Wednesday, February 14, 2018 

As governor, Bruce Rauner has led an all-out assault on public education in Illinois. After forcing devastating cuts to early childhood education, K-12 schools, and Illinois’ colleges and universities with his 736-day budget crisis, Rauner held school funding hostage to force through a back-door voucher program. After vetoing historic legislation, Rauner had the nerve to call the legislation an “accomplishment,” before once again using his veto pen to derail a fix that allows the legislation to take effect. 

REALITY CHECK: 

• After failing to fund MAP grants, Rauner put over 100,000 Illinois students at risk and sent tens of thousands fleeing the state.
• Bruce Rauner dragged five public universities to junk bond status.

• Rauner’s manufactured budget crisis slashed access to childcare and threatened closure of afterschool programs across the state.
• After vetoing a historic school funding formula, Rauner manufactured a K-12 school funding crisis to force a back-door voucher program.
• Rauner followed up his veto of his ‘accomplishment’ with a veto of a fix to the formula, throwing school funding back into crisis before striking a last minute deal with people he appointed.
• Rauner proposed a 31.5% cut to Illinois universities in his 2015 budget.
• Illinois universities were forced to lay off hundreds of employees and cut dozens of programs because of Rauner’s budget crisis.

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