to school. Many lower-income parents work long hours and may lack the resources to prepare their kids properly for school. “I understand that, I really do,” Luechtefeld said. “That is a concern. It's looking at it from a different perspective.” He said good parents should be able to use their good judgment. “I just want to give parents that opportunity,” he said.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Senate approves education budgets
By Meredith Colias
Illinois Senate Democrats voted today to give education an extra boost by using unexpected income tax revenue to avoid further cuts next year.
Senate Bill 2555 and SB 2556, funding bills for K-12 and higher education, passed on a party line vote. About $155 million is being added to the K-12 education budget to keep the general state aid pro-rated at 89 percent, which is its current level. The House approved the other pieces of the budget yesterday. Democrats from both chambers reached a budget deal this year after cutting Republicans out of talks a few weeks ago.
Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski, the sponsor of the legislation, called it a “true, accurate, transparent budget.” Bilingual education and early childhood education funds will remain the same. Transportation will also remain flat, although it has been severely underfunded because of cuts in recent years. At present, the state is only reimbursing schools for 64 percent of their student transportation costs. Under the proposal, the state would fail to meet the recommended per-student funding level for the third year in a row.
Republican lawmakers complained about about the K-12 budget during floor debate, saying their districts are struggling to make do. Currently, two thirds of districts are running deficits. “We’ve done everything we can, and all we do is get cut,” Lebanon Republican Sen. Kyle McCarter said. “We’ve made every cut we can make.” Democrats were criticized for introducing the bill in advance of the budget implementation bill, which is the final blueprint on how the money is going to be spent. “We haven’t seen the full picture, and yet we are voting here today,” Mahomet Republican Sen. Chapin Rose said.
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, blasted Republican members on the floor who said they are concerned that their districts are missing funding after Republicans have called for budget cuts for years. “You have fought against” increasing education budgets for the last decade, she said. “All of a sudden, you realize you have poor kids in your districts. Now it is touching home.”
The higher education budget approved today lacked the 5 percent cut called for in Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget. Quinn presented cuts to both K-12 and higher education because he said the growing pension costs were putting pressure on other areas. But a windfall of one-time only tax revenues spared both education budgets. “I'm not going to advocate for a budget that cuts for another year,” Kotowksi said.
Rose said that even though higher education is funded at essentially the same level as this fiscal year, universities would continue to struggle because the state is behind on its payments from the current fiscal year. “When you don’t pay people, it really doesn’t matter,” he said.
Illinois Senate Democrats voted today to give education an extra boost by using unexpected income tax revenue to avoid further cuts next year.
Senate Bill 2555 and SB 2556, funding bills for K-12 and higher education, passed on a party line vote. About $155 million is being added to the K-12 education budget to keep the general state aid pro-rated at 89 percent, which is its current level. The House approved the other pieces of the budget yesterday. Democrats from both chambers reached a budget deal this year after cutting Republicans out of talks a few weeks ago.
Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski, the sponsor of the legislation, called it a “true, accurate, transparent budget.” Bilingual education and early childhood education funds will remain the same. Transportation will also remain flat, although it has been severely underfunded because of cuts in recent years. At present, the state is only reimbursing schools for 64 percent of their student transportation costs. Under the proposal, the state would fail to meet the recommended per-student funding level for the third year in a row.
Republican lawmakers complained about about the K-12 budget during floor debate, saying their districts are struggling to make do. Currently, two thirds of districts are running deficits. “We’ve done everything we can, and all we do is get cut,” Lebanon Republican Sen. Kyle McCarter said. “We’ve made every cut we can make.” Democrats were criticized for introducing the bill in advance of the budget implementation bill, which is the final blueprint on how the money is going to be spent. “We haven’t seen the full picture, and yet we are voting here today,” Mahomet Republican Sen. Chapin Rose said.
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, blasted Republican members on the floor who said they are concerned that their districts are missing funding after Republicans have called for budget cuts for years. “You have fought against” increasing education budgets for the last decade, she said. “All of a sudden, you realize you have poor kids in your districts. Now it is touching home.”
The higher education budget approved today lacked the 5 percent cut called for in Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget. Quinn presented cuts to both K-12 and higher education because he said the growing pension costs were putting pressure on other areas. But a windfall of one-time only tax revenues spared both education budgets. “I'm not going to advocate for a budget that cuts for another year,” Kotowksi said.
Rose said that even though higher education is funded at essentially the same level as this fiscal year, universities would continue to struggle because the state is behind on its payments from the current fiscal year. “When you don’t pay people, it really doesn’t matter,” he said.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sex education bill likely to become law
By Jamey Dunn
Legislation that would end abstinence-only sex education in the state’s public schools is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn, who is expected to sign the bill.
House Bill 2675 would require schools that teach sexual education to provide students with information that is “age-appropriate, medically accurate, evidence-based and complete." Schools would have discretion to decide which curriculum meets those requirements, and parents could opt to keep children out of sex education if they don’t approve of the curriculum. An attempt to pass a similar bill last year fell short of the needed support.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Heather Steans, the sponsor of the bill, said that the intent of the bill is to ensure that students learn about safe sex in addition to abstinence because studies show “there are districts where they’re not teaching complete, medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education curriculum. ... Abstinence only, for example is shown to be not as effective at giving kids the ability to, one, reduce the likelihood that they’re going to engage in sexual intercourse, or two, know how to prevent unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.” According to a 2008 study from the University of Chicago, 93 percent of Illinois schools offer sexual education, but only 42 percent give information on how to use and obtain contraceptives. Less than a third of those teaching to classes had any formal training on the topic.
