THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Pritzker proposes $75 million for preschool, $100 million for college tuition...Dark money for Chicago Mayor...Bears finalize Arlington purchase...New podcast up
February 16, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
In the “make an 80’s/90’s” kid feel old” department: Michael Jeffrey Jordan is 60 today. His Airness celebrated by donating $10 million to Make-a-Wish.
The Senate is in this morning at 10. The House is in at noon. Governor Pritzker goes on the road to start selling his early childhood plan. He’s in Springfield at 10, East St. Louis at 12:45, and Mt. Vernon at 3.
We published a post-budget address podcast last night with reaction from Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) and Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). You can watch on YouTube here or listen here. If podcasts are your thing, you should subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, or Amazon.
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Pritzker proposes budget with nearly $1 billion boost for students — from pre-school to college (Chicago Sun-Times)
Touting the state’s “remarkable” fiscal progress despite expectations of a recession, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday unveiled a $49.6 billion spending plan that includes a major boost to education funding in the state — including a $250 million investment in early education and $506 million increase in K-12 funding.
The Democratic governor’s 51-minute budget and State of the State address was heavy on policy — with sprinkles of political jabs that had Democrats applauding on their feet and Republicans shaking their heads.
Education, human services, pensions and health care would receive a large majority of the $49.6 billion spending proposal — as the state projects a general revenue forecast of $49.94 billion, a 2.8% decrease from revised estimates.
Funding for K-12 education would receive a $506 million boost — including an increase of $350 million to the state’s evidence-based funding formula, which helps distribute funds based on need. Another $70 million would go to launch a three-year pilot program aimed at improving the teacher pipeline — and $86.4 million would go toward grants for transportation and special education.
Pritzker’s education funding — which makes up 20.5% of his spending plan — includes a $75 million early childhood block grant at the Illinois State Board of Education that will create 5,000 preschool spots for Illinois children and $130 million to begin funding Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts to give child care workers a raise. The governor’s office said Chicago Public Schools would receive 37% of the block grant.
Pritzker’s first budget proposal of his second-term also includes an increase of $100 million to the Monetary Award Program, or the MAP, which will allow students at or below the median income level to go to community college for free — through a combination of MAP and Pell grant funding. The proposal also includes a $100 million increase for public universities and community colleges.
Related: Gov. J.B. Pritzker stresses education in $49.6 billion budget proposal while blasting a ‘virulent form of nationalism’ in national schools debate (Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker calls for universal preschool in Illinois by 2027 (Associated Press)
Pritzker pledges more money for education and child care in his budget address (WBEZ)
The state has extra cash. Here's how Pritzker wants to spend it. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Lawmakers applaud Pritzker's early childhood initiatives, worry about increased spending (Bloomington Pantagraph)
After Pritzker’s budget address, lawmakers jockey for their own spending priorities (Capitol News Illinois)
Here are 5 takeaways from Pritzker's 2024 budget proposal (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Full text of Pritzker's Fiscal Year 2024 state budget address (Capitol News Illinois)
Super PACs playing bigger role in Chicago mayor’s race, hiding donors (Chicago Tribune)
Political committees supporting mayoral challengers U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the final weeks of the race for mayor yet hiding where that money is coming from.
The latest committee to join the fray is the New Leadership for Chicago committee, which late last week reported doling out nearly $200,000 so far on digital media in support of García’s run for mayor, according to campaign finance records. The similarly named Chicago Leadership Committee has spent more than $165,000 on TV and digital ads for Vallas’ mayoral bid.
Both committees are receiving dark money, which is funding where the individual contributor is not disclosed and the source of the money is unknown or heavily obscured. The two committees have popped up in recent weeks as the race for mayor has tightened and as Vallas and Garcia, along with six other challengers, are trying to upend Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s attempt for a second term.
Lightfoot herself is the beneficiary of a similar group, the 77 Committee, which has spent $131,405 opposing Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who is endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, and businessman Willie Wilson.
Asked to address whether their apparent “redboxing” was ethical, the campaigns instead pointed fingers at each other or blamed the state of campaign finance reform.
“These practices apply equally to all campaigns as a result of the Supreme Court’s Citizen United ruling,” a statement from Vallas’ campaign said. “Paul Vallas would support small donor public funding for campaigns and he will engage in those conversations, but under current political realities, it would be imprudent.”
Related: Lori Lightfoot takes aim at Brandon Johnson as mayoral race enters final two weeks: ‘Do not be taken in by the false prophets’ (Chicago Tribune)
Candidates pile on Brandon Johnson in last mayoral debate before election: ‘You are a fraud’ (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: A Vallas-Johnson Runoff Would Be an Epic Six Weeks (Chicago Magazine)
Closing time: Chicago Bears finalize $197.2 million purchase of Arlington Park (Daily Herald)
There's a new neighbor at 2200 W. Euclid Ave. in Arlington Heights: the Chicago Bears Football Club.
The organization announced Wednesday it has closed on its $197.2 million purchase of the shuttered 326-acre Arlington Park property -- a milestone in the charter NFL franchise's long-sought city-to-suburbs relocation.
But in an open letter to the community released at 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Bears caution that the land buy doesn't mean their vision for a $5 billion redevelopment of the shuttered racetrack site -- highlighted by a domed stadium -- is a done deal.
The final deal with Churchill Downs Inc. was inked some 17 months after the final thoroughbred horse race at the storied track and an initial sale and purchase agreement with the Bears was announced.
It comes as the Bears try to shore up support in Springfield for a new financing mechanism that would give the team a massive property tax break -- which has already prompted resistance from local school districts.
"While this closing marks a major development in the ongoing evaluation, there has been no decision that the development of the recently acquired property will occur," the Bears wrote in the open letter. "But today's news is nonetheless an exciting update and positions our state and the Chicagoland region to be able to host world-class entertainment and sporting events on an unprecedented scale."
Related: Chicago Bears finalize deal to buy Arlington Heights site for a new stadium, but issues remain before ground is broken (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears buy Arlington International Racecourse for possible stadium (Chicago Sun-Times)
Here’s what’s next for Arlington Heights area now that the Bears have bought Arlington Park (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: Gillespie proposal draws important attention to complex, misused tax mechanisms (Daily Herald)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Congressman LaHood says gun laws aren’t being enforced, and authorities need more resources to prevent mass shootings (Shaw Media)
Editorial: Illinois should put consumers first on car insurance rate hikes (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: State can’t close Choate without putting Plan B into effect (Shaw Media)
Opinion: Illinois can continue as a leader on workplace rights. Let’s not miss our moment (Chicago Sun-Times)
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