Topinka Education Plan

Republican candidate for governor, Judy Baar Topinka has released her education plan. A few weeks ago I discussed Governor Blagojevich’s plan and now I would like to compare this plan to that of his opponent. The Topinka plan adds over $8 billion to educational funding over a four year period. There are many fine and well reasoned ideas and plans to be found in her program. Unlike the Blagojevich plan, the Topinka plan was developed by educators and stakeholders from throughout the state. This group included Representatives Jerry Mitchell and Roger Eddy, as well as educational groups throughout the state. There is no doubt that the Topinka plan is far superior to the Blagojevich plan in improving public education. The downside for the Topinka plan, as with the Blagojevich plan, is that of revenues to fund this plan are not entirely credible. Topinka has brought forth the idea of adding a land based gambling casino in Chicago to generate much needed additional funds. While this may be a better idea than selling the Illinois Lottery it does not seem likely to gain popular support. The unfortunate fact is that the State of Illinois really needs to increase revenues whether it is through a general tax increase or a combination of increases. I do not feel that the state can continue to sell off state assets and rob the various pension systems to pay today’s bills with tomorrow’s dollars. This practice will burden future generations. Check out the Topinka Education Plan at her web site www.judyforgov.com.