Opponents said that decisions about sex education curriculum should be left to local school districts, and abstinence-only education should be an option for those districts that choose to use it. “That’s the issue here, is whether or not a school district will be allowed to teach any kind of sex education class that does not talk about contraception. And the answer to that is clearly no because that’s what’s in the bill,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Mattoon Republican. Righter said that teaching kids about contraceptives might not protect them. He pointed to Chicago, which has comprehensive sex education and high rates of sexually transmitted infections when compared with the rest of the state. “Telling a teenager, a 15- or a 16-year-old or a 13-year-old: ‘You’ll be fine. You can do it. Just get the condom on, man,’ gives a false send of security that is absolutely not real.”
Steans said the bill calls for schools to emphasize abstinence as a positive choice and the only way to absolutely protect against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. Some Republican opponents said that embracing such sex education would send a permissive message to teenagers. They specifically complained that the bill would change the current law by removing a provision that said sexual education would presume that abstinence was the norm for students. “Have we given up on that? It sounds like we have simply given up on those standards that we all agree should happen,” said Okawville Republican Sen. David Luechtefeld.
But supporters said that giving kids information is not the same as telling them it is OK to have sex. “Information, factually accurate information in these decisions that our children have to make, is power. It is not permission. We need to give them the tools they need to have to make the best choices that they can, hopefully in accordance with what we as parents instill in them as they are coming up,” said Olympia Fields Democratic Sen. Toi Hutchinson. “But they need to get factual, accurate information so that when they’re making these choices, they’re not making it based on what some kid around the corner told them. The fact [is], parents today are not just competing against other kids, we’re competing with 700, 800 different channels and social media and the Internet. ... When we send them to school, I want them to go to school and get factually accurate, medically sound information that helps them do the best they can with the values we’ve instilled in them, to protect themselves and the people around them.”
A spokesperson for Quinn said the governor supports the bill.
Legislation that would end abstinence-only sex education in the state’s public schools is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn, who is expected to sign the bill.
House Bill 2675 would require schools that teach sexual education to provide students with information that is “age-appropriate, medically accurate, evidence-based and complete." Schools would have discretion to decide which curriculum meets those requirements, and parents could opt to keep children out of sex education if they don’t approve of the curriculum. An attempt to pass a similar bill last year fell short of the needed support.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Heather Steans, the sponsor of the bill, said that the intent of the bill is to ensure that students learn about safe sex in addition to abstinence because studies show “there are districts where they’re not teaching complete, medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education curriculum. ... Abstinence only, for example is shown to be not as effective at giving kids the ability to, one, reduce the likelihood that they’re going to engage in sexual intercourse, or two, know how to prevent unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.” According to a 2008 study from the University of Chicago, 93 percent of Illinois schools offer sexual education, but only 42 percent give information on how to use and obtain contraceptives. Less than a third of those teaching to classes had any formal training on the topic.
Opponents said that decisions about sex education curriculum should be left to local school districts, and abstinence-only education should be an option for those districts that choose to use it. “That’s the issue here, is whether or not a school district will be allowed to teach any kind of sex education class that does not talk about contraception. And the answer to that is clearly no because that’s what’s in the bill,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Mattoon Republican. Righter said that teaching kids about contraceptives might not protect them. He pointed to Chicago, which has comprehensive sex education and high rates of sexually transmitted infections when compared with the rest of the state. “Telling a teenager, a 15- or a 16-year-old or a 13-year-old: ‘You’ll be fine. You can do it. Just get the condom on, man,’ gives a false send of security that is absolutely not real.”
Steans said the bill calls for schools to emphasize abstinence as a positive choice and the only way to absolutely protect against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. Some Republican opponents said that embracing such sex education would send a permissive message to teenagers. They specifically complained that the bill would change the current law by removing a provision that said sexual education would presume that abstinence was the norm for students. “Have we given up on that? It sounds like we have simply given up on those standards that we all agree should happen,” said Okawville Republican Sen. David Luechtefeld.
But supporters said that giving kids information is not the same as telling them it is OK to have sex. “Information, factually accurate information in these decisions that our children have to make, is power. It is not permission. We need to give them the tools they need to have to make the best choices that they can, hopefully in accordance with what we as parents instill in them as they are coming up,” said Olympia Fields Democratic Sen. Toi Hutchinson. “But they need to get factual, accurate information so that when they’re making these choices, they’re not making it based on what some kid around the corner told them. The fact [is], parents today are not just competing against other kids, we’re competing with 700, 800 different channels and social media and the Internet. ... When we send them to school, I want them to go to school and get factually accurate, medically sound information that helps them do the best they can with the values we’ve instilled in them, to protect themselves and the people around them.”
A spokesperson for Quinn said the governor supports the bill.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Madigan pushes ahead with cost-shift talks
By Meredith Colias
Representatives from public schools, higher education and community colleges testifying before a House committee today warned Speaker Michael Madigan that gradually picking up the cost for their pensions would burden their already strained budgets.
Supporters of a cost shift on pensions are framing the debate as matter of fairness. Chicago Public Schools pays for most of its pension costs, and legislators supporting a cost shift want other districts, as well as public universities and community colleges, to begin to do the same for future retirement costs for employees. Seeing the cost-shift issue as a liability for the state, Madigan said he wanted to push through with a plan. “There has been a full year for everyone to absorb” this notion, he said. “This is going to happen.” Districts outside of Chicago set salaries that determine pension benefits the state has to pay. Madigan said he wants to see “the people that are spending the money pay the bill.”He did not offer specifics on how such a plan might be phased in out over time.
The fear among opponents is that making cash–strapped school districts outside of Chicago pick up the costs for pensions will force districts to lay off more teachers or raise local property taxes if they are not already at their maximum limit in counties with property tax caps. A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, who is opposed to a cost shift, said in a statement that it would “add insult to injury to downstate and suburban school districts and property taxpayers.”
