Rauner takes his school funding case to newspaper boards

Gov. Bruce Rauner called for backup on his amendatory veto of the state’s K-12 funding bill, enlisting the help of some Illinois newspaper editorial boards recently, according to a press release.

Senate Bill 1 has been back with the Legislature for reconsideration since Aug. 1, when Rauner removed funding he believed gave Chicago Public Schools (CPS) unfair additions. Since then, the General Assembly has not voted on whether to accept the amended measure or attempt to override his veto. Legislators face an Aug. 16 deadline or the bill will effectively die.

Kankakee’s Daily-Journal said Rauner accused House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel of dumping CPS’s liabilities on the state by including pension considerations in the formula determining how much funding CPS would receive. Rauner used his veto power to remove the pension provision.

According to the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Rauner accused Madigan of using legislative extortion tactics and putting schools at risk of not opening because they won’t have funding, and the Quad Cities’ Dispatch-Argus said Rauner accused Democrats of stalling rather than working with Republicans to come to a compromise.

“So far, the Democrats have made no proposals, no recommendations,” Rauner said, according to the Dispatch-Argus. “They’ve introduced no new language… . What they really are seeking to do is wait, stall, have a crisis in the schools and blame the governor. Then force a vote on SB1 in its original form, or try to override my veto. That would be tragic for our children and tragic for taxpayers.”