CAPITOL SECURITY

Since 9/11 and the shooting of a guard in the Capitol last year, security procedures are very strict EVERYONE must have a PHOTO I.D.

When entering the Capitol, the Howlett building, or the Stratton Office Building you will be required to go through a security checkpoint similar to that at the airports, including metal detectors.  The less you bring with you, the better.  If you can leave purses and brief cases, backpacks, and book bags at home, please do.  If you wish to bring them, they will be hand searched.

Large signs and ANY signs on sticks are forbidden. That’s why we recommend our T-shirts. 

Once you have entered one of the three buildings mentioned above, you can go to another of the buildings without needing to go through security again via the underground tunnels, but once you have gone outside, you will need to go through security again to re-enter.

We are planning a very peaceful and respectful demonstration.  We have been warned that anyone or anything that appears to pose a danger to Capitol occupants and visitors will be removed by security guards.

We have also been warned that if security believes a building is becoming overcrowded, thereby posing a hazard, they may not allow additional people to enter until some have left. In the event any of our group are prevented from entering for any period of time, we ask that you circle the Capitol chanting about school funding reform until you can see the line to enter the Capitol is again moving.  We plan to have bull horns available for this purpose. 

We have also arranged to have the space in front of the Lincoln Statue in front of the Capitol to continue our rally for school funding reform.  If necessary, we will ask our speakers to come outside to speak a second time to our school funding advocates who were unable to participate inside the Capitol.

We will have some chairs available in the Rotunda, and there are some benches in the hallways leading to the Rotunda.  People will also be able to stand around the chairs in the center and those who are having trouble seeing because of the crowd can go to the rails on the second and third floors and see and hear everything going on below them in the Rotunda. People will be constantly leaving to visit their legislators and returning to hear the speakers throughout the day.

If you have any questions or concerns at any time throughout the day about our event, we will have information tables set up around the Rotunda to provide assistance.  If you have questions about the Capitol or directions to offices, etc. there are Capitol Information Desks on the first and third floors.

Public bathrooms are available in the Howlett Building, the Stratton Office Building and in the Capitol.

TIPS ON TALKING TO YOUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT
SCHOOL FUNDING REFORM AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

Explain the situation in your schools, your property tax problems, or other reasons why you are supporting school funding and property tax reform. For example: Tell him or her that you expect a solution to the school funding problem this legislative session. Tell them it is wrong (or immoral, or criminal) for children’s access to a quality education to be dependent on their zip code.  If your local school has experienced program cuts, increased class size, loss of extracurricular activities, or any other cuts because of inadequate funding, share that information with your legislator.

Tell him or her you are a voter in his/her district and you are here with the Better Funding for Better Schools Coalition (and any other supporting organization) on SB 750.

Tell them you understand a compromise bill is under discussion between Senator Meeks and Senator Winkel, on which the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is advising them.  Tell them you are aware the new compromise bill may have a new number.

Make your position clear and come right out and ask for what you want from your legislator, for example:  

• Senator: Vote “YES” on SB 750 or the compromise bill sponsored by Senator Meeks, whatever its’ number becomes.
• Representative: When SB 750 or the compromise bill, sponsored by Senator Meeks, whatever its’ number becomes, arrives in the House, become a Co-Sponsor and vote “YES” every time it comes up for a vote in committee or on 3^rd Reading.

Never lie to him or her. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say you will find out and get back to him by the end of the week (or tomorrow or ASAP) then be sure to follow up by getting the requested information and sending it as promised.

Be polite under all circumstances. Following are some answers to the arguments some legislators are using as reasons why they don’t want to vote for this funding plan.

If he says he can’t or won’t vote for this bill, ask, “What is your plan to fix Illinois public schools’ funding problems, THIS YEAR?” Tell him we have waited for the legislature to fix this problem too long and we want it fixed NOW, in 2005. 

If your legislator has been in the General Assembly (a senator or representative) for more than one term, AND they won’t promise to vote YES, you have the right to ask him or her “WHY HAVEN’T YOU ALREADY FIXED THE SCHOOL FUNDING CRISIS WHEN EVERYONE AGREES THERE IS A PROBLEM?” or “HOW MANY MORE YEARS DO YOU PLAN TO ALLOW THIS SITUATION TO CONTINUE BEFORE YOU WILL VOTE YES TO A SCHOOL FUNDING AND PROPERTY TAX REFORM PLAN?”