“It changes the game in terms of the school district’s bottom line,” said Mike Jacoby, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. Universities taking on pensions of their own might be forced to raise tuition rates. Avijit Ghosh, representing the University of Illinois, said a university pension cost shift would affect its ability to retain high quality faculty and conduct research. “We cannot hide” from the impact of cuts universities would have to make to cover pensions costs, he said. Steve Cunningham of Northern Illinois University said administrators would be willing to work with legislators, but the transition would have to be phased in slowly enough for the university to able to absorb the cost.
Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, said that if pensions changes such as the plan the House passed last week, becomes law, the cost of future benefits would decrease. Nekrtiz said that SB 1 would also reduce the state’s liability, freeing up money that could be spent on education.
Madigan has said he hopes to get cost shift legislation passed this session, while keeping the plan as a separate proposal from the other pension reform bills the legislature is considering. The cost shift issue helped to sink efforts at pension reform in the final days of spring session last year.
“As much as we would like to think he controls everything around here, there is the necessity of putting 60 votes on something,” Nekrtiz said. “We’ll see whether 60 legislators are willing to support that when it comes up.”
Representatives from public schools, higher education and community colleges testifying before a House committee today warned Speaker Michael Madigan that gradually picking up the cost for their pensions would burden their already strained budgets.
Supporters of a cost shift on pensions are framing the debate as matter of fairness. Chicago Public Schools pays for most of its pension costs, and legislators supporting a cost shift want other districts, as well as public universities and community colleges, to begin to do the same for future retirement costs for employees. Seeing the cost-shift issue as a liability for the state, Madigan said he wanted to push through with a plan. “There has been a full year for everyone to absorb” this notion, he said. “This is going to happen.” Districts outside of Chicago set salaries that determine pension benefits the state has to pay. Madigan said he wants to see “the people that are spending the money pay the bill.”He did not offer specifics on how such a plan might be phased in out over time.
The fear among opponents is that making cash–strapped school districts outside of Chicago pick up the costs for pensions will force districts to lay off more teachers or raise local property taxes if they are not already at their maximum limit in counties with property tax caps. A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, who is opposed to a cost shift, said in a statement that it would “add insult to injury to downstate and suburban school districts and property taxpayers.”
“It changes the game in terms of the school district’s bottom line,” said Mike Jacoby, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. Universities taking on pensions of their own might be forced to raise tuition rates. Avijit Ghosh, representing the University of Illinois, said a university pension cost shift would affect its ability to retain high quality faculty and conduct research. “We cannot hide” from the impact of cuts universities would have to make to cover pensions costs, he said. Steve Cunningham of Northern Illinois University said administrators would be willing to work with legislators, but the transition would have to be phased in slowly enough for the university to able to absorb the cost.
Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, said that if pensions changes such as the plan the House passed last week, becomes law, the cost of future benefits would decrease. Nekrtiz said that SB 1 would also reduce the state’s liability, freeing up money that could be spent on education.
Madigan has said he hopes to get cost shift legislation passed this session, while keeping the plan as a separate proposal from the other pension reform bills the legislature is considering. The cost shift issue helped to sink efforts at pension reform in the final days of spring session last year.
“As much as we would like to think he controls everything around here, there is the necessity of putting 60 votes on something,” Nekrtiz said. “We’ll see whether 60 legislators are willing to support that when it comes up.”
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Suburban administrators say transportation cuts hit classrooms
By Meredith Colias
Suburban administrators struggling to cover transportation costs say they cannot bear deeper cuts next year.
Angela Smith, an assistant superintendent in the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, told a House committee that reducing the money the state pays for regular school bus costs to her district will only force it to look for cuts in other parts of her budget, such as staffing and basic programs. She said cuts to the state transportation reimbursement should not give lawmakers a false sense that teachers and students would not be impacted. “It’s going to affect the classroom, there’s no way around it,” she said.
Gov. Pat Quinn proposed a cut to regular transportation funding that is almost as large as his proposed cut to General State Aid. Under his plan, aid would be cut by $150 million, while the money the state gives schools to transport kids would be reduced by about $145 million. Quinn’s cut would take transportation funding from $206 million in the current fiscal year to more than $60 million in Fiscal Year 2014. However, the House education budgeting committee has led the way on the state education budget in recent years, and its proposal could be different from what the governor has pitched. “There are going to be cuts. We are experiencing enormous challenges here,” said Rep. David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican and a member of the committee.
At the same time the transportation budget is expected to decrease, more school districts statewide are struggling to cover costs. The state board of education is estimating two-thirds of school districts will run a deficit in the next fiscal year. Both Smith and Tom Leonard, superintendent of Barrington Community Unit School District 220, said they were concerned with safety issues and were straining to figure out how to transport students over larger areas in their districts as efficiently as possible. Districts are not able to charge parents to make up the difference for busing their children because it would also reduce their share of General State Aid. Districts have taken measures such as spreading bus stops out farther from each other in an attempt to streamline costs as much as possible. “We’re stretched that to the point where there’s not very much [more] that can be done,” Smith said.
“We are trying to be efficient. More cuts will lead to stranger things,” Leonard said. Smith said the “easy” and “hard” options have already been taken in many district’s budget. “All that’s left are the really hard things,” she said.
Rep. William Davis, who chairs the committee, said that he is sympathetic to the cuts. He said that he plans to advocate for new revenues as he has in past budget years. “We do understand what cuts do,” he said. Davis, a Homewood Democrat, suggested that administrators could lobby their own suburban representatives, most of whom are Republican.
Suburban administrators struggling to cover transportation costs say they cannot bear deeper cuts next year.
Angela Smith, an assistant superintendent in the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, told a House committee that reducing the money the state pays for regular school bus costs to her district will only force it to look for cuts in other parts of her budget, such as staffing and basic programs. She said cuts to the state transportation reimbursement should not give lawmakers a false sense that teachers and students would not be impacted. “It’s going to affect the classroom, there’s no way around it,” she said.
