My Final Reflections, Part 1: Illinois Must Pay Its Debt to Our Students

Dear IFT Member,

In my final days as your president, I wanted to share some reflections from my 15 years of proud and grateful service.

Every day, we see headlines about cuts to public education, food assistance, healthcare, and now a government shutdown that threatens our students, schools, and communities. We ask ourselves, “How do we make it through this unprecedented and scary time?”

We know that there is no better investment than to invest in our young people. When schools have resources, students get a better educational experience. It’s that simple.

That is why we fought together to secure–and win–an evidence-based funding formula for preK-12 education in Illinois in 2017. That formula is meant to provide schools statewide with the critical resources they require, and to send more aid to the neediest districts first. While school funding has improved, it’s not yet on track. Nearly 600 Illinois districts are still below 90 percent adequacy. At this point, we don’t expect the state to fully fund our schools until 2040, if then. And the threats of funding cuts coming from the Trump administration mean that hundreds of districts are at risk of budget cuts next school year if the governor and lawmakers do not act.

Our union has made sure that school resources are improving, but the fight is far from over.

Anyone who has negotiated a contract has heard the boss say there’s no money for it, only to turn around and fund the educational programs we know we need—including fair salaries—after we flex our collective power. The same is true for our state. We must organize to make sure our state pays the debt it owes to public education in the next budget.

Lawmakers must find the revenue. (Your friends and neighbors may complain about their property taxes, but make sure they know that those property taxes fill the gap when the state does not come through on their end of the bargain.) We must embark—together as a union, with our partners, communities, and other Illinoisans—on a campaign to secure a fair revenue system that equips our schools and universities with the funds they need. And, when you think of the grossly unfair Tier II retirement system, remember that we must fix that to keep great young educators in our classrooms and workers statewide in their jobs. We can do none of this with the current inadequate and outdated revenue system in Illinois. Working people need a break; everyone needs to pay their fair share.

It is critical that all students are also protected from federal education cuts. This is especially true for our most marginalized students—Black, Latine, and the rural poor. The best way to do this is by making Illinois a leader in funding the public services families rely on. States like Massachusetts have shown what is possible by taxing the wealthy and using that revenue to strengthen schools, hospitals, and communities.

In my final days as IFT leader, I want to say, “Enough is enough.” It is time for lawmakers to make the rich pay their fair share to ensure our students can learn and thrive.

In solidarity,

Dan Montgomery, IFT President