If your legislator says he (she) can’t vote for this bill until schools improve the quality of education, remind him or her that the Illinois Learning Standards and NCLB are in place and schools are working hard on improvement. AND if he wants some other quality guarantee, you hope he will propose a legislative plan to address his concern, but in the meantime you expect him to vote YES on this school funding reform plan.

If your legislator says she (he) won’t vote for this bill because the governor says he will veto it. Answer that, you didn’t elect her to save the governor from having to veto it. On Election Day, she must answer to the people in her district for how she votes on this bill – NOT to the governor.  Her obligation is to the people who elected her; and on Election Day, the governor will have to live with the consequences of his actions.

If she (or he) says, “This is a 67% tax increase (from 3% to 5% is a 67% increase) and that’s too much.” Tell her you know that and the education of your children are worth it.”

Finish your discussion by saying “Our next generation is waiting for the General Assembly to do what has been promised for so many years.” Say you will be watching closely on how they vote on school funding reform.”

Always be courteous and NEVER lose your temper.  Remember that you may need to speak to your legislators on another issue on another day.

Don’t forget to say THANK YOU for meeting with you.

When you return to your community, tell everyone about your discussion with your legislators.  Your neighbors deserve to know whether the people they have elected are concerned about the children in your community and your property taxes.

Getting Ready for Your Trip to Springfield

• Don’t forget to notify your legislators that you will be coming to Springfield on May 18 and make an appointment to meet with them.  If there are a number of you coming together to see the same legislators, ask if he or she can arrange a room to meet with all of you together.  Whatever time you arrange, you can leave the speeches in the Rotunda to get to your appointment and return later to hear other exciting state leaders when you are finished.
   
• Everyone wear your school-bus yellow “750” T-shirt or another YELLOW shirt so the world will see a “sea of yellow” marching around and into the Capitol and the Rotunda and all floors of the Capitol FILLED with yellow-shirted advocates for school funding reform and property tax relief.

• If you do not travel to Springfield by bus, limited parking is available in the parking lots surrounding the Capitol complex. There are parking garages (for a fee) near the Old State Capitol on 6^th Street and near the Convention Center, which is between 6^th and 7^th.  All are within walking distance of the Capitol.
   
• For buses: Bus unloading and parking directions, and a map are provided on another page.

• Don’t forget when you leave your bus, to take everything you will need while in the Capitol. The buses will be parked at the State Fairgrounds which is a significant distance from the Capitol.

• Before leaving your bus, check to see what name is on the card in the front or side window.  All the buses look alike when they are lined up for boarding so know your bus.
   
• Bring a photo ID to enter the building, and leave home everything you possibly can except your camera.  You will want to take photos with your legislators.

• We ask that you print out the POST CARD front, leaving the back of it blank, on YELLOW card stock.  Give a few of these to each participating advocate. They can be used to:
• Use as a business card, putting name, address, and phone number on it.
• Write notes to your legislators to be left in their offices.
• If they are “in session,” CLEARLY print your name, town, and a request to come out of the Chamber to meet with you at “The Rail.” Write your legislator’s name on the top and give it to the Chamber Doorman with a request that he deliver it to your legislator.  Then wait for your legislator to come out.  Either the Doorman or your legislator will come out and call your name as printed on the card, so listen for your name.
• After your visit, write a thank you note to your legislator on the back, and his/her name and we will be happy to deliver it for you if you leave it with one of us at a table in the Rotunda.

• Have one member of your group come to one of our tables in the Rotunda to sign in so we can follow up with your legislators later in the week, reminding them that they have constituents from their own districts supporting school funding reform.  We need to know which legislators received visitors (and how many) during THE DAY FOR ILLINOIS CHILDREN.
   
• If the House and Senate are not in session, you should be able to see your legislators in their offices. All Senate offices are in the Capitol. All Representatives offices are in the Stratton Office Building, with these exceptions Speaker Madigan, Majority Leaders, Currie, Hannig, Turner, Acevedo, Granberg, Jones, and Lang, and Minority Leaders Cross, Black, and Beaubien which are also in the Capitol.
   
• The State Board of Education is also meeting on May 18^th.  If you have time, it would be a good idea to go there and testify during public participation about the situation in your school district.

• You can attempt to visit the governor, whose office is on the second floor of the Capitol (easier if you can get an appointment with him ahead of time) but we have not been successful even in finding out if he will be in Springfield on May 18^th.

• There are cafeterias in the basements of the Capitol and Stratton Office Building where you can buy lunch or eat a sack lunch. There are also a few picnic tables and benches where you can eat a sack lunch outside. 

