Prairie State Wire

Prairie State Wire

Thursday, November 14, 2019

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Illinois Policy Institute readies pointed analysis of Rauner's school funding veto benefits

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 16, 2017

The Illinois Policy Institute is preparing a report to offer a “more robust” analysis of how 97 percent of Illinois' public school districts would receive more state funding under Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, the state's K-12 funding measure.

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Rauner looks to House to send more money to most state schools

By Brent Zell | Aug 15, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner must rely on the Illinois House to trust the math of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) after the Senate on Sunday seemingly ignored an analysis showing that 97.5 percent of public schools would get more money under Rauner's amendments to Senate Bill 1.

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Stanford analyst: Illinois school funding changes won't improve student performance

By W.J. Kennedy | Aug 15, 2017

The evidence-based school funding formula Illinois will adopt once the Legislature and Gov. Bruce Rauner finally agree on the particulars in Senate Bill 1 brings with it only one guarantee: Taxpayers will pay billions more for an input-driven formula that has no proven track record of success, one analyst said recently.

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Mendoza calls on House to override Rauner veto of school funding bill

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 15, 2017

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza is urging the House to follow the Senate's lead and override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the state's public school funding bill, according to Capitol Fax.

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Education board analysis shows widespread benefit of Rauner's school funding changes

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 15, 2017

Nearly every public school in Illinois would receive more state money under Gov. Bruce Rauner's amended version of Senate Bill 1 than via the formula in the bill's original form, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has determined.

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Senate overrides Rauner's amendatory veto of school funding bill

By Hoang Tran | Aug 13, 2017

Senate Democrats voted on Sunday to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the state's school funding bill despite opposition from Republicans and Rauner, who urged Senators to either pass the bill as amended or present viable alternatives.

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Madigan reaches dubious distinction, GOP contends

By Ruth de Jauregui | Aug 13, 2017

A milestone for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) should be marked with a gravestone for Illinois' economy, the Illinois Republican Party suggested recently.

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Illinois one of four states to see increase in food stamp participation

By Hoang Tran | Aug 10, 2017

Illinois is one of only four states that saw an increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation this year, according to the most recent data from U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

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Illinois state workers will put on cyber sleuthing hats under new law

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 10, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner is calling on all state employees to do their part in protecting Illinois from cyber attacks, according to a recent press release.

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Illinois described as sinking under pension woes, redundancies

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 9, 2017

Illinois is sailing straight for an iceberg, and it's too late to change course, a Chicago attorney argued recently on his firm's website.

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Rauner takes his school funding case to newspaper boards

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 8, 2017

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.

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Rauner order meant to end 'parochial' approach to administrative hearings

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 8, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed an executive order meant to streamline administrative hearings in an effort to improve efficiency and cut down on case backlogs, according to a release from Rauner's office.

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Jimenez announces summer meeting of Edgar Fellows

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 4, 2017

Forty members from the sixth class of Edgar Fellows will meet Aug. 6-10 in Champaign for an intensive training program designed to mold them into more effective leaders, according to a recent release from Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez (R-Leland Grove).

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Ammons, other downstate Dems rebuff their own schools, GOP claims

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 3, 2017

Downstate Democrats are basically stabbing their own districts' teachers and schoolchildren in the back by supporting Senate Bill 1's provisions tailored to Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the Illinois Republican Party said in a press release.

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Rauner lists problems new state budget presents

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 3, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner wants Illinoisans to know how the state budget that lived through his veto attempt fails them.

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Illinois GOP sees more media rapping Dems' knuckles

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 3, 2017

The State Journal-Register recently joined the media bashing of Democratic legislators, offering its take on the ongoing struggle to get funding in place for Illinois' public schools, according to the Illinois Republican Party.

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Policy institute backs Rauner's veto of school funding bill

By Mia Sims | Aug 3, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner's amendatory veto of the state's public education funding bill would finally eliminate "some of the most unfair and inequitable practices" in K-12 funding: subsidies brought about by tax increment financing (TIF) districts and the state's Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), the Illinois Policy Institute contends.

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Illinois continues to be black sheep of Midwest job growth

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 2, 2017

Illinois is adding only half of the number of jobs its neighbors are creating, according to a recent analysis from the Illinois Policy Institute.

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GOP goes on Facebook attack over Madigan, school funding

By Caitlin Nordahl | Aug 2, 2017

The Illinois Republican Party has released several new digital ads for Facebook targeting House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) for pushing a school funding formula that the GOP says favors Chicago Public Schools (CPS), according to a recent release from the party.

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Rauner strips CPS additions from school funding bill with amendatory veto

By Hoang Tran | Aug 2, 2017

As expected, Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued an amendatory veto on Senate Bill 1, the education funding bill that was held in the Senate since the end of May and sent to his desk on Monday.