CTBA experts are available to provide insight, analysis, and data to the press on a wide range of public policy issues. In addition, CTBA disseminates new research and timely updates on policy developments to the media.
What We Do
- Policy analysis and advocacy
- Empirical research
- Advice and technical assistance
- Strategic leadership in coalitions
- Legislative testimony
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If consumer services such as landscaping were subject to Illinois' sales tax, it could generate billions for the state and allow legislators to reduce tax rates overall. CTBA Executive Director and Roosevelt University Rubloff Professor of Public Policy, Ralph Martire comments on a recent three-year budget forecast issued by the state legislature's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability that reports the state could expand its tax base by applying a sales tax to service-based businesses.
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Ralph Martire joins Jennifer Fuller on WSIU’s In Focus to talk about state spending on higher education ad CTBA’s new report, Why Illinois Should Enhance its Investment in Higher Education. The program aired on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 7:00 pm across all the WSIU PBS stations (Carbondale, Olney, Macomb, Springfield, and Quincy), WSIU, WUSI, WMEC, WSEC, WQEC. Not in the WSIU viewing area? Watch the segment any time at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLED-h9ncHk
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Though legislatures’ budgets are still up in the air, patterns are emerging around college funding. In an interview with Higher Ed Dive, Ralph Martire said, the share of revenue at public institutions that comes from state appropriations has fallen about 11 percentage points, from 68% to 57%. The governor “has proposed bumping it up by $100 million, and that’s great,” said Martire. “But that’s not going to come anywhere near making up for its loss of value,” he said.
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As university faculties around Illinois strike for better pay and working conditions, budget analysts have found that state spending on higher education has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years. When adjusted for inflation, state spending on higher education fell 46 percent between 2000 and 2023, according to a new research report from the left-leaning non-profit think tank Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. “At this point, there has been such a decline and such an underfunding of the system, (the state) has essentially disinvested itself,” CTBA Associate Director for Budget and Policy Allison Flanagan told Capitol News Illinois.
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Chicago’s fiscal challenges can’t be solved with smoke and mirrors. During his mayoral campaign, Brandon Johnson differentiated himself from Paul Vallas in meaningful ways. On everything from public safety to public education, Johnson offered a progressive vision, while Vallas advanced a more conservative perspective. Another key difference between the two involved fiscal policy. CTBA Executive Director and Roosevelt University Rubloff Professor of Public Policy, Ralph Martire breaks down some of the challenges facing Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
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Chalkbeat’s Becky VeVea mentions Ralph Martire and CTBA (at the 13:30 mark) in WTTW’s Week in Review episode, talking about the relationship between Johnson and the CTU and how they’ll likely be more collaborative.
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The Chicago Sun-Times quotes CTBA’s Ralph Martire extensively as saying: “This significant cutback in state funding has really created some fiscal stress, particularly for those public universities that serve more traditionally underrepresented student populations, like low-income kids, rural
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State spending on higher education was cut nearly in half over 20 years after adjusting for inflation, setting the stage for today’s labor strife. Ralph Martire talks with WBEZ’s Lisa Phillips.
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CapFax sites to CTBA’s report calling for an increase in General Fund support for higher ed as key to economic mobility, equity, and Illinois growth
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In a recent interview between ISBE Superintendent Tony Sanders and the State Journal Register, CTBA’s recent EBF report that shows the evidence-based funding (EBF) formula for schools is working as intended to reduce funding gaps was brought up. Superintendent Sanders was involved in all of the modeling work around EBF and agrees with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability: the results have been noted and have been transformative for school districts. It's an investment we need to continue to make as a state, Sanders said.