Education Matters US

I attended the Lake County United Candidate Forum last night. I thought some of you might be interested in the candidates answers on school funding.

Dr. Hugh Bartling of DePaul University gave a presentation on how schools are funded. His presentation can be found at his website http://www.hughbartling.com/lakecounty.htm. The highlights were the 4 ways schools are funded:

• Property Values
• Tax Rate
• State and Federal Aid
• Enrollment

The dynamics of school funding:

• Relying more on property taxes (Illinois – 54%, National Avg. 43%)
• Low income tax rate (33rd in individual income tax rate)
• Uneven levels of funding
• Achievement Gaps

Before the questioning of the candidates started, Michael Knight, who is a financial planner spoke about a couple who retiring at age 65. When he looked over their finances, he told them they would need a $225 K annuity in addition to the current retirement funds just to pay for their property taxes. This couple could not retire in Lake County because of this.

The following questions were asked to each candidate in one form or another as I have below depending on their responses:

1. Do you believe there is a problem in the funding of Public Schools? If so, what would you propose to do about it?
2. Would you support a comprehensive overhaul in the ways schools are funded?
3. Will you sign the “No Tax Pledge”?
4. With the pressure on the State Budget, will you pressure the leadership of your party to find a solution to the funding problem?
5. If elected, how will you work with Lake County United (LCU) on these issues?

First, I’ll do a quick chart with a Yes/No for each question, and then I’ll go into more of their responses. If you believe I am have made a mistake on any of the positions please let me know and I will get it corrected.

Bond’s Answers/Remarks:

• Obviously a problem because there are so many referendums
• School board member in Woodland District 50 since last year
• HB750/755 – won’t happen this year. It needs to be changed and framed differently to gain more bipartisan support
• Role of Legislator is to make law, make a budget, constitution amendments, and approve appointments
• When the budget is tight, those without a voice suffer
• Will request a seat on the budget committee and the property tax subcommittee
• This month will be 11^th year with Allstate
• Plan for increasing funding – need to get more people on board
• Bad public policy to take the No Tax Pledge and will not do it
• Crisis in Education, Children’s Health, and Youth mental Health
• Likes LCU ideas and new thinking
• Education funding is a complex problem
• Need community leaders/experts to help come up with solutions
• Can use their leadership on issues to help
• Bring innovation to Springfield
• Running because worried about education and has 3 children under 6
• Has many solutions to bring to Springfield
• Book “Three Dimensions ???” are
  1. Financial
  2. Who you are
  3. What you give
• Believes you should give, save and spend in that order

Simpson’s Answers/Remarks:

• System is broke, it’s time to fix it
• We the people have to stand up and demand it is fixed
• Bipartisan effort needed. Only way to get it done.
• All groups must be brought together to find a solution
• Supports less reliance on property taxes
• Sr. Citizen Center next door to her township offices. Each year Blue Cards go out several seniors will come by and tell her they are leaving Warren Township because they can no longer afford to live here because of the taxes
• Fiscal conservative, have to stop new taxes
• Would not sign No Tax Pledge, but still believes there are other ways to finance school funding
• Only $2 Billion of the $7 Billion in HB 750 would have gone to education, why not all $7 Billion?
• Welcome participation from LCU.
• Has already met with them on several occasions
• This is an important time and an important election
• We need new ides and new energy
• The status quo is not good enough

Sandy Cole’s Answers/Remarks:

• There is a problem
• HB 750 – want it in a different permeation
• Open minded to new ideas
• Need different method of funding schools
• No anti-tax Pledge
• Need consortium to go to referendum like County sales tax
• Welcomes LCU put and efforts
• Made County Board Room handicapped accessible
• Worked on school, roads, Finance Chair 4 years, Forest Preserves Board 6 years
• Wants to be on the finance committee in Springfield

Barbara Oilschlager’s Answers/Remarks:

