Topinka proposes new education plan financed by casino gambling

EAST ST. LOUIS -- Following the reading of a Dr. Suess book to about 20 preschool students at an East St. Louis day care center, Republican gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka presented a new education plan that would be financed by casino gambling.

The proposal would provide increased per-pupil state aid, raised reimbursement rates for mandated programs such as special education, an expansion of all-day kindergarten, increased funding of the Illinois teacher pension plan, tax credits for teachers and a $100 million investment in reading improvement grants.

"Reading is the foundation of education," Topinka said in a classroom at Kim's Kids Inc. "Books open up a brand-new world to (students)."

Topinka said that funding for the expanded education program would come from an unused, yet legislatively approved, license for a riverboat casino in the Chicago area. Topinka said that the sale of the license would generate $650 million and yearly profits would generate between $600 million and $650 million.

Topinka also said that the state should look at land-based casinos and the property taxes they would generate.

"The time has passed from us talking about boats," she said. "Frankly they never leave the dock anyway."

She said that her plan is not an expansion of gambling, as her opponent Gov. Rod Blagojevich has said before, because casino gambling already exists.

Topinka said that swapping the tax burden of education funding from property taxes to sales or income taxes is not in the plan because "I don't see any viability to asking the legislature to raise taxes with the coming election year."

Topinka said that her two-year plan would begin the education reformation process and then, as governor, she would meet with lawmakers and experts to form a long-term plan.