Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor
I have to give Governor Bruce Rauner credit for not taking long to show his hand and publicly attack the Higher Education system in Illinois. It has only been a few weeks since he was inaugurated and he recently unveiled his budget. A budget plan that slashes over $200 million just from the University of Illinois alone.
At the very time Gov. Rauner announced he wants to slash the Higher Education budget for all universities in the State of Illinois by almost a third, he claimed that his budget makes education a priority!
“Higher education is set to take a major hit in Illinois.
Following similar announcements by the Republican governors of Wisconsin and Louisiana, newly-sworn in Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released what he called a “turnaround” budget, that would slash nearly $209 million from the University of Illinois.” Think Progress
“It’s time to make education our top priority again – and that’s what this budget does,” he told lawmakers Tuesday night, touting his plan to give about $25 million more to early childhood education. “With reform, we will be able to invest more in education and give our kids world class schools.” Think Progress
While the proposed budget increases some funding for K-12 education, the University of Illinois system will lose one-third of its state financing under this budget. This very same proposed budget makes absolutely no mention of any increased revenue sources or plans. What will happen to the University system if these cuts are retained in the final budget?
One can expect the cuts to cause increased fees being charged to students as well as the loss of many educational programs. The result of these massive reductions in state financing will be to transfer the costs to students who are already paying high tuition and fee costs. The loan balances of many students already into the 6 figures and Gov. Rauner’s actions will make sure that student debt will continue to climb in Illinois.
So often the claims that all areas of the State have to share in the burden of digging out of a financial hole ends up with some of the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of that burden. If the Governor is convinced that we all have to sacrifice in this job to balance the budget, why wouldn’t new tax sources be considered along with reasonable cuts?
Will these draconian cuts make it more difficult for students from poor and middle class families to obtain a college education? In this very same budget proposal, Gov. Rauner biggest cuts are aimed directly at those who are least able to afford them.
“Yet the state would spend $400 million less on higher education, $600 million less on local governments, and $1.5 billion less on Medicaid, which handles health care costs for poor residents. University leaders and mayors said they were worried, and advocates for the poor said they feared medical needs would go unmet under deep cuts to Medicaid.” New York Times
When the cities, counties and municipalities raise their taxes to pay for basic services for their residents, who has to pay for those increases? “In many cases, Rauner’s state budget cuts could simply end up shifting costs: local governments could choose to raise property taxes, state universities could raise tuition and the CTA could increase fares.” Chicago Tribune
For a man who spent at least $37 million of his own money to get elected governor, he sure has no problem making the middle class and poor pay more for a college education and for health care and local taxes and transportation costs.
Rauner seems to be following the economic model that worked so “well” for Gov. Brownback in Kansas and Gov. Walker in Wisconsin.
Just how has that austerity approach worked out for Kansas and Wisconsin?
Additional Sources: Examiner.com; Crains Chicago Business
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Nick,
You called for greater civility on the blog just this morning, and then you posted:
“Leslie Gore died last week. She was only 68. Her biggest hit was, It’s My Party. It spoke to the female teen angst, one of the first songs to speak to young women and their need to sometimes have pity parties. She helped usher in a full array of talented women singers.”
I agree with you quite a bit politically, but this kind of comment is a needless poke.
Inga,
“Perhaps if everyone called out the habitual abusers every single time it happened, we could bring back some decency to these threads.”
“Sandi one must put on their big girl panties when commenting here on these threads”
Ahem. 😉
“There comes a time when injustices need to be met head on and addressed.”
I agree. However, meeting vitriol with vitriol doesn’t improve the tenor of the boards either and then leads to a long list of snapping back and forth that detracts from what could be an interesting conversation.
PR
Of course my comment regarding the Morill Act(s) meant it was in the classical liberal context. It wouldn’t occur to me that this could be misunderstood since it was enacted in 1862.
Thanks for pointing out we have some readers who need more guidance.
Wade, ohhhh nothing important.
