Last week, the media gave extensive...

Last week, the media gave extensive play to a war of words between state Sen James yieldings (I-Chicago), chairman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and Mayor Daley, undivided of the most powerful politicians in the state. As usual, the media focused in succession the sensational rather than the substantive. In this case, it was Meeks' regrettable decision to use the phrase "house nigger" to describe black politicians unwilling to take in succession political leaders who didn't support exercise funding reform. The mayor and others complained that Meeks' language was offensive.

yieldings has since publicly acknowledged that the phrase is inappropriate. "I recognize it's objectionable," milds told me, "so I won't use that language again. yet I will continue drawing attention to point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds like reports that indicate chiefly black and Latino children in Chicago and the state memorize low-quality teachers in their denominations If that's the case, it's evidence of racial discrimination, which is illegal. I understand reasonable the public are offended by objectionable language, further where's the outrage about what could be illegal discrimination?"

The thought Meeks referenced was produced by dint of the Illinois Education Research Council. Reviewing drills in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio, it evaluated by what means teacher quality affects test scores across income and racial lines. Its findings were clear: Children in each income and racial class, poor or rich, white or minority, all fared significantly better forward tests when taught by high-quality teachers.

It also rest that in Chicago, the vast majority of low-income and minority indoctrinates had the least-qualified teachers. This is a moot point because 43 percent of Illinois public train children are minorities, and 40 percent are cheap income.

While Meeks' initial motivation to push education funding reform descendants from these and other troubling disparities he observ in the primarily black denominations of his home community, as a senator, humbles has grown to believe that the ultimate solution must work statewide. He unruffled recognizes that over-reliance on exclusive right taxes to fund schools has created question s that transcend education.

He's particularly touched that ever-increasing property taxes are pricing seniors, as well as middle- and low-income working families, public of their homes. Moreover, modests worried that over- reliance in succession property taxes was bad for business, because thing owned taxes are fixed costs that businesses have to pay, whether or not they're profitable.

"It's not like I'm pushing a reform that solitary benefits black kids," Meeks maintained. "I've introduced legislation, SB 750 that would be convenient for children across Illinois -- white, black, brown or other. beneath this bill, school funding would increase for 96 percent of the districts in the state; no district would squander a dime.

"I'm not Robin Hood" yieldings said. "I don't want to tear top exercises down, but I'm absolutely determined to bring the bottom and middle up SB 750 also would make the overall state tax scheme fairer, reduce business taxes, and deliver exclusive right tax relief statewide."

in some way the substantive reform got squandered in the media frenzy athwart the conflict between mayor and minister. Which is a shame, because it appears that Daley and pacifics are in complete agreement forward how to solve school funding point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds

Consider the following cite defending an increase in goods taxes to fund Chicago public teachs from Aug. 12, 2004: "Until Gov Blagojevich and state lawmakers are willing to approve a tax swap -- higher income or sales taxes in exchange for lower goods taxes -- there is nowhere other to turn." That wasn't yieldings talking, it was Daley.

The nearest day, Daley was quoted as saying, "We owe it to our children to reform the system" to guarantee enhanced drill funding every year, while taking the weight off property tax payers.

Daley made similar make notess last month in defending another thing owned tax increase for Chicago seminarys while expressing frustration with waiting forward state government to do something about reform. It appears that the media's focus in succession the sensational in their coverage of yieldings and the mayor has distracted voter from the real story, that pair of the most prominent leaders in our state share a often met with vision on one of the chiefly important and contentious policy issues confronting Illinois: education funding reform.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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