The future of state funding for Illinois schools is still up in the air Monday afternoon. The fight over Senate Bill 1 — legislation that would overhaul the way Illinois supports k-12 schools — has such high stakes and such slim vote margins that it has turned into a parliamentary chess game. Now, the next move belongs to Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The Illinois Senate approved legislation Wednesday aimed at eliminating the disparity in spending between affluent school districts and those serving poorer communities. Senate Bill 1 is sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, who has tried several times to get education funding reform through the legislature.
A Chicago law firm representing a group of mostly rural school superintendents sued the state of Illinois Wednesday. They're asking Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state board of education to come up with a funding formula that would help schools meet the state's learning standards.
A group of lawmakers charged with revamping Illinois' property-tax-reliant school funding formula has been meeting since summer, facing a deadline of February 1 to come up with an alternative. But the group isn’t moving fast enough for State Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill in Macoupin County. He’s the leading Democrat on the commission. He’s also considering running for governor.
There's a commission on reforming how public schools are funded in Illinois, formed by the Governor. Then there's the meetings hosted by St. Senator Kimberly Lightford, where lawmakers of both parties --- and lobbyists, too --- get together to discuss the hard questions around education funding reform.
