Eye On Illinois: Keep pressing on full costs of proposed new early childhood agency

“But what will it cost?”

That needn’t always be the first question whenever a government official starts suggesting ideas, but it’s always worth asking.

These thoughts brought to you somewhat in the spirit of self-defense: When revisiting an Oct. 26 column on Gov. JB Pritzker’s plans for a new state agency that would administer every service under the umbrella of early childhood, my main concern was whether consolidation would further eradicate local control and how the agencies that stand to lose responsibilities would adjust.

There is appeal in “a more equitable, integrated, and holistic system of services for young children and families,” as the governor’s office pledged, but Pritzker still bears a burden of proof: that a new agency is up to the task and that those currently overburdened actually end up more efficient.

Last week, a House budget committee hearing addressed the plans, which are incorporated in Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 5451. Peter Hancock, of Capitol News Illinois, focused his reporting on remarks addressing the cost. The big-picture figure, for now, is the $13.1 million Pritzker requested in February’s budget speech.

State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said she likes the concept but wants more information on the impact of administrative costs across the state budget. State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, pushed back on the idea of creating a statutory agency with a short-term plan.

Ann Whalen, who had been Advance Illinois policy director since 2019, is overseeing the transition. Although officially under the auspices of the State Board of Education, Whalen’s remarks echo Pritzker’s October enthusiasm with the potential for transformative change.

“We really do see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the system easier, fairer and more cohesive,” Whalen said. “We believe that the budget request reflects the capacity we need to do this work.”

However, she isn’t able to offer real dollar data beyond the initial ask.

“I don’t want to put out a number that gets in front of the process,” she said. “I don’t want to say we’re going to have this exact org chart, or this exact look at programs and services, because I don’t want to jump to conclusions about what parents and providers say they want out of the system.”

Although Whalen noted her position is a response to feedback from peers in other states further ahead on similar processes, lawmakers would do well to continue pressing for as much information as possible.

Illinois already has examples of investing in capital and not operations (the Thomson prison) and agencies incapable of executing statutory responsibilities. There’s little appetite for a combo platter of repeated mistakes, especially if the selling point is an attempt to solve some of those same problems.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.