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Education Desk
The Education Desk is our education blog focusing on key areas of news coverage important to the state and its improvement. Evidence of public policy performance and impact will be reported and analyzed. We encourage you to engage in commenting and discussing the coverage of education from pre-natal to Higher Ed.Dusty Rhodes curates this blog that will provide follow-up to full-length stories, links to other reports of interest, statistics, and conversations with you about the issues and stories.About - Additional Education Coverage00000179-2419-d250-a579-e41d385d0000

Rauner's School Doesn't Like His Veto

seated students in graduation gowns and caps
Rauner College Prep

Schools across Illinois are still waiting for state money while legislative leaders try to agree on a new funding formula. Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed large portions of a Democrat-sponsored plan, saying it was too generous to Chicago Public Schools. The list of educators lobbying for lawmakers to override that veto includes some surprising names.

  School administrators have had to choose sides in this political fight — whether they support the governor, or the bill Democrats originally passed. That leaves Rauner College Prep in a strange position. It’s one of 17 high schools in the Noble Network — the largest group of charter schools in Chicago — and the first named after a donor. Rauner and his wife Diana have given more than $3 million to Noble.

"Yeah, we've appreciated their support over the years. They've been supporters of Noble,” says Cody Rogers, communications director for the network. Michael Milkie, Noble’s? CEO, has publicly supported the Democratic plan. And that makes economic sense. Most charter schools in Chicago are authorized and funded by CPS.

 

The debate over school funding has focused on Chicago Public Schools, which Rauner alleges would get a "bailout" under Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill). The governor vetoed much of that proposal, cutting a CPS block grant worth more than $200 million and making scores of other changes.

 

Legislative leaders are now trying to work out a compromise.

 

After a long career in newspapers (Dallas Observer, The Dallas Morning News, Anchorage Daily News, Illinois Times), Dusty returned to school to get a master's degree in multimedia journalism. She began work as Education Desk reporter at NPR Illinois in September 2014.
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