Governor Rauner's FY2019 General Fund Budget Proposal Is a Major Setback For Public Education
Release: February 15, 2018
Governor Bruce Rauner introduced his proposed fiscal year 2019 budget on February 14. But despite promising to help close the shortfall from adequate resources identified by the new Evidence-Based Model for school funding, the governor's budget actually cuts available resources for K-12 classrooms by an inflation-adjusted $547 million. This cut frustrates the core purpose of the Evidence-Based Model, which he signed into law just last year: To increase the resources available to Illinois public schools to the levels that evidence shows they need in order to succeed.
The Cost of a Two-Year Property Tax Freeze For Illinois Schools: Up to $830 Million
Release: June 23, 2017
Governor Bruce Rauner has made a property tax freeze a centerpiece of his demands for a full state budget, and the Illinois Senate passed a bill (SB484) that would enact a two-year freeze in May. But such a freeze, without provision for replacement revenue from the state, would effectively be a massive funding cut for K-12 education in Illinois.
UPDATED: Illinois Property Taxes
Release: May 14, 2015
This Issue Brief is an update to a 2007 Brief, and provides an overview of who pays property taxes in Illinois, the steps in the property tax cycle, and what property tax revenue is used for.
Analysis of Proposed FY2014 Chicago Public Schools Budget
Release: August 27, 2013
Despite an increase in spending, Chicago Public Schools is proposing to eliminate 1,520 instruction positions and draw down reserves to dangerous levels in its FY2014 proposed budget. This is, partly, because CPS has underfunded the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund and there has been a decline in state funding to CPS. CTBA's Analysis of the FY2014 Chicago Public Schools Budget Proposal illustrates the challenges CPS faces today.