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DGA Statement on Governor Bruce Rauner’s Disingenuous Education Ad

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The following statement can be attributed to Sam Salustro, DGA Illinois Communications Director.
“Yesterday, Governor Rauner could not name a Superintendent that supported his plan, so today he has to spend his millions misleading the public. As hard as he may try, Rauner cannot change facts. Rauner willingly pushed the state into crisis by issuing a politically driven veto that now puts school funding in jeopardy. Illinois families already watched Rauner veto the state budget after a two-year impasse; they should not have to suffer through another crisis just for Rauner’s political ambition.
Schools need funding and Governor Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership is the only thing standing in their way.”

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BACKGROUND:
FACT CHECKERS AND EDITORIALS SAY RAUNER’S CLAIMS ABOUT CHICAGO AND SB1 IS “FALSE”
Politifact Rating: False – “Rauner’s Chicago Schools “Bailout” Claim Rooted In Political Histrionics, Not Numbers.” [Politifact Illinois, 8/1/17]
Chicago Tribune Editorial: “Let’s Get Something Straight: It’s Not A Bailout.”  [Chicago Tribune, Editorial, 6/11/17]
Rockford Register-Star Editorial: “We Want Chicago Schoolchildren To Succeed As Much As We Want Students In Other Areas Of The State To Succeed And We Think A New Funding Formula Can Help Make That Happen.”  [Rockford Register-Star, editorial, 7/31/17]
RAUNER HAS NO SUPPORT FOR HIS AMENDATORY VETO, EVEN FROM DISTRICTS THAT STAND TO BENEFIT
Headline: “Rauner Says ‘Many Superintendents And Teachers’ Support His AV, But Won’t Name Names” [Capitol Fax, 8/15/17]
Superintendents From Across The State Rallied In Support Of SB 1. According to FOX 2 St. Louis, “Superintendents from across the state, along with dozens of teachers, students, and parents, gathered at Brighton North Elementary School to show their strong support for SB 1. Many superintendents said the state already owes them money from previous years, resulting in program and personnel cuts and job losses.” [FOX 2 St. Louis, 7/18/17]
Even The Superintendent Who Gained The Most Additional Funding Under Rauner’s Plan Opposed Amendatory Veto Because Of The Uncertainty It Entailed. According to NPR Illinois, “Gov. Bruce Rauner has been drumming up opposition to the Democrats’ new school funding plan, known as Senate Bill 1, by touting how much more money each district would receive under his plan. He points to Elgin U-46, the state’s second largest school district, as the biggest winner: That northwest suburban district would gain about $15 million if lawmakers approve Rauner’s amendatory veto. So that district’s CEO, Tony Sanders, must be rooting for Rauner’s plan, right? Wrong. ‘Because it’s one-year money,’ Sanders says. ‘The other changes cause me significant concerns about future years. They’re asking me to take an additional $12 million under the veto, to take those dollars in exchange for uncertainty in future years.’” [NPR Illinois, 8/15/17]
Urbana Superintendents Urged Legislators To Override Rauner’s Amendatory Veto. According to the News-Gazette, “Urbana’s school superintendent and mayor urged Illinoisans on Thursday to ask legislators to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the school-funding reform bill approved by lawmakers this spring.” [News-Gazette, 8/11/17]
Headline: “Rockford Area Superintendents: Lawmakers Should Override Rauner’s Veto On School Funding Reform” [Rockford Register-Star, 8/11/17]
400,000 STUDENTS WOULD RECEIVE LESS FUNDING IMMEDIATELY UNDER RAUNER’S AMENDATORY VETO, AND EVEN LESS IN YEARS TO COME
400,000 Students Would Receive Less Funding Under Rauner’s School Funding Reform Plan. According to the Chicago Tribune, “Manar said while Rauner is trumpeting a win for most schools, the changes would result in less money immediately for roughly 400,000 students. Because of provisions in Rauner’s veto that would cut funds for schools that lose population two years from now, Manar said that figure eventually could rise to 1 million students.” [Chicago Tribune, 8/13/17]
NPR Illinois: “2020 Could Have School Districts Seeing Red.” According to NPR Illinois, “Between a new state pension plan and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the Democrats’ school funding plan, some school districts would be in for a big hit in July 2020. The two changes would have a particularly significant impact on districts with high rates of teacher turnover and declining enrollment.” [NPR Illinois, 8/10/17]
RAUNER INTRODUCE NEW ELEMENTS IN HIS AMENDATORY VETO THAT WERE NOT ADDRESSED IN THE BIPARTISAN COMMISSION
 
Rauner’s Amendatory Veto OF SB1 Included Changes That “Had Never Been On The Table” During Rauner’s Own Education Funding Reform Commission. According to Rich Miller’s column in the News-Gazette, “The education-funding reform bill that passed the House and Senate in May and was finally sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk in July was the product of four years of research, endless listening tours and lots of hard bargaining. The House Democrats changed some things at the last minute to benefit Chicago and the governor didn’t like it, but his own education czar claimed the governor still approved of ‘90 percent’ of the legislation. However, when Rauner issued his amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1 last week, he introduced a bunch of new ideas that had never been on the table, including during endless discussions among members of his own education funding reform commission.” [News-Gazette, Rich Miller, 8/6/17]
Rauner’s Amendatory Veto Included Changes Never Discussed By The Bipartisan School Funding Reform Commission, According To Republican Sen. Barickman. According to NPR Illinois, “Rauner’s amendatory veto demands that the state ignore those limits, and treat school districts as though they’re receiving the full EAV (Equalized Assessed Value) of all property, even property inside TIF districts or under PTELL. […] I asked Barickman whether such drastic measures regarding TIFs and PTELL had been a topic among the lawmakers looking for compromise. ‘In our negotiations, the discussion about TIFs, specifically, have centered around whether we could make changes to prospective TIF districts. In other words, TIF districts that don’t exist today, but are set up in the future,’ he said. ‘We’ve talked about that, we’ve talked about TIF districts that are extended, or renewed, but we have not discussed a negotiation of existing TIF districts or PTELL.’” [NPR Illinois, 8/7/17]
NPR Illinois: Barickman Was “One Of The More Active Members Of Rauner’s Bipartisan, Bicameral School Funding Reform Commission.”  [NPR Illinois, 8/7/17]