West Central Reporter

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's challenger, Republican Sen. Darren Bailey laments the soaring price of school supplies. 

Bailey also slammed the governor, saying "The paltry sales tax holiday Pritzker is touting is not enough to help working families."

“The cost of school supplies is up 40 percent," he said. "We need real, substantial tax relief for Illinois families. Let’s go to Springfield and consider meaningful, permanent reforms to help struggling families. JB Pritzker talks about helping middle- and lower-income folks, but all of his policies have hit these hardworking families the hardest.”

Inflation has made back-to-school shopping more expensive for parents. According to the National Retail Federation, the cost of school supplies will rise by 40% in 2022, with estimated total expenses continuing to rise by nearly $200 since 2019.

Ester di Filippo, a Chicago resident and mother of two schoolgirls, expressed her dissatisfaction with the skyrocketing school supply prices in an interview with "Fox & Friends First," according to the New York Post. "I do believe that it’s going to be a struggle and a different situation this year,” before adding that her daughter's TI-84 calculator alone would cost $150.

Between April and June this year, inflation led to a 0.9% yearly decrease in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product — a third consecutive month of decline for the University of Illinois' Flash Index, which went from 105.7 in May to 105.5 this month. 

“Small businesses that are discretionary spending, whether it be restaurants or even movie theaters or what have you – I would be most concerned about those folks who would be exposed to a consumer who thinks inflation is here to stay,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Todd Maisch told The Center Square.

Bailey has questioned Pritzker's effectiveness in the face of snowballing financial constraints. 

“Being woke is not an economic plan but unfortunately it is all JB Pritzker has to offer," Bailey said. 

Bailey vowed if elected governor, that he "will work to ensure state government agencies are more responsive to prospective businesses wanting to locate here. He would also want to "reduce business regulations and lower taxes to bring new jobs and new opportunities to Illinois." He noted that "There is little Illinois can do to prevent a recession but there is a lot our state can do to minimize the effects of a recession on our state. Having a robust economy would help minimize the impact of a recession on our state’s economy but to get to that point, we need more than the far left talking points coming from JB Pritzker."