The Associated Press is reporting that Gov. Rod Blagojevich will propose selling or leasing the state lottery to raise $10 billion as part of a plan to reform Illinois schools.
Blagojevich was scheduled to formally announce his plan at an afternoon news conference Tuesday at a school on Chicago’s South Side.
The plan includes $1.5 billion for school construction and calls for performance pay for teachers and the consolidation of school districts, according to an individual familiar with the plan who requested anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced.
The state also would increase the “foundation” level — the guaranteed minimum state spending on each student — by $250 million in the plan’s first year, although a per-child breakdown was not immediately available. The current state budget would raise the level to just $5,334 for each student, instead of the recommended $6,405.
