Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, welcomed the move away from student-based budgeting, calling it an inequitable approach “because not every student has the same needs and doesn’t generate the same resources.”
CTBA’s Elaine Gaberik and Ralph Martire join host of the 21st Show, Brian Mackey, to talk about the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act and CTBA's recent report on the EBF.
Ralph Martire’s column focuses on the pension mess that’s emerged in the past two decades that stems from state laws that made it easier for the city to underfund its pension systems.
A groundbreaking report highlights a $1.4 billion underfunding of Illinois public universities, proposing a strategic increase in state funding. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and commission member, pointed out the decline in state funding for operational costs from 72% in 2002 to 35% in 2021, exacerbating college inaccessibility and systemic income inequality.
CTBA's Ralph Martire joined state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, at a news conference Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Illinois Capitol to highlight the findings of a new report on state funding for public universities.
The governor’s 2025 budget has good ideas for raising revenue, but his fixes to help Illinois’ underfunded pensions fall short, budget analyst Ralph Martire writes.
While Illinois residents would get a break on grocery bills under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed budget, his tweak to the state income tax exemption could end up costing them on April 15 next year. “That creates more of a challenge for low-income families than it does for affluent families because the deduction is more meaningful, the less income you earn,” said Ralph Martire.
Funding challenges combined with an anticipated shortfall of almost $900 million in the coming year are expected to be the focus of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's budget address. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, anticipates a more restrained budget approach this year.
The Democratic governor’s scheduled speech before the Illinois General Assembly follows his pledge last week to allocate $182 million in the next budget year for shelter and other services for asylum-seekers in the Chicago area. The proposed investment came just a few months after the Pritzker administration announced it was taking $160 million from the current budget to address the ongoing crisis. Ralph Martire Ralph Martire, executive director said he expects “a slightly more austere budget” this year compared to the last couple years. “The structural deficit is going to rear its ugly head again this year,” Martire said. He speculated the proposed answer will likely be relatively smaller investments in certain services, rather than tax increases. And while revenue from federal and corporate taxes may be less than in recent years, the effects of that will be somewhat mitigated by the softer-than-expected economic landing from the pandemic.
Governor J.B. Pritzker outlined his spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1. After back-to-back annual budget surpluses, Pritzker will have to find ways to close a budget gap that is only expected to widen the next few years. CTBA's Ralph Martire is quoted “There are going to be pressures coming the governor’s way,” Martire added that he doesn’t expect to see any cuts in spending, but the state will take “a slightly more austere approach.”