U-46 hosts five districts' worth of candidates
Candidates in Illinois Senate primary races in districts that include Elgin Area School District U-46 talked about education issues ranging from pension reform to school funding Tuesday evening during a forum at Streamwood High School.
After the decennial redistricting, there are now five Senate districts — 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 28th and 33rd — that cover U-46.
In the 22nd District Democratic race, incumbent Michael Noland of Elgin said he supports charter schools because a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not serve children well; candidate Tim Elenz of Streamwood, however, said he believes public schools must be fixed first. “I do not believe some children should be able to go into a completely different system,” Elenz said.
District 25 Republican candidate Richard Slocum of Sugar Grove called for equalized school funding that doesn't overrely on property taxes; he also said he doesn't support expanding gambling in Illinois. His opponent, Steven Hunter of Geneva, said the state should be responsible for funding public education; he also said he supports slot machines in airports and a gambling casino in Chicago.
The Democratic candidates for the 23rd District — Greg Brownfield of Bartlett, Thomas Cullerton of Villa Park and Kevin Allen of Addison — had different views on a new law that ties teachers' performance to student growth. While Cullerton supports the measure, Brownfield and Allen questioned how student growth will be measured.
“It is inappropriate to legislate from Springfield what is going to happen in every school district,” Allen said.
Both Allen and Cullerton decried the state's borrowing from pension funds, but Brownfield went a step further and called for establishing a progressive income tax rate.
“We need to start looking upward, at least when we make these difficult choices,” he said.
In the Republican primary in District 33, Karen McConnaughay of St. Charles and Cliff Surges of Gilberts pointed to pension reform and Medicaid reform as big-ticket items the state legislature needs to tackle before looking at the education budget. But while Surges said he wouldn't cut any education programs, McConnaughay said she would want to examine whether investing in early childhood programs “makes sense.”
McConnaughay said transparency would put an end to cronyism in Illinois, and called for “real information in real time, all the time.”
Surges said he believes in imposing caps on political contributions. “You can't tell the truth if you are taking money from lobbyists,” he said.
Republican candidates for District 23 Carol Pankau of Itasca and Randy Ramey of Carol Stream had opposite views on a bill that would offer state workers a trio of options for earning reduced future benefits. While Pankau supports the plan, Ramey called it unconstitutional. “The teachers were not brought to the table to discuss it,” he added.
In step with a race characterized by mudslinging on both sides, Ramey and Pankau also strained to find something positive to say about the other's record. “(Pankau) has stood by most of the values of the Republican party,” Ramey said. Pankau resorted to commenting on Ramey's wardrobe. “He has a wonderful red jacket that he wears every Tuesday,” she said.
The legislative debate was sponsored by U-46, the district's citizens advisory council, the Elgin Area League of Women Voters, Elgin Teachers Association and the Daily Herald. It was moderated by Kerry Lester, politics and projects writer for the Daily Herald.