OpEd: Senator Patrick Joyce (September 2024)
OpEd: Senator Patrick Joyce (September 2024) – The shock of high tax bills for property owners throughout the south suburbs is hitting families hard this year.
Cook County revalued properties for this year’s tax bills. As reported by Crain’s Chicago Business and other media outlets, homeowners are seeing on average a 20 percent increase on their bills from last year – and some families are paying much, much more.
These increases are doubly painful for communities such as Chicago Heights, Park Forest, and Richton Park I represent in the south suburbs because they are a painful reminder that the biggest increases are hitting the communities who can least afford it. Local taxing districts have been losing their tax base for years as businesses leave or close, but our schools still have to invest in quality education and our communities still need to provide quality services and infrastructure.
It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s time for us to step up together to address it.
I have met many times in recent months with our local mayors and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi to better understand the issues driving these shocking increases in property taxes, and to discuss solutions that will bring meaningful relief. We will continue to work on this locally but also look for help at the state level.
As I explained earlier this summer, I voted against the state budget this spring because I did not agree with the spending priorities it included. We have limited resources each year and need to spend every dollar on our highest priorities. Education funding is clearly one of them.
The state’s evidence-based funding formula was created a few years ago to make sure we have our priorities in order to support our schools. I was proud to announce recently that more than $11 million in funding through the formula will go to 20 school districts in the 40th Senate District. This is critical funding that not only will schools who need extra help to provide quality education to students, but also it should help ease the pain of local property tax increases.
We have much more work to do to reduce tax burdens on our families while making sure our spending priorities in Springfield help these families get ahead. I am ready to go to work on taking this challenge head on.
Another priority to help our next generation succeed is providing qualified, prepared teachers into our schools. Our state’s teacher shortage crisis is well-known and painful, but we continue to work in many ways to attract more educators.
I joined recently with the Illinois State Board of Education to announce $7.4 million in funding for grants to help high school students become teachers. Our emphasis with these funds is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Education Career Pathway grants.
Our research shows more and more students are recognizing they can have strong-paying careers in agriculture, in the construction trades, in health care and much more without having a four-year college degree. But one hurdle we face is we have an acute shortage of CTE educators. This grant – aimed at areas of the state that are rural and face staffing and funding shortages – will help Kankakee Area Regional Vocational Education System and other CTE programs give young people hands-on experience to draw them to the field.
Together, we can work to support our educational system and give taxpayers a much-needed break.
I urge you to contact me anytime I can help: 708-756-0882, or at http://www.
Sen. Patrick Joyce
D-Essex, 40th State Senate District
OpEd: Senator Patrick Joyce (September 2024)
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