No Money For Schools? Don’t Believe It.

The annual threat to school programs and teacher positions is on again.

by Jerry Agar

The Chicago Tribune reports, “Chicago-area school districts already struggling with multimillion-dollar budget deficits are warning of mass teacher layoffs and deep program cuts for the coming school year — an impending crisis they blame on the recession and the state’s chronic financial woes.”

Every year it seems we are told that there is not enough money for education.  We are never told that there is not enough money for legislative assistants or to fund the racing commission.

There are threats to fire teachers, close swimming pools and end band programs, as well as whole athletic teams.

Yet this year’s Piglet Book from the Illinois Policy Institute and Citizens Against Government Waste reports that, “The state spent $14.5 billion on education in fiscal year 2009, an amount that comptroller Daniel W. Hynes acknowledged was a 5 percent increase over fiscal year 2008, both overall and for the State Board of Education. Year after year, additional funds are poured into the state’s education system.”

Let’s suppose that the schools need the money.  Is raising taxes the only answer?  Are there other areas where cuts could be made?

I urge you to look through the Piglet Book.  Some of the items are large and some are only a few thousand dollars, but they add up.  Ask yourself, as you go through the pages, whether each of those things are worth more than the education of children.

Here are a few items to get you started…

• Amtrak is receiving $28 million in fiscal year 2010 in a state subsidy for an operating deficit for intercity rail services, and Amtrak will also receive a $1.5 billion subsidy in 2010 from the federal government.  The broader population should not have to pay for the company’s mismanagement. The state should end its subsidies and encourage Amtrak to raise ticket prices for users of its services in Illinois.
• Since 1965, seniors and low-income individuals with disabilities have received discounts on their fares. This program was expanded under former Gov. Blagojevich to provide free transportation on select routes for seniors and the disabled, despite warnings of the costs it would impose on the state budget. Such a program should only be available to individuals who truly need assistance, with means-testing implemented for fare reductions. The phrase “free rider problem” exists for a reason, after all.
• The DCEO is paying the Illinois AFL-CIO Outreach $1,370,000 in fiscal year 2010 for “support services for unemployed.” The DCEO is also paying the Illinois AFL-CIO $1,010,000 for the same purpose. With union dues so high, and the Illinois AFL-CIO representing over one million workers, members’ annual dues and contributions should be used for this purpose – not taxpayer dollars.

There are $350 million in savings in that little book, and it didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime.  You are welcome.

We did it for the children.