A letter detailing Duncan's plans was obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by a White House official.  The education secretary recently visited the U of I's Urbana campus. 

Among the many political battles that have raged in Springfield since the election of Governor Bruce Rauner, one difficult battle has fallen off the radar. The fight for a new school funding formula has been pushed to the wayside as the state operates without a budget for a third month, and Springfield's top politicians talk over each other.

The United States' top education official made a couple of stops in Illinois this week on a "Back to School" Bus Tour. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hopped off his school bus in Champaign Wednesday to highlight the disability resource program at the University of Illinois' Urbana campus.