Gov. Pat Quinn proposed a cut to regular transportation funding that is almost as large as his proposed cut to General State Aid. Under his plan, aid would be cut by $150 million, while the money the state gives schools to transport kids would be reduced by about $145 million. Quinn’s cut would take transportation funding from $206 million in the current fiscal year to more than $60 million in Fiscal Year 2014. However, the House education budgeting committee has led the way on the state education budget in recent years, and its proposal could be different from what the governor has pitched. “There are going to be cuts. We are experiencing enormous challenges here,” said Rep. David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican and a member of the committee.
At the same time the transportation budget is expected to decrease, more school districts statewide are struggling to cover costs. The state board of education is estimating two-thirds of school districts will run a deficit in the next fiscal year. Both Smith and Tom Leonard, superintendent of Barrington Community Unit School District 220, said they were concerned with safety issues and were straining to figure out how to transport students over larger areas in their districts as efficiently as possible. Districts are not able to charge parents to make up the difference for busing their children because it would also reduce their share of General State Aid. Districts have taken measures such as spreading bus stops out farther from each other in an attempt to streamline costs as much as possible. “We’re stretched that to the point where there’s not very much [more] that can be done,” Smith said.
“We are trying to be efficient. More cuts will lead to stranger things,” Leonard said. Smith said the “easy” and “hard” options have already been taken in many district’s budget. “All that’s left are the really hard things,” she said.
Rep. William Davis, who chairs the committee, said that he is sympathetic to the cuts. He said that he plans to advocate for new revenues as he has in past budget years. “We do understand what cuts do,” he said. Davis, a Homewood Democrat, suggested that administrators could lobby their own suburban representatives, most of whom are Republican.
Friday, March 22, 2013
ISBE: More than half of Illinois school districts face budget deficits this year
By Jamey Dunn
More than half of Illinois school districts will spend more money than they have this fiscal year ,according to analysis from the Illinois State Board of Education.
According ISBE report, more than 570, or about 67 percent, of schools will deficit spend this fiscal year, which ends in June. That number has increased from 425 districts, or about 48 percent last fiscal year. The analysis ranks schools on their fiscal stability based on factors such as how much cash a district has on hand and its debt load. More than 100 school districts have dropped out of its highest ranking category since last year and the number of districts in the lowest category, called financial watch, has doubled, going from 17 districts to 45. But 13 percent of Illinois districts fell in the bottom two rankings, up from about 6 percent last year. The number of districts on the financial watch list decreased each year from 2004 to 2009. The number went up in 2010, declined in 2011 and 2012 and spiked under the current analysis. (Financial rankings for all of the state’s school districts can be found at ISBE’s website.) This is the 11th year that ISBE has done such an analysis.
The rankings have been changed to account for slow payments from the state to schools districts. The state currently owes schools more than $630 million. According to ISBE, no schools are put on financial watch based solely on late payments.
ISBE officials attribute the decline in districts’ financial stability to cuts in state funding. They say that K-12 education has been cut by almost $900 million since 2009. “It is no surprise that our analysis shows the harmful effects of multiple cuts to education funding by the legislature. School districts have already eliminated thousands of teaching positions, increased class sizes, delayed facility repairs and so on, all in an effort to reduce expenses,” ISBE Chairman Gery Chico said in a prepared statement. “We cannot expect Illinois to remain competitive in a global economy if we continue to shirk our responsibility to children as our schools struggle to make ends meet.”
The board has requested $875 million in additional funding for Fiscal Year 2014. “The Illinois State Board of Education is simply asking for what is required by law in fully funding General State Aid,” Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch said in a prepared statement. “While we understand that difficult decisions must be made and that there is a great deal of pressure on the state budget, we are asking the legislature to meet its constitutional commitment. This recommendation is aggressive but desperately needed to provide much-needed financial relief to districts.”
Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal would cut K-12 education by $275 million from current fiscal year levels. Quinn said growing pensions costs necessitate cuts in education. “Skyrocketing pension obligations leave our state with no choice but to continue reductions to our core priorities,” Quinn said when he presented his budget plan. He is calling for early childhood education to be spared further cuts.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Advocates for children ask for budget cuts to be restored
By Meredith Colias
Advocates for early childhood education, bilingual education and homeless student assistance programs appealed to Illinois lawmakers today to restore some funding cut in previous years.
Early childhood education advocates asked for the biggest restoration of funds, $25 million to an early childhood block grant. Under Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2014, early childhood education would be spared further cuts like those enacted in prior years, and current funding levels would be continued.
Citing the importance of early childhood education, Morgan County Sheriff Randy Duvendack said the state was not providing adequate funding. Duvendack said early childhood education in schools was necessary for the development of “critical, early social skills” for young, disadvantaged children to discourage criminal activity later in life. He said cuts to state funding meant that about 22,000 children were dropped from state-supported preschool programs since 2009.
Marvin Torres of the Latino Policy Forum said as the state’s childhood poverty rate increases, funding for early childhood education is needed to bridge gaps for disadvantaged children in kindergarten who start school as much as six months academically behind their peers. Nancy Radner, director of policy for the nonprofit Ounce of Prevention program, told lawmakers that early childhood education was “an investment that pays off.” Radner said preparing students to do better in school sooner prevents unnecessary placements later in special education. It also reduces the number of students who have to repeat grades, and it lessens teacher turnover. Citing reduced funding in recent years, she said, “We would like to see some of the ground regained.”
Torres also testified in support of funding for bilingual education programs. He estimated 304 schools in 88 counties across the state had children who do not speak English as their primary language. In 2012, Torres estimated that the number of students in the state for whom English is a second language grew from 146,000 in 2004 to about 200,000 in 2012, while funding from state state government has remained flat since 2011.
Patricia Nix-Hodes of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless asked for $3 million that is not included in Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget to provide support for homeless students to remain in school. She said the homeless student population is also growing, and that money to fund staff is needed to provide services to ensure that students are able to attend school on a regular basis.
