Chicago, IL — Yesterday, Bruce Rauner sent out a member of his “superstar” team to obfuscate and mislead Illinois taxpayers about his latest exercise in hostage taking — this time with Illinois schoolchildren.

During a radio interview, and again in the Chicago Sun-Times, education czar Beth Purvis made it clear she does not understand that the biggest threat to education in Illinois is Bruce Rauner. After causing a 736-day budget crisis that reduced money going to schools for mandated categorical payments, Rauner vetoed all school funding, and is now threatening to veto SB1 — the bill that would allow schools to open on time. But in classic Rauner administration fashion, Purvis refused to take responsibility for her boss’ hostage taking and disingenuously blamed Comptroller Mendoza, suggesting that she was somehow at fault for Rauner’s manufactured education crisis.

“Another day, another exercise in finger pointing from the Rauner administration,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Bruce Rauner blames everyone but himself for the current school funding crisis, but in reality he’s the one holding funding for Illinois schoolchildren hostage and pitting communities against each other. If Rauner really was interested in letting schools open on time, he would sign SB 1 and work to guarantee equitable school funding for every child in Illinois.”

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