State Rep. Patrick Vershoore (D-Milan)
State Rep. Patrick Vershoore (D-Milan)
State Rep. Patrick Vershoore (D-Milan) was one of 29 state legislators to receive money from the Chicago Teachers Union in 2015.
Will he support the powerful union's call to shift school money to Chicago, away from Quad Cities districts he represents?
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If the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is going to achieve its goal of $1.6 billion more in spending by Chicago Public Schools, it will need more than just another large property tax hike on Chicago homeowners.
It will require more money from non-Chicago taxpayers -- living in the Chicago suburbs and downstate -- and more support from their non-Chicago representatives in Springfield.
Increasing state spending to the Chicago Public Schools means decreasing it to suburban and downstate districts, the overwhelming majority of whom already receive a lower state subsidy than Chicago.
Are there suburban or downstate legislators who might back a Chicago schools bailout, costing their own schools in the process?
A Rock Island Today analysis of Chicago Teachers Union Political Action Committee (CTU PAC) campaign finance reports found that in 2015, it made $28,500 in donations to 29 state legislators whose districts don’t include any Chicagoans.
All 29 legislators receiving CTU PAC donations were Democrats; 19 represent the Chicago suburbs and 10 downstate.
State Rep. Patrick Vershoore (D-Milan) is one of those 10. He accepted $500 from CTU PAC last July.
CTU has seen state funding to Chicago Public Schools grow significantly over the past decade -- from $1.4 billion in 2005 to $1.8 billion in 2014, an increase of 29 percent.
In contrast, state funding to Rock Island School District 41 rose from $22 million to $24 million, an increase of only 9 percent.
Vershoore had accepted $1,000 in contributions from CTU before 2015.
The rich get richer?
Chicago schools already receive more money from state and federal taxpayers than every Rock Island County school district.
| School District | Non-Local Funding (Per Pupil) |
| Chicago Public Schools | $7,515 |
| Carbon Cliff Barstow 36 | $6,907 |
| Silvis SD 34 | $6,071 |
| East Moline 37 | $5,051 |
| Rock Island 41 | $4,901 |
| Sherrard CUSD 200 | $3,870 |
| Hampton 29 | $3,736 |
| Moline-Coal Valley 40 | $3,242 |
| United Township HSD 30 | $3,137 |
| Riverdale CUSD 100 | $3,095 |
| Rockridge CUSD 300 | $2,418 |
Chicago Teachers Union Pets
Which Quad Cities legislators have received donations from CTU?
| Rep. Mike Boland | (D-East Moline) | $4,000 |
| Rep. Don Moffitt | (R-Gilson) | $3,500 |
| Rep. Patrick Vershoore | (D-Milan) | $1,500 |
| Rep. Mike Jacobs | (D-Moline) | $1,500 |
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