Advocates for early childhood education, bilingual education and homeless student assistance programs appealed to Illinois lawmakers today to restore some funding cut in previous years.
Early childhood education advocates asked for the biggest restoration of funds, $25 million to an early childhood block grant. Under Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2014, early childhood education would be spared further cuts like those enacted in prior years, and current funding levels would be continued.
Citing the importance of early childhood education, Morgan County Sheriff Randy Duvendack said the state was not providing adequate funding. Duvendack said early childhood education in schools was necessary for the development of “critical, early social skills” for young, disadvantaged children to discourage criminal activity later in life. He said cuts to state funding meant that about 22,000 children were dropped from state-supported preschool programs since 2009.
Marvin Torres of the Latino Policy Forum said as the state’s childhood poverty rate increases, funding for early childhood education is needed to bridge gaps for disadvantaged children in kindergarten who start school as much as six months academically behind their peers. Nancy Radner, director of policy for the nonprofit Ounce of Prevention program, told lawmakers that early childhood education was “an investment that pays off.” Radner said preparing students to do better in school sooner prevents unnecessary placements later in special education. It also reduces the number of students who have to repeat grades, and it lessens teacher turnover. Citing reduced funding in recent years, she said, “We would like to see some of the ground regained.”
Torres also testified in support of funding for bilingual education programs. He estimated 304 schools in 88 counties across the state had children who do not speak English as their primary language. In 2012, Torres estimated that the number of students in the state for whom English is a second language grew from 146,000 in 2004 to about 200,000 in 2012, while funding from state state government has remained flat since 2011.
Patricia Nix-Hodes of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless asked for $3 million that is not included in Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget to provide support for homeless students to remain in school. She said the homeless student population is also growing, and that money to fund staff is needed to provide services to ensure that students are able to attend school on a regular basis.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Quinn pushes pension changes in somber budget speech
By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn laid out some concepts for changes to the state's underfunded pension systems in a budget that he says is the “most difficult” he has presented to lawmakers. However, the House has already decided that when a final budget is enacted, it will contain less spending than Quinn’s plan.
“This is the most difficult budget that I have ever submitted to you,” Quinn said in his budget address today. “But this is also an honest budget that reflects our fiscal challenges, pays down the backlog of bills and addresses funds that have been under-appropriated for too long, There are no gimmicks or fake numbers in this budget,” He said the difficulty was a product of the legislature’s “inaction on pension reform.”
Pension Changes
Quinn took a stern tone when calling on lawmakers to pass a pension proposal that would change benefits for state workers, teachers outside of Chicago and university and community college employees. “Today, our budget is being squeezed more than ever, and that will continue until we put a stop to it. The most important thing we can do to repair Illinois finances right now is to reform our public pension systems,” Quinn said. “ We all know that we must reform the Illinois public pension systems. So, members of the General Assembly, what are you waiting for?”
Quinn said he was willing to work with lawmakers, but he emphasized that there is only so much he can do. “I stand ready to sign comprehensive pension reform immediately. Today. But I cannot sign what I do not have on my desk. The people of Illinois need your immediate action.”
“I thought he was pretty firm in his tone,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. He likened Quinn’s address to a parent giving a lecture. “His tone was fairly strong, and I think he focused on where he need to on the need to reform the pensions system. It is the issue of the day. ... I think he was right in making that the focus of his speech. I agree with him.” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that she “agreed with the governor” that it is “time to vote” on changes to the pension system. However, she said it was unfair of Quinn to lay the blame on lawmakers. “Most of the work that has been done on pensions has come out of the General Assembly, and not out of the governor’s office,” she said.
Union leaders said that creating an impression that the only choices out there are deep education cuts or reductions to retiree benefits is dishonest. “It is unfair for Gov. Quinn to present this false choice between pensions or pencils. Springfield lawmakers created the massive pension debt by skipping payments and borrowing more. To call that debt an education expense is not only a gimmick, but an insult to teachers everywhere. We are not to blame, and our students shouldn't suffer,” Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a prepared statement.
Quinn laid out some concepts that he said should be part of a pension reform plan. He said he wants a funding guarantee that would require the state to make the annual contribution to the pension systems. He also wants money that is currently being used to pay off pension bonds, which were issued to make past payments, to go toward the unfunded liability once the bonds have been paid off. Such a move would direct almost $1 billion annually to the liability once the bonds expire in 2020. He said the plan should include an increased pension contribution from employees, but he did not give a specific figure on the increase. He also called for a freeze on cost of living adjustments for “those with higher pensions.” He called the current 3 percent compounded COLAs “unsustainable for taxpayers.”
Quinn also said lawmakers should “consider additional solutions to break the gridlock.” He said he would support a gaming bill with “tough ethical standards” and a ban on campaign contributions from casino operators. He has vetoed two gaming bills that he said did not have strong enough protections against corruption. Quinn has demanded for some time now that any money from gambling expansion be spent on education, but for the first time, today he brought up the idea of using gaming revenues on pension costs. “Any enhancement that we enact to gaming revenues this year should be dedicated to education, which could include teachers' pensions.”
Senate President John Cullerton said he plans to push members of his chamber to present pension reform proposals. “This reality reinforces why pension reform remains my top priority this session. For that reason. I have notified all pension reform Senate sponsors to present their bills before the Senate Executive Committee within a week,” Cullerton said in a prepared statement. “I am also working to identify new revenue sources for education and priority programs. I believe that a gaming plan that is structured to address the ethical and regulatory concerns of Governor Quinn can be part of a new revenue mix. I look forward to working with each caucus to advance more solutions for our funding shortfall.” A Senate committee approved a gaming bill after Quinn’s speech. According estimates from Senate Democrats, the proposal could bring in $200 million to $400 million in revenue for schools, more than $50 million each year for pension costs and almost more than $300 million in upfront licensing fees that could be spent on overdue bills. The plan calls for a ban on campaign contributions from gaming licensees. The proposal is also a massive expansion that would create five new casinos, allow slot machines at horse racing tracks and airports and create an online gambling system under the Illinois Lottery. Under the so-called i-gaming proposal, residents could bet online. In the past, Quinn has recoiled at large expansions. A spokesperson said that he is “reviewing” the proposal.
Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekrtiz, who has been spearheading the pension issue in her chamber, said: “There’s a lot of finger pointing and blame game going on in this whole discussion, and we just need to stop all that and just get about the business of solving it.” She said she thinks that has happened in the House, where she and Cross have presented legislation. She noted that the changes Quinn said he would like to see in the pensions systems are in that plan. “Those are the pieces that are in the Cross-Nekritz bill. By no means are they in every proposal out there. I was very pleased to see that.”
Cuts
Quinn is proposing a $400 million cut to education, which includes K-12 and higher education. Under the proposal, K-12 spending would be cut by more than $275 million. The bulk of the reduction would fall on general state aid to schools, which would be reduced by $150 million. General aid was cut by $161 million under the current state budget. Higher education would take an $83 million hit. In his speech, Quinn did not focus on the details of what the reductions would mean for schools.
Children’s advocates were disappointed with the proposal. “Gov. Quinn’s budget proposal demonstrates that Illinois’ fiscal crisis is far from over and that children, families and communities continue to pay the price for a history of unwise fiscal decisions made by our elected officials. Nearly every area of the budget that impacts children has been subject to deep cuts over the past few years,” Gaylord Gieseke, president of Voices for Illinois Children, said in a prepared statement.
Quinn's plan would not cut early childhood education or Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grants for low-income college students.
But the cuts may be even deeper in the plan that is ultimately approved by lawmakers because Quinn and the House started their budget planning from two different points. The governor’s budget office estimated the state would have $35.6 billion to spend, but the House yesterday approved a resolution intended to cap spending at $35.08 billion. Quinn’s plan also calls for lawmakers to reassess automatic transfers out of the General Revenue Fund “Our revenue estimates are based on real numbers. ... They’re based on facts. They’re based on evidence. They’re cautious numbers. They take a pragmatic and reasonable approach, and I don’t know where the governor’s numbers come from,” said Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who chairs the committee that produced the House’s estimate.
Quinn’s budget staff said he plans to call on lawmakers to scrutinize money that is automatically transferred out of the General Revenue Fund before the budgeting battle begins. The largest transfer distributes income-tax revenues to local governments. Other transfers are spent on mass transit or are the result of budget deals made in past years. “We haven’t even considered that,” Bradley said. “When you talk about the transfers out, what you’re really talking about is the local government distributive fund. Fifty percent of the transfers out go to local governments, and the other [large] percentage of that goes to mass transit, both upstate and downstate. So that’s going to be a fight between him and the city of Chicago, and Cook County and all the local municipalities throughout the state.”
The idea has been floated in the past by Senate Democrats, and some support it again this year. “Nobody wants to see a $400 million reduction in education. ... We can’t let that happen,” said Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski, who chairs a Senate budgeting committee. “People come to our state for a number of reasons, not just because we have good roads, because we have great schools. No business in their right mind will want to come to the state of Illinois if we don’t fund education at the level it should be funded. If we were to tell people out there in the general public that there’s $1 billion that’s out there that’s automatically spent, and it's not reviewed, and it doesn’t face the same kind of scrutiny as education, health care, human services and public safety, people would say, ‘That’s crazy.’ Well it is. And it needs to be fixed. It’s wrong. It’s broken.”
Gov. Pat Quinn laid out some concepts for changes to the state's underfunded pension systems in a budget that he says is the “most difficult” he has presented to lawmakers. However, the House has already decided that when a final budget is enacted, it will contain less spending than Quinn’s plan.
“This is the most difficult budget that I have ever submitted to you,” Quinn said in his budget address today. “But this is also an honest budget that reflects our fiscal challenges, pays down the backlog of bills and addresses funds that have been under-appropriated for too long, There are no gimmicks or fake numbers in this budget,” He said the difficulty was a product of the legislature’s “inaction on pension reform.”
Pension Changes
Quinn took a stern tone when calling on lawmakers to pass a pension proposal that would change benefits for state workers, teachers outside of Chicago and university and community college employees. “Today, our budget is being squeezed more than ever, and that will continue until we put a stop to it. The most important thing we can do to repair Illinois finances right now is to reform our public pension systems,” Quinn said. “ We all know that we must reform the Illinois public pension systems. So, members of the General Assembly, what are you waiting for?”
Quinn said he was willing to work with lawmakers, but he emphasized that there is only so much he can do. “I stand ready to sign comprehensive pension reform immediately. Today. But I cannot sign what I do not have on my desk. The people of Illinois need your immediate action.”
“I thought he was pretty firm in his tone,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. He likened Quinn’s address to a parent giving a lecture. “His tone was fairly strong, and I think he focused on where he need to on the need to reform the pensions system. It is the issue of the day. ... I think he was right in making that the focus of his speech. I agree with him.” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that she “agreed with the governor” that it is “time to vote” on changes to the pension system. However, she said it was unfair of Quinn to lay the blame on lawmakers. “Most of the work that has been done on pensions has come out of the General Assembly, and not out of the governor’s office,” she said.
Union leaders said that creating an impression that the only choices out there are deep education cuts or reductions to retiree benefits is dishonest. “It is unfair for Gov. Quinn to present this false choice between pensions or pencils. Springfield lawmakers created the massive pension debt by skipping payments and borrowing more. To call that debt an education expense is not only a gimmick, but an insult to teachers everywhere. We are not to blame, and our students shouldn't suffer,” Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a prepared statement.