Meanwhile Rauner gets a $700,000 recurring income tax cut due to his cutting the IL income tax rate.
Here is more information on the Rauner budget cuts:
Limiting eligibility for Department of Aging Community Care Programs.
Cutting health care benefits for homecare workers.
Slashing funding for the Department of Children and Family Services.
Eliminating all Department of Children and Family services for youths 18-21.
Cutting adult dental and podiatry services as well as kidney transplants for undocumented children.
Eliminating exemptions for drugs for severe mental illness from a state 4-prescription limit.
Reducing payments to facilities for children on ventilators, supportive living facilities and children with severe mental illness.
Cutting Medicaid spending by1.5 billion – including735 million in cuts to hospitals serving Medicaid patients.
Eliminating assistance to families with Hemophilia.
Freezing intakes on childcare for children over 6.
Increasing childcare copays for working parents.
$27.5 million in reductions to community substance abuse programs.
$82 million reduction to community mental health programs.
Eliminating State funding for specific organizations providing: – Services for people with disabilities – Services to children with autism – Services to homeless young people – Services to run away teenagers – Immigrant integration services – Advanced placement classes – After school programs – Agricultural education – Arts and foreign language programs – Parent mentoring – Safe Schools initiatives
Cuts to breast and cervical cancer programs.
And a 31.5% cut to higher education.
Elaine, exactly. If a young person excels in school and/or has a desire for a higher education and a degree, we as a society should make it possible to educate these young people. As you said upstream, each child has his or her own strengths and that should be nurtured by families and our society.
I also agree with Sandi in that the education system should be the responsibility of the State and NOT the Federal Government which under the 10th amendment does not have this enumerated power.
Also…earlier in the thread I advocate that we should have exit exams for College Degrees in the area of their subject and ESPECIALLY for High School so that when you go to hire the English Major, Business major, Computer Science major , Law Degree you have some assurance that they actually know their topic.
For High School a guarantee that the student can at least read, write and do some math. Sadly….this is not always the case. The diplomas are really a cr@p shoot.
I think keeping tuition low at state colleges is of great import. I came from an immigrant family of little means. Had it not been for a state college in a nearby community, I would never have been able to afford a college education…and my life path would have been different. Thanks to cheap tuition at my college, I graduated without any debt…and had a rewarding career as a teacher. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like with my college education.
I don’t think a four-year college education is for everyone–especially considering the cost of tuition these days. I’d like to see more technical and trade schools available post high school for young people who prefer working with their hands,
On this we are in total agreement. A four year university is not for everyone for many reasons. And in addition many of the degrees that are obtained, at great cost, from a university are really quite useless in the practical applications of the real world. We need less art history majors and more auto mechanics and welders 🙂 Plus…..you can make a good living in the trades.
Free junior college isn’t really free. Someone is paying for it. Money doesn’t appear out of nowhere.
However, helping students who want to get a jump start on the more expensive pre courses for a university or obtain an AA at the Jr college level, is a good idea. As long as it doesn’t just become a glorified continuation of a failed high school experience and there is a time limit on how long you can get free college………it is a good thing.
I would also like to see the tuition assistance for those trade schools and on line sources to obtain your AA or other credentials that will enhance your existing degrees or credentials. Some locations are too far away for a college experience OR the student is working and cannot attend a college but would be able to attend on line classes.
There are parents in my grandchildren’s school district who use tutors if they notice their child is floundering. BUT in takes the parent to be aware and notice and then do something about it. Complain to the Principal if the teacher isn’t doing a good job, hire the tutor, get your child in to school early for special help.
So Sandi, you think the states should make community college free of cost? Also Sandi, there are plenty of children that did do well in public school, depends on the location and the parents involvement and investment in their child.
