Illinois State Funding Update

Taylor Jones, Staff Writer

In recent politics, Illinois leaders continue to fail to set a state budget to fund Illinois schools. Lawmakers had not been able to come to a consensus on an education budget. As a repercussion, some Illinois schools might have had to close their doors due to insufficient funds. On August 24th, top legislative leaders claimed that they had reached an agreement on the school funding reform. Governor Bruce Rauner adds, “I applaud the four leaders in coming to a consensus on historic school funding reform that reflects the work of the School Funding Reform Commission. I thank them for their leadership and I look forward to the coming days when the legislation is passed by both chambers”.  Governor Bruce Rauner released a amendatory veto as a school funding plan on August 12th, although it took leaders some time to decide if it was the right choice for Illinois schools.  More than 97% of Illinois school districts will receive more state funding than they ever have before. Some schools in Illinois are set to receive more than 9 million dollars in funding after Rauner’s changes. Our school district is set to receive over 9.4 million from the state; that is $600,000 more than we have ever had before.  Illinois lawmakers may have taken their time with finding the right fit for school funding, but schools have truly benefitted from this.

 

Contributed By: Brandon Richard (WSIL News Team) and Illinois Policy.com