Quinn laid out some concepts that he said should be part of a pension reform plan. He said he wants a funding guarantee that would require the state to make the annual contribution to the pension systems. He also wants money that is currently being used to pay off pension bonds, which were issued to make past payments, to go toward the unfunded liability once the bonds have been paid off. Such a move would direct almost $1 billion annually to the liability once the bonds expire in 2020. He said the plan should include an increased pension contribution from employees, but he did not give a specific figure on the increase. He also called for a freeze on cost of living adjustments for “those with higher pensions.” He called the current 3 percent compounded COLAs “unsustainable for taxpayers.”
Quinn also said lawmakers should “consider additional solutions to break the gridlock.” He said he would support a gaming bill with “tough ethical standards” and a ban on campaign contributions from casino operators. He has vetoed two gaming bills that he said did not have strong enough protections against corruption. Quinn has demanded for some time now that any money from gambling expansion be spent on education, but for the first time, today he brought up the idea of using gaming revenues on pension costs. “Any enhancement that we enact to gaming revenues this year should be dedicated to education, which could include teachers' pensions.”
Senate President John Cullerton said he plans to push members of his chamber to present pension reform proposals. “This reality reinforces why pension reform remains my top priority this session. For that reason. I have notified all pension reform Senate sponsors to present their bills before the Senate Executive Committee within a week,” Cullerton said in a prepared statement. “I am also working to identify new revenue sources for education and priority programs. I believe that a gaming plan that is structured to address the ethical and regulatory concerns of Governor Quinn can be part of a new revenue mix. I look forward to working with each caucus to advance more solutions for our funding shortfall.” A Senate committee approved a gaming bill after Quinn’s speech. According estimates from Senate Democrats, the proposal could bring in $200 million to $400 million in revenue for schools, more than $50 million each year for pension costs and almost more than $300 million in upfront licensing fees that could be spent on overdue bills. The plan calls for a ban on campaign contributions from gaming licensees. The proposal is also a massive expansion that would create five new casinos, allow slot machines at horse racing tracks and airports and create an online gambling system under the Illinois Lottery. Under the so-called i-gaming proposal, residents could bet online. In the past, Quinn has recoiled at large expansions. A spokesperson said that he is “reviewing” the proposal.
Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekrtiz, who has been spearheading the pension issue in her chamber, said: “There’s a lot of finger pointing and blame game going on in this whole discussion, and we just need to stop all that and just get about the business of solving it.” She said she thinks that has happened in the House, where she and Cross have presented legislation. She noted that the changes Quinn said he would like to see in the pensions systems are in that plan. “Those are the pieces that are in the Cross-Nekritz bill. By no means are they in every proposal out there. I was very pleased to see that.”
Cuts
Quinn is proposing a $400 million cut to education, which includes K-12 and higher education. Under the proposal, K-12 spending would be cut by more than $275 million. The bulk of the reduction would fall on general state aid to schools, which would be reduced by $150 million. General aid was cut by $161 million under the current state budget. Higher education would take an $83 million hit. In his speech, Quinn did not focus on the details of what the reductions would mean for schools.
Children’s advocates were disappointed with the proposal. “Gov. Quinn’s budget proposal demonstrates that Illinois’ fiscal crisis is far from over and that children, families and communities continue to pay the price for a history of unwise fiscal decisions made by our elected officials. Nearly every area of the budget that impacts children has been subject to deep cuts over the past few years,” Gaylord Gieseke, president of Voices for Illinois Children, said in a prepared statement.
Quinn's plan would not cut early childhood education or Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grants for low-income college students.
But the cuts may be even deeper in the plan that is ultimately approved by lawmakers because Quinn and the House started their budget planning from two different points. The governor’s budget office estimated the state would have $35.6 billion to spend, but the House yesterday approved a resolution intended to cap spending at $35.08 billion. Quinn’s plan also calls for lawmakers to reassess automatic transfers out of the General Revenue Fund “Our revenue estimates are based on real numbers. ... They’re based on facts. They’re based on evidence. They’re cautious numbers. They take a pragmatic and reasonable approach, and I don’t know where the governor’s numbers come from,” said Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who chairs the committee that produced the House’s estimate.
Quinn’s budget staff said he plans to call on lawmakers to scrutinize money that is automatically transferred out of the General Revenue Fund before the budgeting battle begins. The largest transfer distributes income-tax revenues to local governments. Other transfers are spent on mass transit or are the result of budget deals made in past years. “We haven’t even considered that,” Bradley said. “When you talk about the transfers out, what you’re really talking about is the local government distributive fund. Fifty percent of the transfers out go to local governments, and the other [large] percentage of that goes to mass transit, both upstate and downstate. So that’s going to be a fight between him and the city of Chicago, and Cook County and all the local municipalities throughout the state.”
The idea has been floated in the past by Senate Democrats, and some support it again this year. “Nobody wants to see a $400 million reduction in education. ... We can’t let that happen,” said Park Ridge Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski, who chairs a Senate budgeting committee. “People come to our state for a number of reasons, not just because we have good roads, because we have great schools. No business in their right mind will want to come to the state of Illinois if we don’t fund education at the level it should be funded. If we were to tell people out there in the general public that there’s $1 billion that’s out there that’s automatically spent, and it's not reviewed, and it doesn’t face the same kind of scrutiny as education, health care, human services and public safety, people would say, ‘That’s crazy.’ Well it is. And it needs to be fixed. It’s wrong. It’s broken.”
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Quinn to propose education cuts and pension changes
By Jamey Dunn with Meredith Colias contributing
In his budget proposal tomorrow, Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to lay out substantial cuts to education and press lawmakers for changes to public employee pensions.
