From GOP State Rep. candidate Allen Skillicorn:
Skillicorn Opposes Manar’s School Takeaway
Background facts & figures:
| School District | FY 15 Disbursements | Change with SB 231 Compared to Disbursements | % Change |
| 300 | $ 32,265,103.31 | $ (2,383,447.01) | -7.4% |
| 155 | $ 10,624,580.88 | $ (2,086,089.01) | -19.6% |
| 158 | $ 20,621,386.42 | $ (3,326,799.10) | -16.1% |
| 47 | $ 9,207,467.94 | $ (4,726,667.91) | -51.30% |
Yesterday, the Illinois State Board of Education released its analysis of Senator Andy Manar’s proposed education funding bill, SB 231.
The bill would change the school funding formula resulting in a significant increase in funding for Chicago.
Springfield Democrats are beholden to politics of Chicago.
I am committed to protecting the quality of schools in our community so our children continue to get an excellent education. As the Republican nominee for State Representative, I will oppose any effort to undercut the quality of our schools, and force us to bailout Chicago because they have failed to do their job.
I am opposed to Senator Manar’s SB 231
In the Chicago Public Schools, only 20 percent of the students who graduate in four years will be considered “college ready;” and the average amount spent per student for the year will exceed $14,000.
Springfield Democrats want more money from our district.
They want more money from you to go to Chicago to backstop a failed system.
This is exactly the kind of Springfield math that has bankrupted our state and caused so many families to flee Illinois. It demonstrates how out of touch the political class is with our lives.
I am going to Springfield to protect our community. To protect your quality of life and protect the investment you’ve made in our community.
Two-thirds of 4th graders in Illinois can’t read at grade level, we pay the 2nd highest property taxes in the nation, and we have the largest unfunded pension liabilities of any state.
Senator Andy Manar and the Democrats’ answer to these problems is to shift more education funding from our communities to Chicago.
They refuse to reform a Chicago school system that is failing the children it is entrusted with.
Worse, they want to give them more money, and they want us to pay for it.
Rather than bailing out Chicago, we should reform our education systems to ensure that every child receives a world-class education.
Allen Skillicorn
Instead of sending education dollars to centralized bureaucracies like CPS, the state should attach those dollars to the students, allowing their parents to choose which school is best for their child.
Rather than investing in bureaucracy, we should invest in our students.
Every conversation I have with people in our community is about their exit strategy.
We have a great community and great schools, so why is everyone leaving?
They are leaving because they can’t afford to stay.
They are leaving because Chicago politicians want to take money from our schools to fund Chicago schools.
They are leaving because we are being disrespected by a political class that sees us as a piggy bank to extract money from, not families to protect and empower.
For decades, the politicians in Springfield have refused to pass reforms and have been making promises they know they cannot keep.
Now they want to push the costs of their mistakes and lack of leadership onto us.
Instead of protecting our community, they are protecting themselves.
For clarification we have officially taken over the designation of paying the highest property taxes in the nation with the average take of 2.67% of home value (I am paying WELL over that).
Public Sector salaries/benefits are out of control!
We need a Property Tax Cap of 2.5%.
Not a freeze, a CAP!
Then let all parties fight for their piece of the pie.
If the government bodies want more money then increase my property value.
Taking a look at the property tax history for the last 20 years on my home the value of my home increased by a hair over 10% while my property taxes have doubled.
Property taxes affect lower income families more so than that or rich families.
For example, a $180k home is assessed much higher per square foot than a $360k home.
WOO!
GO ALLEN!
Thank God for Allen Skillicorn beating Caryolyn Schofield
she is a sore loser at best
thank God we get rid of her on the County Board.
CPS receives $4525 per student from Illinois, compared to Woodstock D200 receiving $2460 per student from Illinois.
There are some demographic differentials, but the ratios don’t account for the disparity.
School name
Source: Year Enrollment Racial/ethnic diversity % Hispanic/African American ELL English language learners % Low income %* Disability %** College ready % Revenue: State Revenue: Federal Revenue: Local Operational Annual spending per pupil***
Harvard D50 Illinois Report Cards 2014-2015 2502 63%/0.5% 30.3% 63.5% 11.1% 27% $12 million $2.3 million $15 million $10,885
Huntley D158 Illinois Report Cards 2014-2015 9475 10.1%/1.9% 2.9% 16.7% 12.4% 64% $21 million $2.9 million $70 million $8844
Woodstock D200 Illinois Report Cards 2014-2015 6505 32.7%/2.8% 14.5% 47.7% 11.4% 49% $16 million $4.6 million $65 million $12,548
CPS 299 Illinois Report Cards 2014-2015 397,833 45.6%/39.6% 17.8% 86.9% 14% 28% $1.8 billion $880 million $2.6 billion $15,120
* Percentage of students, in this district, eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches live in substitute care, or whose families receive public aid.
** Percentage of students, in this district, who receive special education services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
*** Operating Spending per Pupil includes all costs for overall operations in this school’s district, including Instructional Spending, but excluding summer school, adult education, capital expenditures, and long-term debt payments.
He clearly knows what he is doing.
“We have a great community and great schools, so why is everyone leaving?
“They are leaving because they can’t afford to stay.”
Amen!
Preach it, Allen!
Cal and Allen, we need to start putting in links to the source data.
It isn’t that I do not believe you but as we start promoting these stories locally people want the source data.
I am very thankful we have someone with the courage of Allen Skillicorn to make this known to the people.
We need more people doing this daily.
Thank you.
GIDDY UP,
Andrew Gasser
Too much education funding goes to pensions, then the state contribution to the TRS (teacher and administrator pension fund) is not counted in per pupil expenditures.
Many school districts still provide 6% end of career salary increases for each of the last 4 years of an employees career, for no good reason, a figure which has far exceed inflation for several years, which results in spiked pensions; that is done in collective bargaining agreements and administrator contracts; both of which taxpayers rarely see until after the board vote; and a change document (underline text for additions and strikethough text for deletions) is rarely provided to the public before or after the board vote.
The rules of the game are rigged, and instead of changing the rigged rules, the proposal is to shift funding and keep rigged rules.
Education funding is massively dysfunctional with the taxpayers at the short end of the stick and the special interests making out like bandits.
Another taxpayer education funding ripoff is TRS ERO.
ERO will expire June 30, 2016 at 11:59 PM unless extended.
It’s been extended repeatedly since it was originally passed 1979, co-sponsored by State Representative Jack Schaffer of Crystal Lake, signed into law by Governor Jim Thompson.
The original given reason for the bill was to save school districts money during declining enrollment which was occurring at the time.
Before this bill was passed, full retirement age was 60 for teachers to receive 75% of their final average salary.
After the law, full retirement age was 55, and teachers could retire with as little as 20 years of service.
Various rules apply, but the state and school district pick up the majority of the tab, not teachers and administrators retiring under the plan.
Not all school districts participate in ERO, and some school districts just allow certain administrators to participate and not teachers.
How has ERO worked out for the pension system and taxpayers?
It’s been a lousy deal for taxpayers, especially coupled with 6% (used to be 20%) end of career salary hikes.
And the fact that upon retirement, taxpayers fund a retirement plus a replacement teacher and administrator, assuming the position is replaced, which it typically is.
For any given working teacher or administrator, there is often a retired teacher or administrator.