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Friday Morning News Governor Agrees to Meet on Education Funding WBEZ
A two-day boycott of Chicago schools is over. Now the Illinois governor’s office is trying to set up a meeting to talk about how to fund schools more fairly.
Record 93.7% of kids attended 1st day of school in city Chicago Tribune
Chicago Public Schools leaders on Thursday touted what they said was an all-time high for first-day attendance ...
Schools Report High Attendance Amid Boycott WBEZ
Chicago Public Schools says the school year began Tuesday with record attendance. That’s despite a boycott to protest funding inequities between Illinois districts.
'Vaccine Choice, or Risky Move? WBEZ
Federal health authorities revealed yesterday that Chicago lags behind the state and the country in childhood vaccinations. Many kids don’t get their shots because parents decline them. Public health experts say that’s led to the resurgence around Chicago of a disease that had been nearly snuffed out.
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Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 6:12 PM
Friday Morning News
High Attendance? Yeah, right! Not if Impact did the calculations.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 8:17 PM
Friday Morning News
I am glad Senator Meeks has another meeting with the Governor. But for what purpose? I have seen no indication that the Governor will change his position on an income tax increase. I have seen no indication that most of the General Assembly is going to agree to selling off the Illinois Lottery, expanding gaming, etc, so I really do not understand what the meeting is about.
Everyone agrees that without additional funding there can be no funding reform on a statewide basis. Believe it or not, a school district like New Trier gets very few state dollars. In the 2005-06 school year it only got $2.4 million of its $85.4 million budget from the state, 96% of the funds came from local property taxes and other local taxes.
Chicago gets far more of its funds from the state as a part of its budget than does New Trier. Even if low income districts are provided with more funds to equalize things, clearly the high income districts must be given more funds too and offered a chance to reduce their own property taxes. What if the people living in high school district 203 vote to raise their taxes on themselves again to keep their relative advantage over other high school districts? Is the State of Illinois going to make that illegal?
Very good schools, are one of the most important things a bedroom community can offer in order to keep up property values. Therefore, it is in the self interest of the residents to keep up their relative advantage. The Reverand Meeks and the Black community in Chicago is under some form of delusion that their can be educational equity in class society like America. Even that great fighter for social equality Obama got his kids into a school with other higher income children here in Chicago.
It is better that CPS get more funds than less funds like is happening in California currently where actual dollar cuts are being made to school districts in that state. But this idea that a bunch of very well meaning Black ministers are going to overturn one of the greatest social class advantages of the wealthty in America is really beyond believe, but that is why these folks call themselves believers. I am a believer too, I believe the rich will hold on to their educational advantages over the poor, and the only way to change that is some kind of socialist revolution. And that is not likely to happen during our life time.
Everyone agrees that without additional funding there can be no funding reform on a statewide basis. Believe it or not, a school district like New Trier gets very few state dollars. In the 2005-06 school year it only got $2.4 million of its $85.4 million budget from the state, 96% of the funds came from local property taxes and other local taxes.
Chicago gets far more of its funds from the state as a part of its budget than does New Trier. Even if low income districts are provided with more funds to equalize things, clearly the high income districts must be given more funds too and offered a chance to reduce their own property taxes. What if the people living in high school district 203 vote to raise their taxes on themselves again to keep their relative advantage over other high school districts? Is the State of Illinois going to make that illegal?
Very good schools, are one of the most important things a bedroom community can offer in order to keep up property values. Therefore, it is in the self interest of the residents to keep up their relative advantage. The Reverand Meeks and the Black community in Chicago is under some form of delusion that their can be educational equity in class society like America. Even that great fighter for social equality Obama got his kids into a school with other higher income children here in Chicago.
It is better that CPS get more funds than less funds like is happening in California currently where actual dollar cuts are being made to school districts in that state. But this idea that a bunch of very well meaning Black ministers are going to overturn one of the greatest social class advantages of the wealthty in America is really beyond believe, but that is why these folks call themselves believers. I am a believer too, I believe the rich will hold on to their educational advantages over the poor, and the only way to change that is some kind of socialist revolution. And that is not likely to happen during our life time.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 11:55 PM
Friday Morning News
Meeks has called the governor the problem when it is actually Michael Madison.
