1:53 PM
Governor Rod Blagojevich has called a special session of the legislature next week. One thing I thought of is the state legislature may find enough time to enjoy the Illinois State Fair and thus help sagging attendance. But back to business. They will go at the bequest of the governor to look at the scaled-down version (from 34 to 25 billion dollars) of the capital plan and public school funding.
First the public school funding issue was brought up by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, who demanded a special session. The ILBC wants to put school funding to the forefront because of the disparity of school district funding based on property taxes versus a tax dollar boost from income taxes. Recently Senator James Meeks (D-Chicago) called for parents to register their children for the upcoming school year at the New Trier Township school district, a wealthy suburban district. This is to be done to protest the funding disparities between intercity and suburban school districts.
Meeks and other African-American legislators have called for a property tax/income tax swap to equalize funding among school districts. Several have said that this plan would raise income taxes. This notion is nothing new. I can remember when Jim Edgar was in office as governor, he tried twice for at least some sort of reduction of the property tax for schools, but he could get no real, serious support and the initiatives failed. Once the plan was dead before any real talk on the issue could get going. Remember Edgar left office in January 1999. That's how long this has been. In Chicago, Meeks said he hoped to see a vote next week on a bill to allow students to go to whatever school district they wished. He also called for a vote on legislation to dismantle the state’s school funding system in 2010, forcing a rewrite of the funding system during the next gubernatorial election year.
I personally don't criticize the idea of this (I've shot the idea out in plenty of tax discussions for the last 12 years), but I have a difficulty accepting that this should be attempted in a special session without so much as a hearing on the issue. What do school administrators have to say? Or even county treasurers (of which I am one)? Since we collect and distribute school district property tax monies, I am a bit curious how an income tax system would operate. Plus how would this effect the property tax levy process? Would income taxes have to be increased? Get my concern? Logistics are a bit involved here!
Well if that's not enough, the capital plan revenue is still up in the air, since the major portion of the revenue is the sale or lease of the lottery. Meeks wanted the sale or lease of the lottery to go to education, but that plan failed. Meeks said he would not vote for the lottery sale or lease to fund construction. Will Senator Meeks appeal for a sale or lease of the lottery for his school tax swap plan? Tune in to find out. Will there be the votes in the House to use the lottery to fund the capital plan. A "test run" in the last special session said no (the vote was for the expansion of gambling licenses), but more House Republicans than who'd thought, voted for the expansion of gambling licenses as a source of revenue. Were they just practicing for what was yet to come? By the way, that initiative failed mainly due to a three-fifths vote needed.
If that's not enough, bring State Senate President Emil Jones into the mix. Jones faces the prospect of the legislative pay raises taking effect while the Senate is in session, opening him and other Democrats to criticism, or should I say more criticism? Jones & Co. have an "out" and that is to reject the raises in this special session. How bad does Mr. Jones and the Senate Democrats want that raise? We'll soon see.
Chicago Tribune Clout Street was a source article for this entry
First the public school funding issue was brought up by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, who demanded a special session. The ILBC wants to put school funding to the forefront because of the disparity of school district funding based on property taxes versus a tax dollar boost from income taxes. Recently Senator James Meeks (D-Chicago) called for parents to register their children for the upcoming school year at the New Trier Township school district, a wealthy suburban district. This is to be done to protest the funding disparities between intercity and suburban school districts.
Meeks and other African-American legislators have called for a property tax/income tax swap to equalize funding among school districts. Several have said that this plan would raise income taxes. This notion is nothing new. I can remember when Jim Edgar was in office as governor, he tried twice for at least some sort of reduction of the property tax for schools, but he could get no real, serious support and the initiatives failed. Once the plan was dead before any real talk on the issue could get going. Remember Edgar left office in January 1999. That's how long this has been. In Chicago, Meeks said he hoped to see a vote next week on a bill to allow students to go to whatever school district they wished. He also called for a vote on legislation to dismantle the state’s school funding system in 2010, forcing a rewrite of the funding system during the next gubernatorial election year.
I personally don't criticize the idea of this (I've shot the idea out in plenty of tax discussions for the last 12 years), but I have a difficulty accepting that this should be attempted in a special session without so much as a hearing on the issue. What do school administrators have to say? Or even county treasurers (of which I am one)? Since we collect and distribute school district property tax monies, I am a bit curious how an income tax system would operate. Plus how would this effect the property tax levy process? Would income taxes have to be increased? Get my concern? Logistics are a bit involved here!
Well if that's not enough, the capital plan revenue is still up in the air, since the major portion of the revenue is the sale or lease of the lottery. Meeks wanted the sale or lease of the lottery to go to education, but that plan failed. Meeks said he would not vote for the lottery sale or lease to fund construction. Will Senator Meeks appeal for a sale or lease of the lottery for his school tax swap plan? Tune in to find out. Will there be the votes in the House to use the lottery to fund the capital plan. A "test run" in the last special session said no (the vote was for the expansion of gambling licenses), but more House Republicans than who'd thought, voted for the expansion of gambling licenses as a source of revenue. Were they just practicing for what was yet to come? By the way, that initiative failed mainly due to a three-fifths vote needed.
If that's not enough, bring State Senate President Emil Jones into the mix. Jones faces the prospect of the legislative pay raises taking effect while the Senate is in session, opening him and other Democrats to criticism, or should I say more criticism? Jones & Co. have an "out" and that is to reject the raises in this special session. How bad does Mr. Jones and the Senate Democrats want that raise? We'll soon see.
Chicago Tribune Clout Street was a source article for this entry
2 Responses to " if the capital plan was not enough "
August 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM
August 7, 2008 at 8:44 AM