“This is a difficult budget. It holds the line on spending and reflects the state’s fiscal challenges. This budget doesn’t propose any new taxes fees or programs. It’s an honest budget that’s based on actual costs, and continues to eliminate gimmicks. This budget is a direct result of the inaction on stabilizing the pensions,” Jack Lavin, Quinn’s chief of staff, said at a briefing for reporters this evening. Quinn plans to propose a nearly $400 million cut education. CORRECTION: Quinn's budget staff gave this figure as a cut to K-12. They later revised that statement to cover all education, including higher ed.) General State Aid to schools would be reduced by $150 million. Quinn also plans to call for cuts to transportation funding. Funding for higher education would be reduced by almost 5 percent. Early childhood education and Monetary Awards Program (MAP) grants for low-income college students would be safe from cuts. “Here we have a series of reductions that the governor does not want to do. These are outside of his vision of where we ought to be as a society. These reductions are a direct result of no action on pension reform,” said Jerry Stermer, director of Quinn’s budget office.
Quinn’s general revenue estimate of $35.6 billion comes in higher than the $35.08 billion that the House approved today. The House's number is based on analysis from the bipartisan legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Quinn's budget calls for a total of $62.4 billion, including federal revenue and spending from other funds, but the bulk of the appropriation process focuses on general revenue. Quinn’s budget is predicated on the idea that lawmakers would get on board with taking some money that is typically automatically transferred out of the General Revenue Fund (GRF) before the budget battle each year and instead toss it into the appropriations process. Quinn’s representatives at a budget briefing this evening said he does not intend to make specific suggestions about which transfers to tap into but will instead call upon lawmakers to assess all of the transfers out on an annual basis. “It is an autopilot kind of an appropriation. It just goes by itself without an annual review by the General Assembly. … It just goes out the door,” Stermer said. “All of those dollars in FY 13 are on autopilot, according to existing statutes. The only way you can make a change is to change the statute.”
The largest transfer, more than $1 billion, is of income tax revenues that are funneled to local governments based on their populations. In 2011, Quinn proposed delaying payments to local governments as part of a plan to cut some of the backlog of unpaid bills. That plan was met with vocal opposition and lobbying from local mayors and was quickly dropped. A budget plan that Senate Republicans proposed that same year called for a $300 million cut to revenues shared with local governments.
Stermer said one fund at the Department of Revenue has a surplus that will be automatically dumped into the GRF at the start of the next fiscal year. “So that’s $150 million that COGFA did not account for.”
The budget calls for reducing the backlog by $2 billion over the current fiscal year and Fiscal Year 2014. The governor’s budget projection estimates the backlog, which is now more than $8 billion, will be $6.8 billion by the end of FY 14.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the governor does not plan to propose billions in borrowing to pay down the backlog, an idea he has advocated in the past. However, she said, “He will propose a way to pay down the bills faster,” although she declined to share details. “We’ll leave that” for tomorrow’s budget address, she said.
In his budget proposal tomorrow, Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to lay out substantial cuts to education and press lawmakers for changes to public employee pensions.
“This is a difficult budget. It holds the line on spending and reflects the state’s fiscal challenges. This budget doesn’t propose any new taxes fees or programs. It’s an honest budget that’s based on actual costs, and continues to eliminate gimmicks. This budget is a direct result of the inaction on stabilizing the pensions,” Jack Lavin, Quinn’s chief of staff, said at a briefing for reporters this evening. Quinn plans to propose a nearly $400 million cut education. CORRECTION: Quinn's budget staff gave this figure as a cut to K-12. They later revised that statement to cover all education, including higher ed.) General State Aid to schools would be reduced by $150 million. Quinn also plans to call for cuts to transportation funding. Funding for higher education would be reduced by almost 5 percent. Early childhood education and Monetary Awards Program (MAP) grants for low-income college students would be safe from cuts. “Here we have a series of reductions that the governor does not want to do. These are outside of his vision of where we ought to be as a society. These reductions are a direct result of no action on pension reform,” said Jerry Stermer, director of Quinn’s budget office.
Quinn’s general revenue estimate of $35.6 billion comes in higher than the $35.08 billion that the House approved today. The House's number is based on analysis from the bipartisan legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Quinn's budget calls for a total of $62.4 billion, including federal revenue and spending from other funds, but the bulk of the appropriation process focuses on general revenue. Quinn’s budget is predicated on the idea that lawmakers would get on board with taking some money that is typically automatically transferred out of the General Revenue Fund (GRF) before the budget battle each year and instead toss it into the appropriations process. Quinn’s representatives at a budget briefing this evening said he does not intend to make specific suggestions about which transfers to tap into but will instead call upon lawmakers to assess all of the transfers out on an annual basis. “It is an autopilot kind of an appropriation. It just goes by itself without an annual review by the General Assembly. … It just goes out the door,” Stermer said. “All of those dollars in FY 13 are on autopilot, according to existing statutes. The only way you can make a change is to change the statute.”
The largest transfer, more than $1 billion, is of income tax revenues that are funneled to local governments based on their populations. In 2011, Quinn proposed delaying payments to local governments as part of a plan to cut some of the backlog of unpaid bills. That plan was met with vocal opposition and lobbying from local mayors and was quickly dropped. A budget plan that Senate Republicans proposed that same year called for a $300 million cut to revenues shared with local governments.
Stermer said one fund at the Department of Revenue has a surplus that will be automatically dumped into the GRF at the start of the next fiscal year. “So that’s $150 million that COGFA did not account for.”
The budget calls for reducing the backlog by $2 billion over the current fiscal year and Fiscal Year 2014. The governor’s budget projection estimates the backlog, which is now more than $8 billion, will be $6.8 billion by the end of FY 14.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the governor does not plan to propose billions in borrowing to pay down the backlog, an idea he has advocated in the past. However, she said, “He will propose a way to pay down the bills faster,” although she declined to share details. “We’ll leave that” for tomorrow’s budget address, she said.
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