Madigan is a whore who is used to making deals with Republicans to get his agenda forward and anyone who doesn't pay the toll gets thrown under the bus.
Madigan is like the old bootlegger who doesn't want prohibition to end. He is a petty and mean-spirited divider who bullies and threatens when he doesn't get his way. He is singlehandedly responsible for the virtual shutdown of business in Springfield.
Meeks should be setting his sights on building a candidate to unseat this Machiavellian jerk. He has no concern for any issue and doesn't care about children.
Madigan is a whore who is used to making deals with Republicans to get his agenda forward and anyone who doesn't pay the toll gets thrown under the bus.
Madigan is like the old bootlegger who doesn't want prohibition to end. He is a petty and mean-spirited divider who bullies and threatens when he doesn't get his way. He is singlehandedly responsible for the virtual shutdown of business in Springfield.
Meeks should be setting his sights on building a candidate to unseat this Machiavellian jerk. He has no concern for any issue and doesn't care about children.
Mon Sep 8, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Friday Morning News
to: WBEZ School Funding Story
CPS is not seeking to be funded at the same level as New trier, just seeking "adequate" funding. A blue ribbon, bi-partisan commision analyzed the funding level needed to adequately educate a child in Illinois and determined that approx. $7k would do. The state actually provides approx. $6k. Quite a deficit. The state is constitutionally responsible for providing for an adequate education but does not live up to that responsibility. That's why Illinois is 49th in the nation in funding public education.
You are right, the folks at New Trier will continue to fund their schools at a superior level. However, there is no excuse for the state not living up to it's constitutional responsibilities. Other states have found the money and the will to do this, what's wrong in Illinois?
CPS is not seeking to be funded at the same level as New trier, just seeking "adequate" funding. A blue ribbon, bi-partisan commision analyzed the funding level needed to adequately educate a child in Illinois and determined that approx. $7k would do. The state actually provides approx. $6k. Quite a deficit. The state is constitutionally responsible for providing for an adequate education but does not live up to that responsibility. That's why Illinois is 49th in the nation in funding public education.
You are right, the folks at New Trier will continue to fund their schools at a superior level. However, there is no excuse for the state not living up to it's constitutional responsibilities. Other states have found the money and the will to do this, what's wrong in Illinois?
Mon Sep 8, 2008 at 3:32 PM
Friday Morning News
Diogenes may be correct in that CPS is not seeking equal funding for public education in Illinois, but Senator Meeks clearly is. The Illinois Constitution at Article x section I states only:
"A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities. The State shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services. Education in public schools through the secondary level shall be free. There may be such other free education as the General Assembly provides by law. The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education."
The idea that Illinois can be 49th in funding k-12 education may not be incompatable with an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services. It may be incompatable "with providing for an adequate education" for Illinois chidren in some districts. But the Constitution does not provide for an adequate education, only an efficent and high quality one. The words high quailty were used for a reason, they can not be measured. Moreover the concept of "high quality" does not exclude the possibility that an educational system is not adequate comparititvely to other states or communities.
Clearly the state fails the constitutional test of being the primary funder of local education, but believe it or not, the school district it fails that test for is more New Trier than CPS.
"A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities. The State shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services. Education in public schools through the secondary level shall be free. There may be such other free education as the General Assembly provides by law. The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education."
The idea that Illinois can be 49th in funding k-12 education may not be incompatable with an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services. It may be incompatable "with providing for an adequate education" for Illinois chidren in some districts. But the Constitution does not provide for an adequate education, only an efficent and high quality one. The words high quailty were used for a reason, they can not be measured. Moreover the concept of "high quality" does not exclude the possibility that an educational system is not adequate comparititvely to other states or communities.
Clearly the state fails the constitutional test of being the primary funder of local education, but believe it or not, the school district it fails that test for is more New Trier than CPS.
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