Illinois
Paul Vallas: Illinois commission’s new recommendations on university funding don’t address racial inequities
The Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding’s recommendation to allocate additional funding to universities based on race is not only misguided but also ignores the primary cause of inequities in higher education: the lack of school choice at the K-12 level.
This is not surprising, given that the commission was established under Public Act 102-0570 in 2021, with the premise that Illinois higher education is systemically racist and that more funding is the solution.
The commission’s primary goal was always to secure more funding, and it acknowledges that it is building upon the passage of the evidence-based formula in 2017, which changed how K-12 education in Illinois is funded. This formula pushed billions in new funds to local schools based on the notion that schools are underfunded, and that if they were adequately funded, academic success would follow.
The commission’s funding model, like the EBF model, includes a provision that base funding never drops at any university. This provision reduces the pressure to consolidate campuses. The bureaucrats sell this increased funding by wrapping it in equity arguments, asserting that universities cannot address equity issues because they are underfunded.
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association in a 2022 report ranked Illinois No. 1 for state support for higher education. The report said the state allocated nearly $23,000 in funding per student to its universities for 2022. This is an increase of almost 55% from the 2012 level of $14,975. At No. 2 was Alaska at $18,436. The Illinois commission is asking taxpayers to provide another $1.4 billion in new funding to meet the goals stated in the report.
Page 25 of the commission’s report shows the numbers for one of the equity adjustments in the new funding formula, which incentivizes universities to admit minorities for greater funding. This formula values a Black student at $6,000, a Latino student at $4,000 and a rural student at $2,000.
The evidence presented for systemic racism is based on enrollment numbers and graduation rates by demographic. However, there is no attempt to examine the K-12 preparatory experience of students who graduated or failed to graduate. The commission is silent on the poor performance of public school children statewide.
School choice is welcomed at the higher education level for federal and state student financial aid — more than 54% of students enrolled in private colleges and universities have federal student loan debt. However, school choice is denied at the K-12 level. The Chicago Teachers Union advocates for getting rid of Chicago Public Schools’ charter and magnet schools as well.
National data speaks to the superior performance of minority students who attend charter or private schools. Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes tracked public charter outcomes of millions of students, finding that charter schools produce superior student gains; these schools outperform peers in math and reading despite enrolling a more challenging student population.
Private schools have enjoyed extraordinary success. Catholic school students saw the nation’s highest scores on all four National Assessment of Educational Progress exams. When disaggregated by race, Catholic schools have shown significant gains since 2019, leading the nation for Latino achievement on each of the four tests and Black student achievement on three of the tests.
Chicago Archdiocese Catholic schools showed similar results, with students defying the national trend of pandemic-related stagnation and decline in academics. Illinois Policy Institute analysis of Illinois State Board of Education data shows that low-income students in Illinois who received scholarships from the Invest in Kids scholarship program were proficient in reading and math at a higher rate in nearly every grade compared to low-income, public school students in Illinois.
The success of school choice is a story of unique, individualized learning experiences, not one of family wealth or selection bias. The commission’s accusation of systemic racism in the higher education system while ignoring the role of the systematic efforts to deny quality K-12 school choices to poor families, overwhelmingly Black and Latino, is scholarly malpractice.
It’s clear that too few students, disproportionately Black and Latino, are getting the preparation they need to complete a university degree. It’s not the colleges’ fault; it’s the responsibility of our public elementary and secondary schools. The denial of quality education choices at the K-12 level undermines college preparedness.
Throwing more money at the most heavily subsidized university systems in the country and the best-funded K-12 public schools of almost any state in the nation, absent the commitment to improve the situation, will do little to improve equity.
Paul Vallas is an adviser for the Illinois Policy Institute. He has run for Chicago mayor twice and was previously budget director for the city and CEO of Chicago Public Schools.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Illinois
Produce Recall Issued In Parasite Outbreak Hitting IL
A number of Taco Bell locations have posted signs announcing they are “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to Detroit-area news radio outlet WWJ.
Taco Bell told the Post it would keep monitoring the situation and follow authorities’ guidance.
Taco Bell Lettuce Linked To Growing MI Parasite Outbreak: FDA
“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company told the Post. “While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure.”
In Michigan, where cases have been concentrated, media reports said notices were posted at some Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants last week telling customers the chain was “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro-Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.”
Illinois
Illinois GOP trails badly in midterm cash
The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223K in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual end balance was $101K higher than it had reported the day before.
But that bit of found money was basically the end of the “good news” for the GOP last week.
