Illinois Lottery deal may help fund schools

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 posted 10:14 AM EDT

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is looking at selling or leasing the state lottery to generate billions of dollars for school construction, operating expenses and new education programs, sources familiar with the proposal said Monday.

Blagojevich on Tuesday is scheduled to outline his proposal at Robert Healy Elementary School in Bridgeport. The proposal was part of a deal Blagojevich struck with state Sen. James Meeks on Friday that resulted in the Democratic-aligned lawmaker dropping a potential third-party challenge to the governor's re-election.

Under a concept examined by the Blagojevich administration, the sale or long-term lease of the lottery would result in large upfront payments in the early years of the plan, said a source involved in putting the proposal together. That money would be used for school operations and a school-repair program, along with new parental involvement and mentoring programs to assist students in so-called failing schools, sources said.

Another component would call for accountability standards to monitor whether students attending the troubled schools receiving additional aid are showing improvement.

The proposal also would use money from a lottery sale or lease to guarantee that no revenues to the state's school fund would be lost in later years, one source said.

Currently, revenues from the state lottery go to the state's school fund. Revenues are estimated at $636 million for this budget year, which ends June 30. For the next budget year, which begins July 1, the Blagojevich administration forecasts revenues at $650 million.

Several states have considered the sale, lease or privatization of their lottery operations. Michigan and Wisconsin rejected such options.

Related Links
	Lottery News & Stories
	Illinois Lottery Results
	Search Past Illinois Lottery Winning Numbers