Illinois Lawmaker Jehan Gordon-Booth Pushes Millionaire Tax to Close $6.8 Billion School Funding Gap
Illinois House Assistant Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat, told the Journal Star on Oct. 22 at Manual High School in Peoria that Illinois should adopt a tax on millionaires to close the state's education funding gap while easing property taxes on homeowners. “We need to run a millionaire tax,” she said, adding that adequate school funding and property taxes must be tackled at the same time because “property taxes are choking people out.”
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the number of schools at 90% funding adequacy is expected to fall for a third straight year in 2027, and Capitol News Illinois puts the statewide adequacy gap at about $6.8 billion. The state has added $350 million a year under its evidence-based funding formula since 2018, but Gordon-Booth said inflation has eroded that money's value and the formula needs to be revisited. Visiting the school as principal for a day, she also highlighted a $500,000 state grant she helped secure for tutoring resources in Peoria Public Schools.
Such a surcharge would require amending the Illinois Constitution, which mandates a flat income tax; a proposed amendment stalled in the state House earlier this year. Cook County voters will answer a non-binding advisory referendum on Nov. 3 asking whether Illinois should levy a 3% surcharge on income above $1 million, with half the revenue for property tax relief and half for public education. A similar statewide advisory question drew about 61% support in 2024.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伊利诺伊州议会大厦（Springfield）。摄影：PhilDaBirdMan，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Photo by PhilDaBirdMan, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons).
