Mussman, Bernas debate education funding reform
Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman and Republican challenger Jillian Bernas have different ideas about how to fund education in Illinois, as well as Mussman's voting record on the issue.
The candidates, both Schaumburg residents, seeking the 56th District House seat recently shared their philosophies during a face-to-face meeting at the Daily Herald.
Mussman criticized a pending bill by Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill as the latest example of plans to redistribute property taxes in a way that would harm the public schools of the 56th District.
She favors an evidence-based model now being researched that seeks to maximize returns on education investment and addresses a common criticism of Manar's plan.
"Is a school district poorly performing because it doesn't have enough financial assets, or is a district poorly performing for other reasons?" Mussman asked. "So we may be taking money away from my school district and causing (the district) not to work as well as it used to, to give money to another district and that may not be able to correct what's not working well in that district."
Mussman said one area where Democratic legislators seemed to find common ground with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was in the prioritization of at least kindergarten through high school education.
But she's concerned that higher education rarely enters the conversation on how and where to improve funding.
"It's the gateway to good, solid jobs of the future," Mussman said. "If we want our students to be self-sufficient and good quality taxpayers, we need to help them complete the entire course."
Bernas said those in power now haven't done enough to prioritize education.
"So right now our state is probably doing the worst out of any state in the nation when it comes to providing state funding for education," she said. "In our state, it relies heavily on the individual school district to levy those tax dollars."
Bernas said she favors a property tax freeze, combined with reforms to avoid harming the quality of local schools.
As a former middle school teacher, Bernas said she knows that education has to be equitable and excellent for every student in the state - not just those of the 56th District - but taking money from one area and sending it to another is fundamentally wrong. She accused Mussman of supporting that kind of redistribution.
Mussman responded that Bernas is referring to her vote for the entire state budget - a spending plan that was less costly than the partial budget ultimately approved under court order. The budget included a $100 million subsidy for the Chicago schools' pension system. When it was pulled into a separate bill, Mussman said she voted against it.
"The budget bills I voted on for education (alone) ensured that no school district lost any money and that all school districts gained to some degree, and that means that Chicago gained to some degree also," Mussman said.
The 56th District includes Schaumburg and portions of Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Bartlett, Hanover Park, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Roselle.