Wirepoints’ Ted Dabrowski joined Greg Bishop on Air to discuss the statewide failure of school districts to educate Illinois’ children. Ted pointed out the typical excuse, that Illinois doesn’t spend enough on education, doesn’t hold water. Illinois already spends more on education than any other state in the Midwest.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Poor achievement, zero accountability: An indictment of Illinois’ public education system – Wirepoints Video
- Suburban Chicago school district controversy: No plan to fix black academic failure
- Poor student achievement and near-zero accountability: An indictment of Illinois’ public education system – Wirepoints Special Report
- The opportunity that Chicago – and Illinois – kids need is real school choice
Ted was on The Chicago Way with John Kass and Jeff Carlin to discuss the proposed $5 billion lakefront stadium project proposed by the Chicago Bears & Mayor Brandon Johnson, why Chicago is struggling compared to other metro areas across the country, why the city might or might not go the way of Detroit, and more.
Some Illinois lawmakers continue to deny that covid aid and other federal stimulus bailed the state out of its fiscal mess. But a look at past and projected revenues from COGFA shows just how much the bailouts blew out the state’s revenues. And now that they’re over, how much harder it will be for Illinois revenues to grow.
Election integrity – both real and perceived – is essential to government’s legitimacy and stability. Illinois, like the rest of the nation, better fix its problems now.
Ted joined Dan and Amy to talk about Chicago’s latest bond offering, why Chicago’s dismal home value growth is due to poor policies, the next $70 million to be spent on migrants, the 9% salary hikes demanded by the CTU, and why Illinois lawmakers voting to stop Chicago’s selective enrollment schools from being closed is hypocritical.
Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 4/21/2024.
The state of Illinois spends plenty of money on education. The problem is the majority of it goes to teachers and their unions. We wouldn’t be a state awash with Democrat politicians if the teachers unions didn’t support them in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed. Teachers and unions are all too happy to comply with Dems but not without a quid pro quo. Those unions are sacred to the Democrats, the payback doesn’t bother them. We have to start at the beginning to fix this and that would be with forcing unions to cut off political support.
Does the U.S. Census include all government contributions to the pension funds and retiree healthcare in their figures.
The State of Illinois contributions to the state run TRS pension fund and THIS/TRIP retiree healthcare are big expenditures.
Per the report, for Illinois: The state financial reporting system does not isolate capital outlay payments for the purchase of land and existing structures. These amounts are included with amounts shown for “construction.”Payments made by the state government into the state’s public school retirement systems on behalf of Illinois school districts are included in the tables that display state totals of elementary-secondary education finances. These payments have been estimated for local school systems and appear in the tabular detail for state revenue and expenditure of individual school systems.Illinois corporate personal property replacement tax revenue is included as a state revenue… Read more »
Well, someone would have to look at the summary tables or ask the U.S. Census or something to determine if for instance is the U.S. Census including THIS/TRIP retiree healthcare as a retirement system. Also many counties contribute to Regional Offices of Education (ROE) in Illinois and was that funding included. And prisons educate inmates, is that funding included. Those in county jails also receive an education, and if so is that funding included under the ROE funding or where? Etc. It would take someone with a good understanding of education financials in Illinois, and the time time to gather… Read more »
Because it’s been beaten into people’s heads that since the state accounts for one of the lowest percentages of K-12 education in the country, it means the IL’s entire K-12 system is under-funded. The CTBA has spent decades spreading this half-truth. It does, however, make the state a convenient scapegoat that local school districts can blame.
Anytime someone says something like “Illinois ranks last in K-12 education funding,” know they are totally discounting property taxes completely.
I think you are likely right about that. I don’t recall the exact wording of the 1970 IL Constitution but think its says roughly that the state has primary responsibility for the funding of public schools. Well, because our local property taxes are far higher than found in most states I suppose that “primary funding” by the state directly isn’t happening overall. Of course, in practice the state’s level of funding in percentage terms varies drastically from one district to another statewide. Surely the state’s funding level has been the subject of lawsuits from time to time, but its never… Read more »
SECTION 1. GOAL - FREE SCHOOLS 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. (Source: Illinois Constitution.)This should be the wording.
Is this from the IL Constitution? If so, I’m surprised in that it would have the nebulous word “goal” at the beginning, meaning its about as far from mandatory as possible, rendering what follow immediately essentially dumpster worthy.
As far as I know it is. I just googled the Illinois Constitution and it’s under Article X. The last line says the state has the primary responsibility for financing education. That could be interpreted numerous ways like the state will fund education or the state can delegate taxation to the local level which it seems to be doing. How could the state finance education when the total costs are well over $32B if they pick up the entire amount? But you are correct in saying “goal” is free schools but the constitution also say public education K-12 shall be… Read more »
I’m not completely sure I understand you, but the legal obligation of the state seems to be based on slippery wording. If it ever involves some sort of user fees to me that’s a positive in the sense that parents themselves have a greater financial obligation in percentage terms than do taxpayers who don’t presently have children in school. Surely that would pump up the sense of participation in achieving better academic outcomes among those user fee taxpayers. Maybe they’d have a better reason to periodically monitor their children’s progress and be less apathetic.
I was trying to convey that only those who educate would fall under the education shall be free and all the rest would fall under some sort of tuition. The definition of education is the act or process of educating which pertains to teachers not administration or grounds keepers/etc.Belvidere schools have at least four assistant supers which taxpayers have to pay for without any input. I think the total cost for teachers in Illinois is approx $17-$18B out of total of $32B that is spent. Who is involved in teaching the basics and at what cost. I know someone (which… Read more »
You have an truly interesting on what costs should be included as to the IL government providing a “free education” to its youth, and I think you might well get some traction with that idea. Those who are directly giving instruction presumably are the reasons that idea was invented. All the ancillary help in the way of administrators, janitors, nurses, etc., arfe only marginally “educators” simply by the fact that they are employed by educational institutions, Probably 3/4 or more of the administrators in a district have legitimate educational oversight responsibilities to that results in educational oversight at the very… Read more »