Funding facts from Ralph Martire
Julie Woestehoff and Ralph Martire, Oct. 2013
PURE was pleased to co-sponsor a forum on October 11, 2013, featuring state budget expert Ralph Martire, of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. The information he provided was important to share, so we have prepared the following fact sheet based on his presentation and are solely responsible for its content. For more information about the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and these critical issues, please go to www.cbtaonline.org. You can also download a printable version of the fact sheet here.
Facts about school funding from Ralph Martire
A summary of Ralph Martire’s presentation on state school funding for Illinois Friends of Public Education, October 11, 2013
- There has been a 10% drop in Illinois Pre-K-12 funding from 2000 -> 2014.
- Illinois ranks 50 out of 50 states in the portion of education funding provided by the state.
- Illinois’ temporary tax increase did help. This planned four-year tax hike – from 3% to 5% — enacted by Illinois in 2011 stabilized the deficit at about 8 billion. Without the tax increase, the deficit would now be about 33 billion.
- The tax increase was not a “job killer.” In fact, more jobs are lost when the state spends less money by cutting jobs. When jobs are lost, spending (and state revenue) drops. Our