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Westmont, Illinois – Following Governor Pritzker’s budget
address, Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan
Montgomery released this response.
“Despite the pandemic, Governor Pritzker has made huge strides
in moving our state forward. We’re pleased to see that his
proposed budget does not rely on increasing taxes or layoffs
that would only hurt working families. We support his decision
to close corporate tax loopholes to fund vital services and
protect our hardest hit.
“When it comes to funding education, the Governor has done the
best he can with the dire fiscal hand he has been dealt by COVID
and the millionaire-led effort to prevent fair taxation in our
state. When Illinois adopted the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF)
plan, we all hoped education dollars would flow to our neediest
communities and the state’s share of education funding would
steadily increase. Yet Illinois remains near the bottom of the
country in equitable education funding, and for the second year
in a row, it will not be increased. And higher education is
still suffering from decades-long disinvestment.
“We remain hopeful that Governor Pritzker will increase funding
for schools in FY22 if revenue projections continue to improve
and that he will fully fund EBF and higher education in future
years. The IFT will continue to advocate for additional sources
of state revenue and increased funding for schools, colleges,
and universities.
“Recovering from the pandemic is vital to Illinois’ economic
well-being, and it will take our collective power to make that
happen. The IFT stands ready to work with Governor Pritzker to
ensure that the recovery is focused on our most vulnerable.”
[Illinois Federation of Teachers]
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