Faith-based Groups Take Baton In School Funding Relay

By Christopher Brinckerhoff

Part Four: ChicagoTalks’ urban affairs series

May 29, 2009 – While Illinois legislators negotiate the state’s nearly $12 billion budget gap, it might seem odd to hear that some of their constituents are praying for a tax increase.

Religious leaders representing almost every school district in the state met at the Capitol this month and asked legislators to support a boost in the state’s personal income tax from its current 3 percent to 5 percent  for the benefit of school funding.  Gov. Pat Quinn is pushing a plan that would increase the tax to 4.5 percent.

Two faith-based organizations that planned the event, Community Renewal Society and Protestants for the Common Good, are advocates for what they call a more equitable public education. Members said public school funding was a moral and faith issue.

“If we really believe in the dignity of every human person and of every child, then we have a moral obligation to provide an adequate education for every child in our state, regardless of race, their economic status, the city or town where they’re born,” CRS organizer Alex Wiesendanger said.

The Rev. Alice Greene, pastor of Irving Park Baptist Church, said it’s an issue of fairness.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of reading in the Bible to recognize that God does not want for injustice to continue,” Greene said.  “And knowing the church as I see it, particularly coming from an African-American perspective, is that we have a prophetic voice to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

The goal was to motivate legislators to write the additional education dollars into the state budget, according to Wiesendanger.

In  March, Chicago Public Schools announced its 2010 budget would have a $475 million shortfall.

“Illinois ranks 49^th in state support for public education in the nation,” Wiesendanger said.  “Because of that,  local communities have to rely too much on property taxes and they can’t get up to a decent level.  A lot of children in Illinois are just not getting the education that really is their right.”

The funding gap between children living in low income school districts and high income districts  has been a longstanding debate in Illinois.

According to CPS figures, it receives $5,959 per student in state funding.  That’s about $1,400 less than the $7,388 recommended by the Education Funding Advisory Board, a legislative panel on school funding formulas.   Wiesendanger said increasing the personal income tax  to 5 percent would bring the state funding level to the advisory board’s recommended level.

But not everyone shares the same fervor for closing the funding disparity through a tax increase.

Lise Valentine, vice president of the Civic Federation, said the state has demonstrated its inability to pay the full cost of pension promises already made to teachers. She said paying for current debts is the only fiscally responsible thing to do.

Education advocates and legislators agree pension funding is the biggest part of the projected CPS deficit.  Part of  Gov. Quinn’s budget proposal reduces pension benefits for future teachers.

“We fully support those benefit reductions and we think they need to go farther,” Valentine said.

Valentine said she respects education groups’ views on this issue, but she said  they don’t take into account the decades-old pension funding difficulties.

“Does it make sense to propose hiring more teachers in this state if you’re on the other hand unwilling to pay for the benefits you’re promising them?” Valentine said.

Eric Odom, the Chicago administrator of  April’s Tax Day Tea Party, said increasing education funding by raising taxes does not mean more equitable services and facilities will be achieved.

“The school system has the money; they just need to be more responsible with it.  The first option always is to go and raise taxes,”  Odom said.

Odom cited lucrative school administrative salaries in the state that exceed $400,000 in some cases as an example of the administration costs that are draining public resources.

“Right now I understand education is struggling, but it needs to be more fiscally responsible because the taxpayers are struggling,” Odom said. “It’s absurd to try and raise taxes in this economy.”