Rep. Cavaletto: Governor’s Budget Address
Rep. Cavaletto on the Governor’s Budget Address: “I agree with most everything he said…”
State Representative John Cavaletto (R-Salem), a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee, responded to Governor Bruce Rauner’s second budget address since taking office in 2015.
“Today the governor reiterated that education is a top priority by proposing record funding for our children’s schools as well as early childhood education. I think we should send him a clean funding bill that meets these priorities,” Rep. Cavaletto said. “For the other state spending, the governor offered two alternatives to finally balance our state budget: one that includes reforms to lower spending and another that will rely heavily on spending cuts. Either way, the governor has demonstrated his willingness to work in a bi-partisan manor for the good of our state. Something needs to be done quickly because our families and seniors cannot wait any longer,” he added.
The K-12 general state aid proposed would be $55 million higher than Fiscal Year 2016. This funding level would fund the full $6,119 foundation level for the first time in seven years. The Early Childhood Education program would receive an increase of $75 million, bringing it to its highest funding level ever at $393 million.
Other items in the governor’s proposed FY17 budget include selling unneeded assets like the Thompson Center office building in Chicago, procurement reforms to save $500 million over several years, no salary increase or cost of living adjustments, and there is a 10% reduction in the budgets for Constitutional Officers and the General Assembly.
