Day: February 4, 2015

Full text of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address

February 4, 2015 No Comments

http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/7/71/344389/full-text-gov-bruce-rauners-state-state-address The good: Heavy emphasis on unfunded mandates that have killed municipalities; further call for limiting power of public unions; good list of other reforms, with some specifics; call for two year property tax freeze; bipartisan — no blame casting. The bad: No mention whatsoever of pensions, near term budget issues or how to pay for increased education outlays. And a bad use of f ‘in’ at the end of ‘ing’ words. Reaction from some politicians is linked here, including this gem from Senate President John Cullerton: “The new governor has a lot to learn if he is to build

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Monthly state revenue report shows continuing drop – WP Original

February 4, 2015 No Comments

By: Mark Glennon*   The January report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shows further deterioration in total state revenues. Decreased revenues from expiration of the tax increase are now kicking in, contributing to a 9.8% drop in total state revenue for January 2015 compared to January 2014. Total revenues were declining slightly before the tax cut, however. Total revenue for the fiscal year to date (the last seven months) is down 3.9% compared to the previous year. A drop in reimbursements from the Federal government contributed to the deterioration, though state tax revenue has also declined

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State made huge mistake on numbers in expanding Medicaid – Chicago Tribune

February 4, 2015 No Comments

In 2013, Democratic lawmakers soothed taxpayers with a relentless talking point: Don’t worry. The feds will pay for most of this. What could go wrong? Turns out Illinois taxpayers will be paying far more than the $573 million they were told they’d have to pay. The real cost will be at least $907 million, maybe $2 billion. via The state of this state? Critical – Chicago Tribune.

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Illinois community colleges want to offer four-year degrees – The Southern

February 4, 2015 No Comments

Illinois community college presidents are pushing for the ability to grant students four-year degrees. The controversial idea, if adopted, would make Illinois the 22nd state to grant baccalaureate degrees at the traditional two-year institutions. http://thesouthern.com/news/local/updated-illinois-community-colleges-want-to-offer-four-year-degrees/article_161dfd57-3ef5-5fcc-941a-7a3b9ee93e0a.html

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U of C releases study showing where students of closed CPS schools ended up – Austin Weekly News

February 4, 2015 No Comments

Nearly all displaced students (93%) attended schools with higher performance ratings than the closed schools. However, almost one-quarter of students attended schools that were lower-rated than their designated welcoming schools. http://tablet.austinweeklynews.com/News/Articles/2-3-2015/University-of-Chicago-releases-study-showing-where-students-of-closed-CPS-schools-ended-up/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS&utm_referrer=http://t.co/JqfxvGJSBZ

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