Michelle Smith, the Republican candidate for the Illinois State Senate Dist. 49 seat, is backing Gov. Bruce Rauner's latest budget plan, unveiled on Wednesday, especially the elements pertaining to education.
"As president of the Plainfield District 202 Board of Education, which is the fourth-largest K-12 school district in the state, I am very concerned about the lack and instability of funding for our schools," Smith said. "The governor has asked the General Assembly to pass a historic increase in education funding and ensure school openings are not delayed in the fall. Unfortunately, Democrats, such as my opponent, Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, are holding our schoolchildren hostage and threatening to not fund any schools until we bail out Chicago."
Rauner's plans involve a $75 million increase in early-childhood education funding and a boost of approximately $55 million for general state-aid funding.
"This would be the first time schools have been fully funded by general state aid in seven years," Smith said.
Smith also echoed Rauner's desire to work with Democrats to balance the state budget.
"If Democrats remain unwilling to work in a bipartisan manner, then the governor is willing to reduce spending on his own," Smith said. "Politicians need to remember that they were elected by the people, for the people, not themselves. We must hold those who we have put in office accountable and remind them of their responsibilities to us, the citizens of Illinois."
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