CAT Tracks for January 11, 2006

Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for January 11, 2006

Keno for Skool Konstruction

Kampaign stunt? Governor says that he kan...and will..."make it so!"

From the Southern Illinoisan...

Governor wants to add keno to state lottery

By Kurt Erickson
Lee Springfield Bureau

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich is betting on an expansion of gambling to help cash-starved school districts build new classrooms, but some educators are skeptical.

The governor said Tuesday that a stalled school construction program could be bankrolled by adding keno to the state lottery's arsenal of games.

The new game would provide more than enough money to jumpstart a program that has been idle since 2002.

"Simply having keno in the lottery we envision an additional $80 million to the state of Illinois. And the beauty of this is I don't have to ask any of these guys (lawmakers) to vote for it," he said. "I can simply order it, which I'm doing, and we're putting that money into school construction."

Local school officials said they are happy to hear money may be headed to their districts, but disappointed that the state is again relying on gambling to pay for the program.

"I think the important thing is to have a reliable source of revenue and I don't know if the lottery is or not," said Rene Noppey, superintendent of the Silvis school district, which has been waiting for $11 million from the state.

"We've been optimistically looking forward to something being done," Noppey said. "We're just hoping that our time has come."

The new lottery game is the latest idea from Blagojevich to help fund state construction projects. In the past two years he has failed to convince lawmakers to raise taxes on cigarettes and software.

During the standoff, some school districts started construction using local dollars and have since had to dip into their own reserves while waiting for the state to fulfill its commitment.

In all, 24 school districts statewide top the list of funding requests already approved by the state's Capital Development Board. Among them are school districts in Du Quoin, Benton, Johnston City, Silvis, Hinckley and Stewardson-Strasburg.

This time around, Blagojevich said the program could have an easier time getting off the ground because lawmakers won't have a say in whether keno is added.

"We've found for a dedicated, consistent revenue source to pay for school construction," he said. "Keno is a lot like bingo, the kind of games that you play."

Gary Kelly, superintendent of the Du Quoin school district, which is waiting for $10.2 million from the state, said adding gambling is a way to fund the construction program without raising taxes.

"We should look at all revenue sources to provide money for school construction," Kelly said.

In Johnston City, school superintendent Gary Schurz said funding schools with lottery money - rather than overhauling how Illinois funds education - sends a bad message.

"The message it sends is we're just going to do this patch work. We're not going to do any comprehensive education reform," said Schurz, whose district is in line for $528,000 in state funding.

Blagojevich's embrace of keno shocked gambling opponents.

"It's a huge expansion of gambling. It's very addictive and very fast. He has stopped gambling before, saying he wouldn't use it to fund the budget," said Anita Bedell, executive director for the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.

Bedell said the governor opposed attempts in 2003 by state Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, to launch keno gaming in Illinois.

Boland estimates that keno could inject an additional $135 million into the state's budget.

"It would have been nice if he had done it earlier," Boland said. "I guess it's better late than never."

Ed Tibbets, Matt Adrian, Chris Lusvardi and Crystal Lindell contributed to this report.

But...announcement receives mixed reviews from legislators.
From the Southern Illinoisan...

Lawmakers greet governor's gambling plan with skepticism
By Kurt Erickson
Lee Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD - Lawmakers expressed surprise and skepticism Wednesday about Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to bankroll a $500 million school construction program with proceeds from a new lottery game.
On their first day back in the Capitol after a two-month break, Republicans and Democrats said the governor appears to be breaking an earlier pledge to not expand gambling by adding keno to the lottery's selection of games.
They also said gambling revenue is a bad way to fund education.
"I do have a lot of poor schools in my district, but I think it would be sending a bad message funding schools on gambling," said state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Norris City.
"We were fooled once about lottery money for education," added state Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton. "And I think the people in my district would be very skeptical about such a plan."
The school construction program is part of a larger $3.2 billion state road and bridge construction program, which lawmakers could vote on later this spring.
The governor says he has the authority to begin offering the game without approval from lawmakers. A spokeswoman said the move is not an expansion of gambling, nor does it break any pledge he made about bringing video-based gambling to the state.
"We see this as a way to fund school construction," said spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch.
Under the governor's proposal, the state would receive an estimated $40 million this year and $80 million in future years from keno to help pay for bonds that would fund the school construction program.
Keno is an electronic combination of bingo and a quick-pick lottery game. Gamblers try to match a randomly selected set of numbers that flash on a screen every five to 15 minutes. It could be offered in taverns and restaurants.
"This targets pathological gamblers," said Tom Grey of Rockford, executive director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion. "Let's make it a campaign issue."
State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, who is running for governor on the Republican side, said, "It seems like another reckless program he's promoting. Three billion dollars is too much to trust him with." Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, said Republican senators are leery of the proposal.
"Can he do this without legislative authority? Is it a true revenue source that can be counted on? I just think that there are some real problems with throwing this out there," Watson said.
State Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, said he is opposed to an expansion of gambling, but was encouraged to see projects in his district included in Blagojevich's proposal.
"I'm pleased that we seem to be moving forward on that," Flider said.
State Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Charleston, also expressed concern the governor would bring keno into the state without getting approval from the legislative branch.
"Why don't we just elect him governor for life and let him make all the decisions," Rose said. "He's had three or four major things he's done unilaterally without even asking the legislature about it. I think that's left a big distaste in a lot of people's mouths."