• Arrange to be able to call your bus driver to return to the Capitol for loading when you are ready to leave.  Do not call your driver to pick you up until you are all assembled outside and ready to leave.  The number of spaces available for bus loading are very limited therefore buses must load and depart quickly in order to avoid a traffic jam and subsequent fines.

• Be sure to stay in touch with us and with your legislator after you get home.  This isn’t over until it has passed both houses and survived the governor’s veto. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM

Better Funding for Better Schools Coalition supports the following principles:

• Raise the foundation level to the most recent minimum level recommended by the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) of $6,405.
• Harm no district.
• Reduce education’s over-reliance on property taxes for its’ funding by providing 51% of education funding from a mix of fair reliable state-based revenue sources.
• Provide a guaranteed level of property tax relief through a system of rebates from the state to taxpayers, so that schools’ retain their ability to access property tax revenues as they have in the past.
• End the state’s current system of reducing funding for other social services in order to fund education.
• Guarantee fair future education funding via a continuing appropriation so that schools can responsibly budget for their needs.
• Off-set additional tax burden on low- and moderate-income families by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and increasing personal exemption, phasing it down as income increases.

TALKING POINTS

• Section 1 of Article X of the Illinois Constitution says the state has the “primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.”  It says that education through the secondary (high school) level should be free, that the state should provide for “an efficient system of high quality public institutions.” Clearly, some children have more access to “high quality” than others.

• More than 80% of Illinois public school districts are deficit spending, requiring that either they borrow the funds they need or they are cutting programs.

• Illinois was dead last among the 50 states on state spending for education while being 7^th nationally in per capita income. Schools currently receive most of their money from property taxes, thus home- and business-owners are pitted against school children in never-ending battles over tax increase referenda.

• A well-educated populace is the cornerstone of a free, democratic society.

• Property-poor districts are frequently found to be using outdated books, and are unable to provide their students access to the technology needed to prepare them for jobs and college.

• When the people of Illinois voted on a Constitutional Amendment that would have required the state to provide public schools 51% of their funds from a mix of state taxes, more than 58% voted “Yes.” More recently, in polls, more than 67% said they were willing to increase their income taxes from 3% to 5% in order to provide increased funds for public schools.

• Public schools are the only schools that are required to meet the needs of ALL students, from the extremely gifted to those with severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities.

• Every dollar spent to keep a child in school reduces the future cost of welfare, prison, and intervention activities. There is a direct correlation between education and good citizenship.  Money invested in education today will pay dividends tomorrow.

• In the past few years, because the state has insufficient funds to pay its’ bills, the state has decreased funding for other human services in order to provide education with even small increases in funding.  This has pitted children on welfare, children receiving Medicaid benefits, people in mental health facilities, and others against the children in public schools.  Only a tax increase can provide sufficient finds to pay the bills for both education and human services.

Pete Duncan’s Call to Action

Pete Duncan, a Junior from Carlinville High School was one of the speakers at the May 12, 2004 Student’s Rally for School Funding.  His impassioned speech summarizes most of the things the students at the Rally expressed about the effect of a lack of funds was having on their schools, their educations, and their opportunities. Following is his call for action:

Education and it’s funding isn’t getting the attention is deserves right now.

But no issue is more important to determining what kind of state we are - and what kind of state we are going to be. Because investing in Illinois students is investing in Illinois future.

Yet the leaders of our state are selling our future short. When it comes time to pay up, they give us unfunded mandates that have pushed 600 of our state’s 888 districts into deficit spending.  And that means larger class sizes, less opportunity, and less hope.

This has happened in my own district. We have been in debt for three years and have cut over one million dollars from our small town district’s budget.  We’ve lost from one million dollars smaller class, we’ve lost personal attention, we’ve lost dedicated and experienced teachers, and we’re losing hope.

Everyday we are faced with challenges, but are not given the necessary tools to meet them.  Everyday we see no opportunity, only difficulty.

But we – along with all the students in this state – deserve better. We deserve politicians who make school funding a priority and not an afterthought.

We deserve more than photo-op politicians who stand with us for campaign pictures, but when it’s time to stand with us for school funding, are no where to be found.

But the legislators we meet today can change that. Tell them stand with us now to help improve education. Tell them to have a little less conversation and a little more action these last few weeks in school funding. Tell them to give us back hope and opportunity in school.  Tell them that together we can make it happen.

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