AFT President Rips Illinois Gov. Rauner’s School Funding Veto

WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of school funding bill:

“This bipartisan bill fixed an unfair school funding scheme that hurt all cities in the state, including but not limited to Chicago. The legislation provided equitable funding for all children and schools statewide. But Gov. Rauner has tried to use the worst of the age-old divide-and-conquer tactics in vetoing this bill. He picks on Chicago—which like so many of America's big cities is a tale of two cities—it’s an engine of growth and opportunity for the entire state of Illinois, yet it suffers a double-digit poverty rate. In addition, for years the state has selected out Chicago public schools for discriminatory treatment, including contrary to what it does for the rest of the state, refusing to contribute to teacher pensions.

“By vetoing this bill, Illinois students are being held hostage in an outrageous display of venom against the people of Chicago. This veto must be overridden to give all Illinois children the well-funded public education they deserve. Gov. Rauner is making it clear he is more determined to play the politics of division and polarization than adhering to his constitutional responsibility to help all Illinois children. It’s a strategy from the same Machiavellian playbook used by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who tried to pit children in Philadelphia against children in the rest of the state. The voters rejected that move and Corbett was soundly defeated.”