Education funding 'Summit' at North Side College Prep High School in Chicago
On March 24, 2011 an educational funding summit was held at 5501 N. Kedzie. The Summit was sponsored by the Bezos Scholarship Program of the Aspen Institute, and the following groups were involved: Mikva Challenge, United We Learn, Illinois Council of Students, No Child Left a Dime, National Youth Association and the State Crew of Northside Prep High School.
The keynote speakers were Julie Smith, Deputy Chief of Staff and education liaison for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, and Ralph Martire, Executive Director at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. Martire is also an advisor on the Education Funding Advisory Board, Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and Bicameral Illinois Education Caucus on education funding and polilcy reform.
John Mulroe, State Senator, was in the audience.
A ten minute film, a documentary, "The Education They Deserve" was shown after a welcome by Honghe Li, the student moderator. The film highlighted the disparity of specific inner city schools and wealthy suburban areas which pay higher taxes. For instance, a Fenger student talked about not having any books at all. Students from New Trier had books, computers and many supplies.
Then Julie Smith spoke about the reliance on property taxes causing the inequity. She also spoke about spiraling costs for all aspects of education. She presented a pie chart showing all sources of funding for education. She explained about additional costs with increases for early childhood education, but these were off set by increases in Federal Funding.
Ralph Martire explained in the National Report Card, Illinois was 49th in funding for schools. The desparity in funding, creates a desparity in teacher quality and learning experiences as well.
During the question and answer period, Martire stated that 98.2% of money from the lottery does go to education. But the politicians, then, remove about the same amount from education and put it in the general fund.
He answered that it was true that money belonging to schools through taxation is siphoned off into TIF's for businesses or whatever whim the poliltician in charge chooses. In Chicago, that person is the Mayor. When asked why some states — such as New York — do not have this program. Martire answered that they have the income tax tied to the cost of living. He said it is the legislature that passed a law that Illinois has a "flat tax." He said it is difficult to get bipartisan cooperation for changing taxation since neither side" trusts each other."
Dan Sobor, a student, talked about action steps which included revision of taxes, taxes on services, and more participation by parents, and taxing at least some retirees.
By: Marybeth Foley
No Child Left a Dime
I'm glad to see an article by Lotty Blumenthal again.
I was curious about the group No Child Left a Dime, that was mentioned in the article, so I googled it. Comments run from an Eduwonk contest to rename No Child Left Behind, an article by Bill Glahn in Counter Punch about the chopping away at education in Missouri, and a Cato Institute article by Chris Edwards about federal spending saying "The chart illustrates that no child will be left a dime because the government will have it all."
Does anyone else know anything more about No Child Left a Dime?