"Creating a funding formula that both invests in all of our institutions and generates positive economic activity across the state, while stabilizing higher ed funding and addressing historic racism against Blacks seems like the logical, fair and right thing to do,” said Martire.
Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, told Chalkbeat that the district shouldn’t have plugged the federal money into operating costs, such as salaries, because that created a cliff – a sudden loss of money that could mean the loss of programs and staff that directly impacts students.
Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, welcomed the move away from student-based budgeting, calling it an inequitable approach “because not every student has the same needs and doesn’t generate the same resources.”
CTBA’s Elaine Gaberik and Ralph Martire join host of the 21st Show, Brian Mackey, to talk about the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act and CTBA's recent report on the EBF.
Ralph Martire’s column focuses on the pension mess that’s emerged in the past two decades that stems from state laws that made it easier for the city to underfund its pension systems.
CTBA's Ralph Martire joined state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, at a news conference Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Illinois Capitol to highlight the findings of a new report on state funding for public universities.
A groundbreaking report highlights a $1.4 billion underfunding of Illinois public universities, proposing a strategic increase in state funding. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and commission member, pointed out the decline in state funding for operational costs from 72% in 2002 to 35% in 2021, exacerbating college inaccessibility and systemic income inequality.
The governor’s 2025 budget has good ideas for raising revenue, but his fixes to help Illinois’ underfunded pensions fall short, budget analyst Ralph Martire writes.
While Illinois residents would get a break on grocery bills under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed budget, his tweak to the state income tax exemption could end up costing them on April 15 next year. “That creates more of a challenge for low-income families than it does for affluent families because the deduction is more meaningful, the less income you earn,” said Ralph Martire.
Funding challenges combined with an anticipated shortfall of almost $900 million in the coming year are expected to be the focus of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's budget address. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, anticipates a more restrained budget approach this year.