Pritzker praised for signing Black Caucus-backed education plan even as criticism continues over flat schools spending proposal
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A group of Black state lawmakers praised Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday for signing legislation aimed at addressing racial inequities in education, from early childhood through college, even as other legislators questioned the first-term Democrat’s commitment to adequately funding schools statewide.
The measure, approved by lawmakers in January as a part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ wide-ranging social justice agenda, creates a new standard assessment for children entering kindergarten, contains provisions aimed at increasing the number of Black teachers, and seeks to improve the teaching of Black history in the state’s schools, among other changes.
“There is no investment more important to the future of our state than in our students,” Pritzker said during a signing ceremony at west suburban Proviso East High School, where he was joined by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford of Maywood and other prominent Black Caucus members.
While winning praise from the legislators at the ceremony, Pritzker has been criticized by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over schools spending in his $41.6 billion proposed budget for the year that begins July 1. For the second year in a row, Pritzker wants to forgo a $350 million year-over-year increase in funding for elementary and secondary education.
That fact wasn’t addressed at the bill signing, where Pritzker instead touted his proposal as one that “preserves our increased investments in education.”
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But earlier Monday, during a budget hearing for the Illinois State Board of Education, state Rep. Will Davis of south suburban Homewood said Pritzker has not made increasing funding for elementary and secondary education a budget priority.
A bipartisan education funding overhaul signed into law in 2017 by Pritzker’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, rewrote the formula for distributing state funding to local school districts with the goal of directing more money to schools with the greatest need. The law established a target of increasing state funding by $350 million each year for a decade.
The budget lawmakers approved for the current year held school funding flat from the 2019-20 school year at $8.9 billion from the state’s general fund, and Pritzker has proposed doing the same again next year. Lawmakers are just beginning to put together next year’s budget ahead of their May 31 deadline.
“Unfortunately, what we’ve learned in state government is goals can be skirted,” said Davis, a Black Caucus member who chairs the House appropriations committee for education.
While he applauded Pritzker for sticking to his commitment to sign the education bill and other legislation advanced by Black lawmakers this year, Davis said the annual increase to school funding is “the underpinning of everything else the Black Caucus wants to do to address systemic racism in education.”
Pritzker’s budget proposal also calls for generating $925 million in additional revenue by changing tax policies he describes as “corporate loopholes.” If those changes are approved, Davis said he hopes a portion of that money can be devoted to increasing school funding.
He said he’d like to see increased school funding treated as an obligation, like a debt payment, rather than something optional.
While Pritzker is calling for flat funding for schools, the measure he signed into law requires a panel to reevaluate the formula used to distribute money to districts with the goal of increasing equity.
The new law also expands foreign language and lab science requirements for high school graduation and requires that all high school students have the opportunity to take at least one computer science course beginning in the 2023-24 school year.
Lightford, a Proviso East graduate, said the legislation the governor signed Monday is the product of two decades of work in the General Assembly.
“With this law, we begin a new path of equity in education that tells every child, every child in this state, that we are invested in their God-given potential,” Lightford said.
