Inside:
- Poll finds majority support for opting into scholarship program
- February revenue numbers
- Women in Manufacturing Day
- Township officials, polar plunge and LTC Wilkerson’s retirement
Poll finds majority support for opting into scholarship program
The federal government recently enacted a scholarship program which would let donors help students find extra academic help at the public or private school of their choice, without diverting federal or state money from public schools, or adding any additional cost to the state.
But each state government must opt in to the program in order for its students to benefit from it. So far, Illinois has not done so, although a recent poll found that a majority of Illinoisans would support such a move.
The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program was created by Congress last year. Students in a public school or a private school could use these scholarships for everything from tutoring and books to paying fees for additional classes or for college admissions exams. Public school students who are struggling in an academic area or who need extra help or materials wouldn’t have to leave their local public school to get the help they need.
The poll, conducted by M3 Strategies in February, found that 55% of Illinoisans favor the state opting in, while only 22% oppose the move.
The state has until January 1, 2027, to act.
February revenue numbers
State revenue increased in February by $321 million compared with the year before. But as always, even these good reports from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability come with a warning, as corporate income tax receipts were down by $23 million.
Strong showings by other areas of state revenue helped to overcome this decline in February. For example, individual income tax payments went up by $150 million, and payments from federal sources increased by $30 million.
Most of Illinois’ general funds come from paycheck income tax deductions, a figure which is highly dependent on job creation in Illinois. But Illinois’ unemployment rate is still stubbornly high, trailing most of the rest of the country. With an unemployment rate of 4.6% at the end of last year, the state is 38th in the country in employment.
Women in Manufacturing Day
On Friday I was a panelist with Senator Mike Halpin, Representatives Gregg Johnson and Travis Weaver, and Annie Hewitt, Senator Anderson’s District Director at the Black Hawk College Women in Manufacturing Day.
Young women, 6th, 7th and 8th grades each participated in some different manufacturing scenarios, being taught by some very accomplished and experienced women in manufacturing. It was a great program hosted by Black Hawk.
Township officials, polar plunge and LTC Wilkerson’s retirement
I made a quick trip to Cambridge and spoke to elected Henry County township officials. We primarily discussed the many pieces of legislation introduced in the General Assembly and the impacts to townships.
We had a great event over the weekend raising funds to support Special Olympics. Sunday was about 40 degrees warmer than the polar plunge in Galesburg last month at Lake Storey.
I went home, put on a suit and tie to attend LTC (Ret.) Justin Wilkerson’s retirement ceremony at Camp Lincoln in Springfield. He served 32 years in the Illinois Army National Guard with many of those years on active duty (Active Guard Reserve-AGR) with the guard. A few years after enlisting, I am proud to say I encouraged him to attend Officer Candidate School. He accepted the challenge and proved to be an outstanding Army Officer.
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