Republicans no longer have a pet billionaire. Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin have fled the state. The legions of wealthy business titans who once contributed and raised money have either retired to sunnier climes or passed away. Several prominent party members have publicly shunned labor unions and their hefty political war chests, although the state GOP legislative leaders have at least tried to rebuild ties to trade unions and even the Illinois Education Association. But the heavily gerrymandered legislative map combined with the current political climate means they’ll mostly receive scraps.
And, yes, the House Democrats are struggling this month with scandals, including a state representative who resigned under pressure and another who was indicted. I’m not trying to downplay that at all. But Democrats have the national political environment, the local infrastructure and tons of cash behind them. The Republicans have little to none of that.
The GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, Darren Bailey, raised $1.3 million in the second quarter, which ended June 30. That sounds like a lot, but he spent almost all of that on direct mail fundraising costs. The huge expenditures do give him a prospect list for future fundraising, but he ended the quarter with a mere $128K in the bank. That was still a whole lot more than the rest of the statewide ticket.
Attorney General nominee Bob Fioretti, a perennial candidate, raised $31K, spent $39K and had $28K on hand at the end of the quarter along with almost $15K in recent debt. Secretary of State candidate Diane Harris raised $6K, spent a bit over $4K and had a paltry $1,816.42 in the bank. Treasurer candidate Max Solomon, who ran as a write-in during the primary because the party failed to recruit anyone, raised less than $3K, reported no spending and ended the quarter with less than $8K. Comptroller candidate Bryan Drew raised $30K and received $47K in in-kind contributions from a company owned, ironically, by independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett, spent less than $3K, ended with $54K and had $25K in debt from earlier this year.
Man, that’s just downright pathetic.
But I suppose it doesn’t really matter anyway unless we see a massive sea-change in national opinion in the coming months or the federal government finds a way to not certify certain election results. Regardless of where individual candidates are at this moment, they’ll have the money to compete. Unlike the Republicans, the Dems do have a pet billionaire (JB Pritzker) and, I assume eventually for most of them, organized labor.
The Republican legislative leaders have tried to scrape and claw as much as they can, but they’re vastly outgunned. Senate Republican Leader John Curran raised just $75K in the second quarter. He spent $71K and reported having a bit more than $3 million in the bank. His caucus committee reported having $160K in the bank.
Leader Curran has three Republican-held districts to defend in the Chicago media market that have all trended Democratic in the last three cycles. Depending how bad things get, he could be defending a couple, two or three more.
The Senate Democrats have a ton of money to do whatever they want. Senate President Don Harmon has about $20 million in his personal campaign account and $1.7 million in his caucus account.
Over in the House, Republican Leader Tony McCombie has at least four Democratic-trending or swingy districts to defend and just $1.3 million in her personal campaign account and another $363K in her caucus account so far.
In contrast, House Speaker Chris Welch had $11.4 million in his personal account and $1.2 million in his caucus account. Like Senate President Harmon, he has more than enough money already, but more is never enough when there’s so much out there, so those numbers will likely rise by November.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Illinois
Hillsboro grad, Springfield golfer Alex Eickhoff 2nd at state amateur
BLOOMINGTON — Springfield’s Alex Eickhoff nearly had a magical Thursday as he tied for second place in the 95th annual Illinois State Amateur Championship at Crestwicke Country Club.
Eickhoff, a 2020 Hillsboro High School graduate and former standout on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s men’s golf team, shot a 4-under-par 68 in Thursday’s third round and followed that with an even-par 71 to finish the three-day, four-round event 1-over 285. He tied for second with Bloomington’s Logan Stauffer.
Eickhoff briefly took the lead through nine holes of his fourth round when he sat at 1-under par. Chicago’s Charlie Kulwin finished both of Thursday’s rounds under par and finished 2-under 282. He was the lone golfer to finish under par for the tournament.
Eickhoff was The State Journal-Register’s Small School Boys Golfer of the year twice in his high school career: once as a freshman in 2016-17 and again as a senior in 2019-20. After high school, he golfed for the University of Minnesota for two years before transferring to SIUE.
He began the tournament with a 3-over 74 on Tuesday and shaved off a stroke Wednesday with a 2-over 73. He closed out the event with an even-par 71 in Thursday’s final round.
Other area golfers who made the cut were Springfield’s Charles Hoogland (7-over 291, tied for 20th) and Jacksonville’s Brady Kaufmann (8-over 292, 25th).
The last golfer from The State Journal-Register’s coverage area to win the Illinois State Amateur was Jay Davis. Davis, a Jacksonville Routt graduate, won the 1991 and ‘92 tournaments.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
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