Inga, I believe all education should be the responsibility of the States. We’ve spent so much money on the Dep of Ed. It should be eliminated and $$ left at the State level. My grandchildren would not get the education I did in CA public schools. The students are unwilling, parents are not involved, there is violence even at lower levels. They were home schooled and went to charter schools. I wasn’t in favor of that, but they are in public schools at high school, getting A’s.
Teachers are obsessed with guns, drugs, and sexual harassment. A 5-year-old-boy was charged (officially by police) for kissing a little girl on the cheek! Another was suspended because the teacher thought a sweet roll he had looked like a gun. A girl was suspended for giving an over-the-counter pill for cramps to a friend. During recess some kids were playing Cowboys and Indians. You would have thought the end had come for the hysteria about that! They were punished. I played Cowboys and Indians when I was a kid. It did not make me against the Indian community. And there are a lot in CA.
I think Common Core is a disaster. But it comes with money from Federal Government. That’s why the States should be responsible. Nowhere in our Constitution does it give any authority to the Feds for education.
Parents were responsible to have their kids in school. They should be still, especially if they receive aid from the government. I have a step-nephew who graduated high school and couldn’t read or write!was I angry at his parents? You bet! He can now because the whole family demanded it. But what about the school? The teachers? Along with parents, they didn’t do their job. Was there any reprimand to the schol and teachers? No.
Let me not miss this opportunity to write, WHAT ELAINE JUST SAID! Great comment! Tool and die making is a much needed, good paying job for people good @ math. It is not boring work, production type jobs. You can raise a family on the wages. And, there are many more trades like the one that Elaine and I just mentioned. The demand is high which means wages will also be high.
Elaine, my son is a Millwright journeyman. It was a four year program through our community college. He always was very talented with mechanical things and is quite happy in his profession. He actually gets even more than full time hours in and around the Milwaukee area. He belongs to a union and makes an excellent wage and pension plan. I’m as proud of him as I am of my lawyer daughter, or my daughter who has a BA in Art History, or my college dropout daughter who dropped into the Navy 12 years ago and made a career out of it.
I don’t think a four-year college education is for everyone–especially considering the cost of tuition these days. I’d like to see more technical and trade schools available post high school for young people who prefer working with their hands, making/building things…for kids who are bright and talented but dislike sitting in a traditional classroom.
One of my oldest and best friends who is brilliant in math never finished her first year of college. She is now part-owner of a successful company that writes software for the auto industry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/us/politics/obama-proposes-free-community-college-education-for-some-students.html?_r=0
I think this is a great idea. I’m glad you were fortunate enough Sandi to have your community college courses be free of cost.
Sandi, The list is growing of successful people who have done well w/o college. What the education industry has created is this mantra that a college degree is the end all and be all. That’s part of this community college entitlement Obama has proposed. It does a disservice to many young people and our economy who would be much better off learning much needed trades. But, the education industry is a Dem jobs program. Over 80% of people in the industry are Dems. There are too many kids going to college who have no business going there. The child would be much better off steered toward a career that fits their skills. But, it isn’t about the kids, it’s about the adults, and what’s best for them.
Obama has a wonderful plan to try to get community college to be free. Are you in favor of this Sandi?
Nick,,let’s not forget Steve Jobs! I recently read something about high school not being free prior to WWII. I ask you, as I respect your knowledge of history, is that true? I knew a lot of kids didn’t go beyond the eighth grade prior to WWII. I thought it meant they had to work to help their families. My Dad was one of these, but could do diagramless crossword puzzles, discuss physics with my husband (degrees in physics), taught me to read at four. I assume his grades would have made him eligible, but the family was poor.
My Mom was adamant I would go to college. Fortunately, community college was free. And before the UC system gobbled some up, State schools were affordable. Now community colleges charge over $100+ per unit, making an AA degree near $3,000. I would not have been able to go.
I’ve taken a few night classes from our community colleges for fun, because I didn’t take them before (Astronomy, Writing). Night classes are considered Adult Education, so no charge. The instructors were excellent. So if you can’t afford community college as a day student, look into night classes.