Some members of the Senate Black Caucus plan to go public Tuesday with a series of objections to Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s education proposal, the centerpiece of his agenda for the spring legislative session, officials said Monday.
Caucus members question the constitutionality of Blagojevich’s proposal to take over many of the functions of the State Board of Education and whether the governor’s education funding proposal will shortchange schools.
“Right now, the black caucus wants to lodge its uneasiness and unreadiness to accept this plan,” said Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago). “Right now, he does not have that support [of the caucus]. There’s too many questions at this time to sign onto his program.”
The Senate Black Caucus, headed by Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), plans to hold a news conference Tuesday morning to announce its concerns and offer some solutions of its own, a spokeswoman said.
The move comes on the eve of a rare Committee of the Whole meeting of the full Senate on Wednesday to review the governor’s education agenda.
The black caucus, which has nearly a third of the Democratic senators, can wield significant influence.
The governor condemned the State Board of Education during his speech in January as a “Soviet-style bureaucracy” and called for moving most of its functions into a Department of Education that he would control. He said the board should be relegated to being a think tank.
It was unclear Monday night whether all members of the caucus would be involved in the news conference or if Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), who has said the board should be free from the whims of politics, would join in the move.
Trotter, said concerns have been raised among members that the governor’s proposed takeover may not be constitutional and several senators have questioned the governor’s funding plans for education.
The governor proposed a $400 million spending increase for education during his budget address last month but did not say how the money should be spent, a move that largely avoids making a recommendation and invites the legislature to come up with a plan over how to divide the funds.
Trotter said senators are concerned that the $400 million will not cover the needs in schools.