• Diverse State
• Diverse problems
• Schools have too much Bureaucracy to operate under
• Interested in consolidation of districts
• Look at consortium purchasing of supplies, computers, etc.
• Look at how they are spending the money
• Lake County gets disproportionately less money back from State
• Need to keep local control of our money
• Supports 65% of money going into the classroom. Teachers she has spoken too think this is a good idea
• Not in favor of raising taxes
• Need to look at options
• Look at where and how money is being spent
• Need to continue dialogue with LCU
• She worked with teachers, superintendents, they need resources.
• Writes grants for a living
• Education expert with hands on experience
• Experience with bipartisan efforts, appointed by 3 different governors (2 R and 1 D) to work with the State Senate on education
• Passionate about education

Sharyn Elman’s Answers/Remarks:

• Problem with funding
• State should be the primary funder
• NCLB is an unfunded mandate
• If you think we gets less money that we send to Springfield, what do you think we get back from what we send to Washington?
• Go to the Federal Gov’t for some of our money
• Research Federal programs, other states are getting money, we should too
• Do not want to fund education on the back of our working class and businesses
• Will not sign No Tax Pledge
• Need a special session and lock everyone in a room until a solution is found
• Wants LCU and other experts involved
• Honored to be here
• Cancer survivor, time going through the system without health insurance made here want to help others
• Worth it if she can help 1 person
• Priorities will be
  • traffic
  • education
  • health insurance
  • environment – believes there is a connection between the environment and health

Ed Sullivan, Jr’s Answers/Remarks:

• Many referendums demonstrate system needs change
• Not HB 750 – In 51^st it would cost residents 16% more
• Need local reliance
• Republicans proposed budget parameters to Blagojevich when he took office as follows:
  • Year 1 – 1.3% growth
  • Year 2 – 0% growth
  • Year 3 – 2% growth
  • Year 4 (current) – Same as Blagojevich yearly proposal
• Difference would have been $2 Billion extra money right now
• First year not signing the No Tax Pledge
• Debt Service was 3.4% in first year of Blagojevich, currently over 7%
• Already working with LCU and will continue that
• Rescheduled 2 events to be here tonight
• Currently on revenue committee
• General Obligation Bonds have gone from $7 Billion to $20 Billion under Blagojevich
• 26% revenue goes to Medicaid now, growing at 8% per year
• For every $1 not paid to pensions now, cost $11 later
• Current pension obligation just over $1 Billion, by 2010 will be $4 Billion per year
• Must control spending

Audience Questions and Responses (This are paraphrased. Please send me corrections if I mischaracterize anyone’s remarks):

How do other states fund there schools?

• Sullivan – Need to look at Wisconsin. They lowered property taxes and guaranteed teachers raises every year.

Should we look at taking some municipality tax revenue and direct it to the schools?

• Cole – They can’t afford it
• Simpson – They receive 1/10 or 1/11 of income tax. Can’t survive without it. Gurnee receives approximately $1.2 million from this
• Sullivan – Look at Iowa, they redistribute sales tax money. May not work here, but we need to look at the concept

Would you pressure party leadership?

• Elman – Yes
• Oilschlager – Yes and would work with other party
• Bond – Blagojevich held firm. Took over 64% went to debt of George Ryan
• Sullivan – Takes no money from party leadership so doesn’t owe them. Bond taking $700 K from leadership. How will he vote when the leadership says vote a certain way.

Would you support the 65% solution?

• Oilschlager – Supports it, however there are still a few pieces of it that need to be looked at.
• Elman – Does not include librarian, nurses, transportation. Taking money from these other costs is a scary thing.
• Cole – Flawed legislation. Don’t’ support it.
• Sullivan – Need to at it. 5 other states implementing it. 18 considering it.
• Bond – Read may reports on 65% solutions, doesn’t include specialist for reading and math

What ideas and solutions can we learn from private schools since they appear to spend less per student?

• Sullivan – Grew up as a private schooler (Carmel). They operate without all the state mandates. Need to look at reducing them in Public Schools.