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 The Republican governor and leaders of the Democrat-controlled
legislature have been battling over the budget for the fiscal year
that begins in a week. Democrats passed a $36.3 billion budget with
a more than $3 billion revenue hole that Rauner has refused to
address unless lawmakers adopt his so-called turnaround agenda.
Rauner said he signed the education funding bill to ensure schools
open on time and teachers get paid.
“I refuse to allow (House) Speaker (Michael) Madigan and the
legislators he controls to hold our schools hostage as part of their
plan to protect the political class and force a tax hike on the
middle class without real reform,” the governor said in a statement.
The lack of state funding levels for the upcoming school year put
districts in a bind. The Chicago Public Schools, the nation's third
largest public school system, said it was unable to craft its own
spending plan without having a state budget in place.
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Rauner said while the bill increases primary and secondary school
funding by $244 million, that amount is less than the $312 million
hike he sought in the budget he proposed in February.
(Reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Andrew
Hay)
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